Rome wasn’t built in a day and you can’t see all of it in a day. But if you have just a weekend or a few days for the Città Eterna? You’ll read hundreds of travel guides and a million tips on blogs and forums, most of them accurate in their own way. Here is the extra-intel you need to navigate Rome with your sanity intact – and actually enjoy it. INTEL ONE: THE ICONS Let’s cut to the chase. You are in the most magnificent city that has ever ruled the world and there are quite a few heavy hitters you absolutely can’t skip. Stand in the shadow of…
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VENICE #SINEQUANON: THE CORNERSTONES
ONE: VENICE, OFF-SEASON Off-season Venice: by all means, travel outside summer season or Carnival week (unless you have tickets to one of the official balls, then you simply have to throw it all in). Venice is so full of tourists that you can hardly call any time of the year “off season”, but I discovered that La Serenissima is only serene in winter, and maybe some blissful days in early spring or late autumn. Check this out for Venice in winter. The wind in the lagoon may be chilly at times, but you’ll discover a truer, more fascinating face of Venice. TWO: A ROOM WITH A VIEW A room with…
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VERONA #SINEQUANON: LOVE STORY, HAPPY ENDING
The city of Romeo and Juliet can become a love story, and not necessarily a tragic one. Of all the things to love here, the house of Giulietta and the famed balcony are the least lovable – in fact the tons of heart and Cupid and flashy red souvenirs are maybe the only real tragedy that happened to this place. So forget about that story, and bear in mind that Shakespeare wrote two more Verona-related plays: Two Gentlemen of Verona and the wonderful Taming of the Shrew. I very much wanted to see the house where Katherina was tamed, but no reference to that, I’m afraid. There is still the…
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Florence #SINEQUANON: How to See the Most Beautiful City
ONE: The view from San Miniato al Monte Let everybody else stop at Piazzale Michelangelo for the view over the city. While a very good spot for the pics, it is basically an over-crowded parking. Go uphill, Via delle Porte Sante, to San Miniato al Monte. This is the church with the most beautiful view in the world. TWO: THE ROOFTOPS OF FLORENCE Florence has a magical skyline to dream on to. The miraculous dome of the Duomo, the unmistakable tower of the Palazzo Vecchio, the tiled rooftops, the marbled facades and the Renaissance palazzi create an immersive feeling that becomes the city copyright. At your hotel, ask for a room…
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VALENCIA #SINEQUANON: THE CITY OF ORANGES AND LAUGHTER AND LIGHT
ONE: BIOPARC You can call it a zoo, but that would be a gross understatement. This is true bio-immersion: you walk and picnic into the animals’ world. In downtown Valencia, Africa comes alive: savannas, baobabs, and roaming wildlife, poof! the city has vanished. TWO: Turia – the riverbed transformed into park Turia is the ultimate urban playground. The river that once flooded the city was redirected and its dry bed transformed into nine kilometers of pure delight: orange trees and fountains, playgrounds and bike paths, bridges that tell the story of centuries, and futuristic wonders like the City of Arts and Sciences rising at the far end. It’s Valencia’s living…
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ISTANBUL #SINEQUANON: THE CORNERSTONES
ONE Hagia Sophia TWO Topkapi Palace and the Harem Plan a whole afternoon for it, it may very well be the most wonderful spot in Istanbul. Beautiful park, unbeatable views of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn from the terraces. Take your time, see it all, discover Moses’s walking stick and a fragment from the Mecca stone and the Otoman jewelries, have a coffee or lunch at the restaurant hanging over the sea. THREE Galata Tower and Pera district Craving that classic European romance feel after a hectic day in Istanbul? The Pera district is widely considered Istanbul’s answer to Montmartre. Here, quaint, steep, cobblestone streets wind their way up,…
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TUSCANY #SINEQUANON: SEE? PERFECTION EXISTS
Plan on a minimum of two weeks here; this is not a place to fast-forward through. In Tuscany, you take your time, give in, and never resist temptation – this is where you learn the true meaning of slow travel. You really need the time to live it, not just visit it, and once you do it properly, you’ll find there’s no place quite like it. Intel Best time to visit: September. Transport: fly into Pisa or Florence and then rent a car – this is non-negotiable. Tuscany has the most beautiful medieval castles and villages, plus the most wonderful country roads. If you can’t freely move between those vineyards…
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SINEQUANON Andalusia: The Keys to the South
ONE: RONDA There is an unbreakable quality about that place: it’s perfect; not intimidating yet not popular either, not humble yet by no means brassy, audacious yet familiar. Ideally situated in the mountains only 40 minutes drive from the sea, the city is fractured in the middle by an abyss, the two halves united by an old bridge. Ronda hangs over the most magnificent abrupt rocks without being terrifying or cold, it has small paved streets with charming boutiques, a Museo de los Ladrones (The Thieves’ Museum) and the most beautiful Plaza de Torros (the bullfighting arena) in the world. The most spectacular corrida in the world takes place here, the Corrida…
