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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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…