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 was climbing up the Liguria region, having the view over … Continue reading Cinque Terre π Italia
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 Italian regions. As you can see – San Marino is … Continue reading San Marino
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. My first stop was not much known but soon to … Continue reading Tutti i Trulli di Alberobello, Italia
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 toΒ Saint-HubertΒ crossed that fromΒ LiΓ¨geΒ toΒ BouillonΒ required fortifying: the ruins of the old castle, which gave the place its name and a title to a long line of counts who had … Continue reading π§Rochefort, Belgique
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. RagusaΒ is a city on the southern side of the island ofΒ SicilyΒ It is built on a wideΒ limestoneΒ hill between two deepΒ valleys, … Continue reading Ragusa (Ibla)
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. The Greek colony here was established in the 8th century … Continue reading Avola
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 π Approaching the booth with fruit, I have noticed quince – one of the symbolic fruits of the late summer/ early autumn. … Continue reading Tre Castagni
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 another one. The islands are a volcanic archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily, said … Continue reading Aeolian Islands
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 π Several civilizations settled in Milazzo and left signs of their presence from the Neolithic age. In Homer’sΒ OdysseyΒ Milazzo … Continue reading Milazzo
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. Located near the northeast corner of Sicily, at the Strait of … Continue reading Messina
RED RIDING HOOD 