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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A ROADTRIP THROUGH CHIANTI CLASSICO
Follow La Strada del Chianti (SR222) and stop along the way to your heart’s desire. Etruscans were first here, then Romans drove their carts on these roads. A land of tremendous beauty and forever radiating serenity, the wine road witnessed the obsessive conflicts between Florence and Siena, undisturbed by battles and the march of time. Around its winding path, the timeless villages, sun-drenched vineyards, and fortified castles of Chianti Classico unfurl. Look for the Black Rooster (Gallo Nero), the historic symbol of this renowned wine, marking the territory. One way to go is from the formidable, perfectly walled Monteriggioni up through Castellina in Chianti to Panzano, where the legendary butcher…
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BUT FIRST WE FLORENCE IN STYLE
It is that time of the year. Grape harvest season means Toscana for the happy few. Two weeks of the slow, artful, almost timeless happiness in the Tuscan countryside. But first we Florence in style. When Stendhal visited Florence for the first time, he experienced a one-time feeling: a mixture of amazement, beatitude and exhilaration that proved literally overwhelming. He was dizzy and confused and sick with emotion, while physically incapable of leaving the city. I felt it too, my first time in Firenze: the allure, the wonder, the perfect beauty and the inconceivable happiness of just being there. You know that special tension you feel when you’re desperately in love,…
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Beautiful is absolute, and so is PENICHE
“One more stop” he said. We were chasing daring lighthouses, pure beaches and wild coastline, as usual. It had been a scorching hot day in August, the kind of day that hushes everything and brings out the light, white houses and white sands surrounded by a shimmering halo, people scarce and wrinkled by sun and dry winds. Coming down from Nazaré along the coast, we had taken an arduous trip inland to see Fátima (grossly overrated) and Batalha (true gem), and were heading to Óbidos for the night. Tired from the heat and the long drive, I was truly looking forward to the cool walls, green ivy, and refreshing chatter of…
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With love, from CHIANTI: 300 years of Chianti Classico
On Sept. 24, 1716, the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de’ Medici officially delineated the borders of the Chianti wine region. Which basically makes him a personal favorite and a hero. Him and Barone Ricasoli, of course. Cosimo had quality control teams patrolling the vineyards in the area and made sure that no other wine outside this blessed realm could be called Chianti, ever again. A predecessor to what would become the modern Denominazione d’Origine Controllata (DOC) and DOCG wine labelling system, the Grand Duke’s act was the first of its kind in Europe. Genius. 300 years later, thehappyfew couldn’t have missed the celebrations. On September 24, 2016, there…
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The treasure map to Portugal’s best beaches
This is your treasure map to Portugal’s best beaches: from North to South, a pocket collection for the happy few charting an Atlantic odyssey. Save your pins! THE FINDS COSTA DE PRATA – between Porto and Lisbon Infinite white beaches for surfers and lovers of the immense blue, and secret coves that are hard to find and even harder to leave. VICENTINA, the freedom enclave – south of Lisbon South of Lisbon, the coastline morphs to a vast, untamed expanse, a true frontier for those who seek raw nature and expansive solitude. From the privileged Costa Caparica to Europe’s last wild coast, Costa Vicentina, this is the happy few freedom…
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Valencia and beyond: the best day-trips
Valencia, as a city, is a happy few favourite for a city break: the sparkling sea, the vibrant taverns, that immense beach, and those incredible urban landmarks. But what if we make it a whole holiday in the area? Embrace the open road for day trips that are nothing short of an escape to wonderland. ESCAPE ONE: Peñíscola Who was first? The Knights Templar or the dragons? If this is your kind of mind race, you simply must go to Peñíscola. Take Costa del Azahar (Azahar means citrus blossom 🙂 ) north from Valencia towards Barcelona on either the highway or the national road, if you want to make a…
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ON RICE AND MEN (and possibly giraffes): VALENCIA
Delicate rice fields rolling under the sun, equally delicate elephants roaming freely, immense beaches stretching to the horizon, and the true, original paella – these are but a few of the rather extraordinary findings in one singular city, Valencia. A citybreak wonderland escape indeed, it’s the place where even a river lives a heroic second life, perfectly reincarnated into verdant gardens. I had underestimated Valencia for years; between the fascination of Andalucia, the pull of the islands and the overwhelming buzz of Barcelona and Madrid, Valencia never made the Spanish top list. I am happy to admit I was in the wrong. Surprises of such magnitude are priceless for the happy few, so…
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GoT LOCATIONS: MEEREEN
Game of Thrones lovers, don’t just sit and watch in awe: step into the story and go to Meereen. Season’s 6 Meereen was filmed in Peniscola, Spain, and this is one of our favorite escapes to wonderland 🙂 Retrace the tracks of Tyrion, Missandei and Varys and linger on the streets haunted by the Harpies. Plus the dragons are still there, remember?
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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…
