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.…
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…
The Château de Chantilly is one of the finest jewels in the crown of France’s cultural heritage. It is the work of a man with an extraordinary destiny: Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale, son of the last King of France, Louis-Philippe. This historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres north of Paris. The site…
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 […]
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 of the symbolic fruits of the late summer/ early autumn. I was triggered by my childhood memories so I took one in my hand and smelled it. My plan was ti buy the one that smells the best and traditionally, put it on the top of my wardrobe – as the grandmothers would do. Instead of that, the vendor started to warn me that this is not a lemon.
I rolled with my eyes to my Captain Obvious and went further. Sicilians like to think that only here and only them. Nobody else. As if quince would ever grow in the rest of the world. =.=
I continued to discover further. I noticed the traditional ornaments that made me think of the wood technique. And yes Sicilians, we have them too in Croatia.
There was a local grill that smelled nice, accompanied, of course with lots of trash of the guests. I guess you take something good, you take something bad here in Sicily. Only in Sicily. Or maybe is the same in the rest of the world, too? Nah, must be only in Sicily.
But I decided to go for the real deal, the reason why I am here. The tree castagni, or should I translate into three maroons. 🙂 As I observed, they are baked in tall pots. Not sure why this technique but they were a real treat! 🙂 Only in Sicily.
Eating one of my favourite season food, I have noticed in the far distance the old mulino a vento (wind mill), but without the wings. It is a round tower built with the remains of a Roman pre-existence, erected as a watchtower against pirate invasions or even during the Islamic conquest of Sicily. It is believed that the adaptation to a mill with grindstone dates back to the Norman domination. The mill was famous for not being very productive. Only in Sicily.
After my treat I made a small passeggiata. I have discovered the Chiesa Santa Maria della Misericordia dei Bianchi (from 16th century). I couldn’t enter though, but even from the outside I was impressed. A secondary church with such a beautiful facade.
Then particular were the facades. Dilapidated, with history and stories. I wondered what class of people lived here? During which time it reached its peak?
But the Etna remained still. Not revealing me the secret at all. Yet, the Trecastagnese territory, being on the slopes of Etna and being one of the municipalities on the border between the inhabited continuum of the metropolitan area of Catania and the territory of the Etna Park, is largely undeveloped, and therefore rich in naturalistic attractions.
RED RIDING HOOD 