My little jubilee, the 50th country visited was Liechtenstein. And boy what a ceremony happened. The Principality of Liechtenstein and the Swiss Confederation were celebrating the 100 years of their common Dounae contract. We were about to cross the bridge that was built over the river Rhine, but we were stopped as the celebration was just…
Krapina is my hometown. Zagorje runs through veins. Kajkavian dialect is spoken out loud by my core. So please, allow me to show you a portion of heaven given to us people from Zagorje to enjoy, nourish, and remain proud. Krapina Krapina was first mentioned in 1193. It has always been a favorite site for…
This is a post of a lovely, walkable city that will charm all wine, gastronomy and history lovers. From Markets to Mustard! This capital of Burgundie is calling you to get all its tastes. And you will not know all of these existed! The province was home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until…
Avignon is a city on the Rhône river in the south of France. It is surrounded by walls of Avignon (French: Les Remparts d’Avignon) – a series of defensive stone walls that were originally built in the 14th century during the Avignon papacy and have been continually rebuilt and repaired throughout their subsequent history. We entered through Porte Saint-Michel. The…
This historical province of southeastern France, extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It largely corresponds with the modern administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur . The largest city of the region and its modern-day capital is Marseille. Known for its diverse landscapes, miles of…
Michel de Notre-Dame, as we all know as Nostradamus, was an apothecary by profession, and published in the year 1555 a book called Les Prophéties (The Prophecies). In his collection of 942 poetic quatrains, he predicted various future events that experts, and many amateurs, find a way of interpreting into related events occurring in the present day. Some historical evidence suggests…
This is going to be a short post. Sanremo is a city on the west coast of Italy, in the province of Liguria. It is the capital of the Riviera dei Fiori or Riviera of Flowers. Its casino also makes it a sort of Italian version of Monte Carlo. This large building in Art Nouveau…
Vivid green pesto, great wine and fabulous walks … Genoa is a city of indulgence. Driving in the city, noticing it’s fabulous big secession buildings it reminded me of the importance of Italy: banks, trades, imports of goods and businesses… Genoa was a medieval rival to Venice. It’s not been primped for tourists like Venice, though.…
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.…
This city is placed in such a remote place that even dear Lord decide to say buona notte a tutti. Driving there, through various hills beautiful landscapes but scary landscapes… […]
This city is placed in such a remote place that even dear Lord decide to say buona notte a tutti. Driving there, through various hills beautiful landscapes but scary landscapes… roads that are incomplete, the GPS that get lost, the moment of: Please let’s try not to make a wrong turn because we are not sure if the GPS is wrong or the indications and the road signs are incorrect.
Let me show you what I mean:
Corleone is located in an inland area of the mountain, in the valley between the Rocca di Maschi, the Castello Soprano and the Castello Sottano. Corleone is located at 542 metres above sea level.
I guess all the world pasta is coming exactly from these fields here. 😛
The only reason it came on my list is because of the movie The Godfather based on the 1969 novel The Godfather, including the eponymous Vito (Andolini) Corleone.
The local mafia clan, the Corleonesi, led the Mafia in the 1980s and 1990s, and were the most violent and ruthless group ever to take control of the organization.
When visiting the town today, do not expect dramas of any kind. The town works and appears as a traditional Sicilian town, and in recent years it has experienced a significant anti-mafia movement wave. After the tragic murder of the highly respected and admired mafia judgeGiovanni Falcone in 1992, the mood of many Sicilians turned against Cosa Nostra , and a large number of anti-mafia associations emerged in the background. Part of the land and the property formerly owned by members of the Mafia is now administered by the state, and the ground is cultivated by various anti-mafia associations, which produce and sell organic products, including excellent wines.
I mean, really, the city is boring and unattractive. Perhaps the best way to observe how they behave is to enter a bar. We did so. It was incredibly hot and siesta time so not much sites were open. Except for this bar, with 3 locals and a bartender. All of them tattooed with tacky sleeveless muscles – shown shirts.
Some quick refreshments and using the toilet. Well, when washing the hands, you do not open the pipe with hands but pressing the clutch below with your foot. Ok, well.
We wanted to enter the church but it was locked. The locals from the bar were looking at us knowing we are tourists and trying to find a way to talk to us. We said we would like to go to church but we are not sure what time it opens. Looks can be deceiving! The tattooed guy in muscle shirt pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Last thing what I saw was the screen on which it was written: Il Padre. Yes, the guy was calling priest to ask him if he can open the church because there are two tourists in a bar wanting to know. I mean, total shock on my face: you do not call Padre because of that. A guy like that does not have a relations with church, or does it?
Poor Padrino, most probably was slumbering. It was hot. We went to see the church around only and bought the Corleone Amaro di Sicilia.
Chiesa Madre is dedicated to the 4th-century French bishop Saint Martin of Tours, started in the late 14th century.
And was it. Short, shocking, odd, to remember… back to car and driving again through the fields.