ONE: RAVELLO This will be a surprising no. 1 for most, as the usual day-trippers and ‘effective’ travel guides will skip it altogether. And that’s a good thing, because the crowds make it difficult enough to reach and enjoy in all its haughty splendour. Ravello is in fact not on the Amalfi Coast, but hanging uphill, just on top of Amalfi. It is spectacular, noble and expensive, and worth it. The narrow road leading to Ravello is cut in the rocky mountain like an initiation path and is called, quite evocatively, the Valley of the Dragon. Ravello is small, which adds to the feeling of exclusivity, especially off- season or…
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POSTCARDS: Acqua Alta in Venice
Like all great beauties, she is incredible, irresistible, fragile and dramatic, alltogether. Venezia’s destiny as a forever endangered realm of wonder has a tragic beauty to it, and nothing makes it more obvious than the acqua alta days. On October 29, 2018, an exceptional high tide flooded Venice. It was the fourth highest ever recorded, and the most dramatic in over a decade. The conscience of her ephemerity only added to the beauty, as La Serenissima was stripped of the hords of tourists and the waters held the mirror to her face for two days in a row.
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SINE QUA NON: NORMANDY
MONT SAINT MICHEL The only possible number one. Although is closer and more intimately connected to Bretagne, it will be top-of-mind for any escape in Western France. I wrote more about “the wonder” here. THE ALABASTER COAST AND PAYS DE CAUX La Cote d’Albatre is the French counterpart of the famous white cliffs that are the picture-perfect signature of the English Channel coastline. It makes for a great roadtrip, with its towns and villages of quaint charm and the often striking beauty of the high falaises. Stop in Etretat, Yport, Fecamp, Veules-les-Roses, Dieppe. Etretat has the most beautiful cliffs, Fecamp is a jewel of a town where you cannot miss…
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SINE QUA NON: ROME
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s not to visit in a day. Follow #vacanzeromane to see how endless and timeless Rome really is, but if you have but a weekend or a few days for the città eterna, this is what to absolutely do and the “grazie, però no”. ONE: THE SPANISH STEPS AND TRINITA DEI MONTI Piazza di Spagna is high on the must list, but what you are really looking for is the scalinata (the Spanish steps) in fiore, and the classic climb up to Trinita dei Monti. Take your time in the Piazza della Trinita dei Monti and then some more time to visit the…
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SINE QUA NON: VENEZIA
ONE: OFF-SEASON VENICE 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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Vendemmia in Toscana
September is here, so we are slowly getting ready for one of our favorite escapes, the vendemmia/ grape harvest in Toscana. And while we’re at it, we save the dates in the calendar – well, the usual wonders: the winetastings, the community harvest and the exploration of the cantine, the local fairs honoring Baccus, the mystery tours and the pranzoni – all the incredible food of the season. This year, due to hot weather and climate particularities, the vendemmia takes place sooner than usual. Forecast says historical low harvest but some extraordinary grapes to be expected in very limited quantities. Heat waves and extreme weather grew smaller, atypical grapes, and…
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A story about hotdogs
As we are true fans of #streetfood, one of the pieces de resistance is the hot dog. Foodies may be snobs where hotdogs are concerned, since mass production often spoils the spirit of the perky dog. But there are still brave hot dogs’ creators in the world, proving that any popular food can become a masterpiece, with the right dedication and ingredients. Gourmet hotdogs are on the rise 🙂 A short history of the hot dog Call it Wiener or Frankfurter, the Germans invented this type of sausage, but then it was brought to the United States in the 1800s by immigrants, and quickly it became extremely popular, a working-class food sold at street…
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Eating my way through Bologna
When it comes to food, Bologna has looots of things to say to the foodie. But if so happens that you only have one day to spend on roaming the city streets, there are two food hubs that you need to pin on google map: Via delle Pescherie Vecchie – right in the city center near Piazza Maggiore, and Via Pratello, near San Francesco Church, known almost exclusively to locals.
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SINE QUA NON: VERONA
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, while 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 house of…
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Opera itineraries for thehappyfew
If you’re a classical music enthusiast or an opera lover, you must have been to the Covent Garden or Scala once or twice. But I discovered something that beats even the gilded interiors of Opera Garnier: the exterior. Dream big: ancient theatre with view of the volcano, a huge lake stage or a musical terrace where you can see the sun rising 315 m over the sea. Set in breathtaking outdoor locations, here are my favorite concert halls: Teatro Greco di Taormina Classical music but also rock concerts are taking place in the ancient theatre of Taormina, Sicily. A large crack in the original arena wall offers a magnificent view…
