Mondello, Sicily... It's a kind of magic!

Mondello, a beautiful fishing village at the foot of Monte Pellegrino, reachable through the Parco della Favorita along a charming tree-lined avenue that connects it to the center of Palermo, which is only few kilometers away. Originally just a fishing village, it has been gradually turned into a nice town, very popular destination for tourists from around the world. It overlooks a beautiful sandy bay with typical tropical colors that characterize this Mediterranean area.
Read more »

Gallipoli, the pearl of Salento

Gallipoli is also known as the Pearl of the Ionian Sea. It's one of the most beautiful cities of  the Salento, a crystal sea characterized by all shades of colors ranging from light green to a deep blue when you move with the eye toward the horizon from the shore.
Gallipoli takes its name from a greek word, Kale Polis: the beautiful city! It boasts Greek influences not only in its name. Just walking in the old town located on an island connected to the mainland by a bridge, walking through the alleys of the old town to be thrown back in time and enjoy the Roman art, Greek and Renaissance traces in the whole Salento: palaces, churches, the Cathedral of Sant'Agata... every corner of the city is beautiful.
Read more »

Discovering Sicily - Caltagirone

Caltagirone is a town located in the hinterland of the province of Catania, famous for the production of ceramics and majolica, activities developed in the centuries since the ancient Greeks. Like much of Sicily, Caltagirone suffered the passage of different populations, becoming a privileged stronghold for Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Genoese, who controlled the position of the two flat, that of Catania and Gela.
Read more »

St Ives, Cornwall – One of the Best Holiday Destinations in the UK

When people travel to the UK there is a natural tendency for the majority of visitors from overseas to gravitate towards the city of London. While the country’s capital does of course have a great deal to offer backpackers, families and couples alike including many great visitor attractions, it is completely wrong to assume that this is all the UK has to offer. Above all else, the country has some highly underrated coastal regions that are great ways of seeing a different side to the countries history and heritage rather than just the usual London based tourist traps.

     Amongst my personal favourite places to visit in the UK is Cornwall. The region – based at the countries most south westerly tip – offer beautiful scenery and coastline, great beaches, towns, restaurants and pubs which are ideal for visitors from the UK and abroad. The weather is also generally considered to be amongst the best in the UK, with some very comfortable summer temperatures and high sun levels for the UK making it a great place to stop off at if you are looking for a short summer break.

     

     Younger party seeking visitors and fans of surfing will enjoy the popular destination of Newquay, but there are other great places to visit in Cornwall including Padstow (famous for Chef Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant) and St Ives - which has a thriving artistic community and heritage. If you are a traveler seeking to cut back on costs or enjoy cooking your own food, self catering St Ives can be booked online, but during the peak summer months in the UK can tend to become busy – so book early in order to avoid disappointment. The town also hosts a 15 day arts festival in September that proves very popular and draws a great deal of visitors to the town, so during this period you may also find apartments in St Ives become less readily available. Another option for accommodation could be to stay in a Caravan Park in Cornwall which can offer dog friendly options for people visiting the region.
 

History in Sardinia

Speaking of tourism in Sardinia, the first things that come to mind are surely: beaches, sun and sea.
But holidays in Sardinia are not just that. Sardinia, one might say, is the island with many faces: one is the cultural one, which has a long history as witnessed by the many "nuraghi" scattered throughout the island, which date back to ancient civilizations of Sardis and which is the main cultural and historical attraction of Sardinia.
Read more »

Vatican Displays the Way of the Cross in Bronze

This Easter, a series of 49 statues and 11 crosses depicting 14 scenes of the Way of the Cross are displayed along Via della Conciliazione, the broad, cobble-stoned street leading up to St. Peter’s Basilica. The collection of statues and crosses, produced by Domus Dei here in Italy, represent the world’s largest bronze Stations of the Cross in the world.


It took an impressive five years of work and ten tons of bronze to complete. The display runs from 13 March to 27 April 2011, after which they will be sent to Chile, where they were commissioned by the Fundacion Cruz del III Milenio for the Chilean port city Coquimbo.

Vatican Displays the Way of the Cross in Bronze

This Easter, a series of 49 statues and 11 crosses depicting 14 scenes of the Way of the Cross are displayed along Via della Conciliazione, the broad, cobble-stoned street leading up to St. Peter’s Basilica. The collection of statues and crosses, produced by Domus Dei here in Italy, represent the world’s largest bronze Stations of the Cross in the world.


It took an impressive five years of work and ten tons of bronze to complete. The display runs from 13 March to 27 April 2011, after which they will be sent to Chile, where they were commissioned by the Fundacion Cruz del III Milenio for the Chilean port city Coquimbo.

Great beaches in Italy

Italy is full of place to spend holidays. Moreover, it is possible to enjoy the best beaches in the world, nothing less than dream places like caraibi or hawaii. Here is some places near the sea to forget foreign countries and love a bit more the Bel Paese.

San Vito lo Capo, Trapani (Sicily).
Framed between the northern coasts of Sicily, San Vito lo Capo is a small attractive seaside town with its legends and religious traditions.
Among its most famous beaches, Macari and the "Beaches of Gypsies" deserve to be visited, which beckon the tourists with their turquoise waters and white sand. San Vito lo Capo attracts also many visitors thanks to its Cous Cous Festival and his natural reserve "Zingaro".
The boat tour is definitely the best way to admire the natural reserve of "sea gypsies", before exploring it with a guided tour.
Read more »

Wonderful Tuscany - The "Crete Senesi"

The "Crete Senesi" is a hilly area on the south-east of Siena (Tuscany), ideal for holidays. The Crete Senesi landscape are one of the most unique and fascinating of Italy. These hills are between the towns of Asciano, Buonconvento, Monteroni d 'Arbia, Rapolano Terme and San Giovanni d' Asso. The slow process of erosion has carved the landscape, digging "calanchi" and "biancane": elevations dome-shaped on which appears the color of sodium sulfate. In this "lunar" scenary passed the ancient Via Cassia built by the Romans and renamed via Francigena at the end of the eighth century, when the Franks defeated the Longobards.
Read more »

Discovering Palermo: The historical market "Ballarò"

The historical markets of Palermo are a "must-see" for tourist routes proposed to visitors. visiting these markets throw you into an unknown and timeless dimension; the products, the shouts of sellers, the colors and fragrances are still the same for centuries.
The oldest market of Palermo is the Ballarò in the popular district "Albergheria". The origins of this market can be traced back even to the tenth century at the time of Arab domination in Sicily. Balhara was the name of a village of Arab traders who used to sell spices and precious goods at the market. That was the Suq Al-Balhara, converted from Palermo in Ballarò.
Unlike other ancient city markets, Ballarò is still very popular in Palermo and still very alive in spite of the spread of shopping malls.
Read more »

The "Bel Paese"

Italy has always been defined as the "Bel Paese", the Beautiful country, perhaps for the artistic and cultural heritage can be found in every corner, maybe the lifestyle, the food of the highest quality. Whatever is, it is known worldwide as an ideal place for holidays.
One of the characteristics of Italy is that it is possible to find any kind of trip, and in some places it's easy to combine more than one kind.
The favorite holidays are those related to sea, especially because there are so many places where it is easy to find beaches and waters recalling wonderful exotic places.
Read more »

Experience San Vito Lo Capo

San Vito lo Capo can be considered one of the must-see destinations for those who wish to spend their holidays in Sicily.

In the province of Trapani, located between the well known nature reserves called "Zingaro" and "Monte Cofano", San Vito lo Capo is the pride of the north-western island coast. A blue and green sea, white sandy beaches, beautiful landscapes and stunning sunsets (do not miss the Macari ones!) are just some of the ingredients of a holiday in San Vito lo Capo.
But this place can offer so much more. From the Zingaro Nature Reserve, which contains about 1500 acres of beautiful natural landscapes to the Sea Museum, which contains artefacts found under the beautiful deepest waters, nature has been able to give in San Vito lo Capo so much beauty and fame.
Read more »

Holidays in Tuscany: an alternative way

Are you tired of Florence's Uffizi Gallery and the Tower of Pisa, but you don't want to give up a vacation in Tuscany? Here are some tips for an alternative holiday in Tuscany, dedicated to wellness, culture and sports. What are you waiting for? Pack your bags!

• Walking tourism in Tuscany, to enjoy the beauty and peace of the most remote and unknown part of the region.

The Association "La Boscaglia", which has been trying to spread the culture of "tourism on tiptoe" for years, offers interesting itineraries and excursions to the less touristic places of Tuscany, but often even more evocative and fascinating. The walking excursions, accompanied by expert guides (members of the National environmental guides) will allow you to come into contact with the most "hidden" part of the region, made of pure nature, silence and breathtaking sceneries.
Read more »

Holidays in Cesenatico

Cesenatico is a city in the province of Forlì-Cesena, very popular tourist destination in Emilia Romagna, among the most desirables,both culturally and in terms of entertainment. Are you looking for a hotel in Cesenatico? Just choose among many alternatives along the coast, entirely dedicated to tourist accommodation. There is a lot to see in the city, such as the interesting project of the "Porto Canale", built by Leonardo da Vinci during the sixteenth century on the will of the municipality.
The ambitious purpose was to connect, by sea, Cesenatico to Cesena, only 15 km far.
Read more »

Italy in Miniature

Among the historic amusement parks near the Adriatic Riviera in Italy, stands out the Italy in Miniature. Located in Viserba di Rimini, the park is to be regarded as an institution in that area: everybody knows it and every year is visited by many young and old people who want to have fun and learn walking along the italian "Stivale" and admire the masterpieces of Italian art of both Italy and Europe.
That is why there are so many hotels in Viserba, born near Italy in Miniature. Born to host the thousand of visitors who decide to spend a day in the park and stop for a few days to enjoy the other beauties of Rimini and the Riviera, no matter the period.
Read more »

Castles near Milan

Opulence, impressive architecture and a prestigious past: the outskirts of Milan, away from the chaos and grey skyscrapers, preserve villas and castles to discover, often surrounded by green areas for relaxing breaks.

Read more »

Trip to Italy, the most beautiful country in the World

Italy is a country that offers tourists infinite opportunities both for sites of natural interest and for the artistic heritage that preserves over 5,000 years of history, artifacts and sites.
We start from the north west, the Valle d'Aosta, a narrow valley surrounded by the highest mountains of the "Stivale": the Mont Blanc, Gran Paradiso, Monte Rosa and Cervino are the most famous peaks as well as the location of Courmayeur the Thuille, Cervinia and Gressoney.
Then Aosta offers culture and history, with Roman remains, Saint Vincent and its Casino and the whole series of castles dominating the valley, such as Fenis. Piedmont offers Turin, magnificent former capital of Italy, but also regions such as the Canavese, the Langhe, the Monferrato and Asti zone. Lombardy has gems such as Vigevano, Pavia, Lodi and Cremona, and the magnificent alpine lakes of Como and Varese, as well as the monumental charm of Milan. The Alps are a great refuge for those seeking a holiday of peace and relax, as in Foppolo, Chiavenna, Bormio and Santa Caterina. The mountains of Trentino then take the color of pale Dolomites, with Madonna di Campiglio overlooking the Brenta, the Dolomites of Val Gardena, while the big massifs Ortles and Adamello silently dominate the narrow valleys.
Read more »

Ensure You Have Medical Insurance Before You Travel

Whether you are planning a 12 month backpacking trip visiting numerous great destinations around the world or are simply planning a short weekend break in one of the many top cities that Europe has to offer, you should always consider one simple thing before you travel - are you covered in case of a medical emergency? While the potential possibility of being either injured or sick whilst on a holiday break or backpacking excursion is of course the last thing anyone will want to be thinking about in the build up to the big day when you get on that plane and set off on the trip of a lifetime - it is highly advisable that you take the time prior to departing to get suitable travel medical insurance that will cover you for your given destination and also that incorporates cover for the full length of  your stay.
     When booking travel insurance cover it is also critical to ensure that your policy will also provide adequate cover for all the activities you are likely to undertake during your trip - particularly if you are planning any potentially dangerous activities such as skiing, water sports or bungee jumping. Always study the small print and key points of the policy carefully and take into account any excess you may have to pay in case of having to make a claim. In order to take the hassle out of booking travel insurance, there are now a number of travel medical insurance comparison sites you can use to quickly compare the price of travel insurance policies that offer the cover you may need for your holiday. Policy prices will differ depending on your length of stay and holiday destination but always remember it is better to be safe than sorry.