Travel does the heart good
Rapallo was never on my list. I never thought there could actually be something about this city. It lies on the Ligurian Sea coast, just between Cinque Terre and Genoa. As a girl from Croatia, I know it from the history books as the Treaty of Rapallo was signed there, in Villa Pagana, formerly known as Villa Spinola. A treaty…
The five Cinque Terre villages are situated in northern Italy on the Mediterranean Sea, just 3 hours by train from Milan, Pisa and Florence. I have arrived by car and totally enjoyed the national park that spreads across the five villages. La Spezia My journey started in La Spezia. This was the very first stop as I…
Tintine was slowly climbing up the hills of San Marino. Not much pressure should have been put on this car as she had enough of the shocks in the last year or two. The hills around us were rising and soon we found ourselves surrounded by an amazing view. It was San Marino surrounded by…
My Life in Sicily finished after a year spent on this island. It was time to turn on my Tintine (a beautiful red car), hop on a ferry and say goodbye. I was nostalgic as a was driving through Reggio Calabria. But soon I was in Puglia – the region with the best Italian cheeses.…
Ardennes are super fun to visit. They are cold but there is loads of trails to discover. Hence, after so many locations, Rochefort was on the route as well. Its ancient position at the crossroads where the route to Saint-Hubert crossed that from Liège to Bouillon required fortifying: the ruins of the old castle, which gave the place its name and…
Once upon a time, there was a little Ivana in Cuba trying to explain a poor restaurant holder that the pizza ragusa he is having on the menu is not some Italian name for some Italian city, but the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia. Stupid girl. Ragusa is a city on the southern side of the…
An Ionian seaside town, Avola is a mix of old and new. The town focuses heavily on the sea, with its history as a tuna fishing port. Today, the remains of the Vecchia Tonnara at the wharf are a stone backdrop to the sandy beaches. Avola dates back to a pre-Greek people called the Sicani.…
Located about 11 kilometres north of Catania, it is the perfect little commune to visit during the ottobrata – the local festivity that occurs every October here in Sicily, celebrating the fruits of the land: frutti di terra. The first encounter went wrong already 🙂 Approaching the booth with fruit, I have noticed quince – one…
If something is worth visiting in life, it is the Aeolian islands. Becasue it makes you think about winter in the south. It makes you think about simplicity of life. And it makes you realise how not to treat the tourists: just some bags of potatoes that need to be shipped from one island to…
I haven’t had a chance to spent a bit more time discovering this city. But just a glimpse and it made me think to re-visit and make it’s due. When the time will come, I promise to update with more photos. But for now, enjoy the story 🙂 Several civilizations settled in Milazzo and left…
I didn’t expect much from this harbour city, to be honest. I knew they have a great beer – Messina cristali di sale: a great Sicilian beer brewed since 1923 and one of the most loved Italian beers. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy.…
Senlis is a city in the northern French department of Oise, Hautes de France. Cute, medieval and charming. It offered us great peek into history: The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. Senlis is situated on the river Nonette. Senlis was known in early Roman imperial times as Augustomagus. During the 3rd century, a seven-meter…
Two days reserved for doing this route 🙂 My travel soul was reaching its immortal stage. Let me show you which route we took: Our very first wine cellar was […]
Two days reserved for doing this route 🙂 My travel soul was reaching its immortal stage. Let me show you which route we took:
Our very first wine cellar was the winery Turckheim. We took a nice walk through the city of Turckheim, again colombage or in english; timber houses forming the line of endless streets of the city. Afterwards we climbed the hills of Turckheim, and we had a view to see:
The road continued through many small cities with timbered houses, churches and wine cellars. We stopped so many times just to take the smell of the view. As odd as it sounds.
Next stop: Stoeckle! Boy that was an atmosphere. When I heard the music from the hill, it reminded me on my home region in Croatia: the Zagorje
Immediate stop, entrance to the wine cellar full of people and owner blowing into horn tube, playing the traditional song of Alsace. Here I tried all the possibilities of the wine of Alsace: Sylvaner, Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Muscat d’Alsace, Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer, Cremant d’Alsace, and the rose made of Pinot Noir. I think that night I was in the mood to buy entire cellar.
Continuing the road, hitting the best moments of the golden hour and the best medieval cities on our way.
Next stop: Achilee. Don’t ask how we managed to stop there, but the vibe of this cellar was odd. The wine host was very nice and welcoming, while xplaining how the bio in his wines actually means performance to the full moon etc. I looked at the barrels, they looked happy. So what the heck, bring the degustation on the table! 🙂
Protected by the natural barrier of the Vosges Mountains, the vineyards of Alsace benefit from a unique climate and a variety of different grape-growing districts. The many different grape varieties which thrive here produce an incomparable range of rich and aromatic wines, from the driest and most delicate to the most opulent and full-bodied. The Alsace Wine Route, one of the oldest in France, crosses these different wine districts. From Marlenheim to Thann, it allows you to discover 170 km of scenic landscapes, from medieval villages and half-timbered houses decorated with flowers, to castles and Roman and Gothic churches. Enjoy!
RED RIDING HOOD 
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