Travel does the heart good
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.…
One of my favourite activities living in Sicily is to go to the beach. Or how they call it here the lido. South of Catania, there is entire spread of […]
One of my favourite activities living in Sicily is to go to the beach. Or how they call it here the lido.
South of Catania, there is entire spread of different lido’s which are under different concessions. Do not expect a beautiful road to drive through, though. The road is full of bumps, holes, trash and construction fences. But once you park your car and enter the venue – you change your perspective. Nice long lungomare, sandy beaches and the view on Etna vulcano while swimming in the Ionian sea. Love and hate is the Sicily.
If I could recommend, it would be Lido Arcobaleno. They have the most friendly staff, great restaurant – excellent grilled fish!, and just most protective baywatch guard.
It’s only negative side is that is a bit too close to the Catania port so the sea is less clear. But you get to see ships and admire their logistics.
The other Lido to recommend is Capanello and Excelsior. A bit more clear sea water but always busy, And the restaurant is actually a canteen – so not that much attractive.
At Lido Cucaracha, there is an African bar that in the evening turns into disco. I am not sure how the people in the nearby bungalows sleep, but I guess they get used to it during the day from the noise of the airplanes. The Fontanarossa Airport is just behind.
Sea time is the best time for trying the shells. I have gone this time with the red sea shells. It is a true aphrodisiac. 🙂
Sicily is the home of granita. This ancient tradition in sweet delicacies has its roots in the Middle Ages, when the “nivaroli” would gather snow in winter on Mount Etna or Nebrodi mountains and store it all year round in “neviere” (holes lined with stone or brick – you can see some perfectly preserved examples in Buccheri) and then carry it to the seashore in the warmer months.
The snow was grated and used, together with lemon juice or fruit syrups, in the preparation of tasty and refreshing sorbets and ice creams to be enjoyed in summer. The rattata (“grattata”) evolved over time, and the snow, then used only as a coolant, was replaced by water and honey with sugar, making the mixture deliciously creamy. This unmistakable mixture, refreshing, sweet and rich in flavour, is now known worldwide as Granita Siciliana.
Considered by the Sicilians as a moment of togetherness and social interaction, the granita is a ritual in every sense: not only in summer but all year round, at breakfast, lunch, in the afternoon, or even at dinner, the granita is served with a hot brioche, or as in the past, with a fragrant freshly baked bread roll. To fully enjoy Sicilian granita (which is entirely different from Roman “grattachecca”, sorbet or “cremolata”), the ideal way is to spend at least 30 minutes relaxing, comfortably seated at the tables of an open-air bar, admiring the architectural beauty, reading a newspaper or simply chatting with friends.
RED RIDING HOOD 