Travel does the heart good
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…
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…
The Scala dei Turchi is a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle. It has become a tourist attraction, partly due to its mention series of detective stories about Commissario Montalbano. The cliffs lie between two sandy beaches and are a limestone rock formation in the shape of a staircase, hence the name. The latter part…
Picture this episode: we parked on a roundabout. Some local approached us (my brother and me) – we thought because we should have not park in a roundabout, but then again they all did, so… in fact the guy just wanted to ask if we have cigarettes. Ok Sicily, episode n. At the roundabout is…
Enna or as the Sicilians would say Castrugiuvanni; is a city located roughly at the center of Sicily, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned the nicknames belvedere (panoramic viewpoint) and ombelico (“navel”) of Sicily. At 931m above sea level, Enna is the highest Italian provincial capital. To arrive there is not a piece of cake. Passing the two viaducts Morello and…
From its dramatic natural surroundings to its historic churches, Sicily has something to offer every traveler. The island of Sicily is a unique part of Italy. Its craggy mountains, wild vegetation, and omnipresent sea have fired the imagination of poets, wayfarers, and visitors alike. Though it is one of 20 Italian regions, its history under…
Aci Castello and the other Acis around are destinations not to be missed in Sicily, especially for lovers of Greek myths and literature. It is here that the poets Virgil and Ovid gave birth to the myth of Galatea and Aci and their love story. In the second half of 1100 the town was destroyed…
The Lady of the Rivers is a historical novel by Philippa Gregory, part of her series The Cousins’ War. The story is narrated by Jacquetta of Luxembourg, mother of Elizabeth Woodville, and covers the reign of […]
by Judith Merkle Riley In 1556 France, Queen Catherine de Medici spies on her husband, King Henri II, and his lover, Diane de Poitiers. Driven nearly mad by jealousy, the […]
At the beginning a bit borring but then you get into the secrets of the Vatican and catholic church. As the most spectacular murder in Los Angeles happens, the detectives […]
For generations, the Bradford family is the synonym for the best world wide bourbon. The spirit that comes from Kentucky, USA and made of corn. The sustained wealth of the […]
The magnificent Sahara and the Berber tribes that belongs to it are wonderfully described in this book: Izzy discovers that her amulet is a Tuareg artefact containing an inscription in […]
by Hannah Kent Even though this book is a fiction, it is based on true events. Agnes MagnĂşsdĂłttir is the last person executed on Iceland, accused of participating in the murder of […]
Morocco, 1677. The tyrannical King Ismail resides over the palace of Meknes. Through the sweltering heat of the palace streets, Nus Nus is his slave. He is  circumsized, of course, […]
Russian Concubine and the Secret of a Concubine are 2 beautiful novels that start in St Petersburg right after the First Russian Revolution and the aristocracy is killed to give […]
This story is from biblical times and as such follows The Bible and the  Genesis 34,  but it is different in many important ways. It is explaining how women in time […]
The story of Princess Sultan is true. The words are the authors’, but the story is princesses’. The shocking human tragedies described in this book are factual. In a country […]
This is an epic story about Genghis Khan – a founder of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death. He came to power by uniting many of […]
The monks gave him the name John Savage. He as a savage for them, living with them in some abbey in the Northern England, raping him and beating. After this […]
Cleopatra’s Alexandria (nowaday’s Egypt) is tragically fallen after Caesar‘s assassination in 1 century BCE, and her allieanation with Mark Antony (the following Roman Emperor). Cleopatra kills herself with letting the royal cobra snake […]
The author is Simon Sebag Montefiore –Â one of my favourite writers. The story follows the prohibited love affair of two which came to light in 1945. While Russia celebrates victory […]
Philippa Gregory is one of the best historical novel writers nowadays. Her most famous iteration of books is The Cousin’s Wars describing through her novels the War of Roses for control of […]
The book comes in two sequels, written by two authors Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti. The place of happening is Rome, in September 1683. While the Turkish army spends on the […]
RED RIDING HOOD 