Florence or Firenze has been one of Italy’s most popular tourist destinations for a long time. The Uffizi Gallery featuring works of Botticelli, Giotto’s bell tower and the famous cathedral and Michelangelo’s David ( the original as well as a number of copies) have made Florence a drawcard for culture buffs. Add to this Florence’s reputation as a world fashion leader (especially leather) and the … Continue reading Instead of Florence
Barga The town of Barga is already rated as one of the best towns or villages in Italy to visit. The historic old town has been immaculately preserved and the more modern outer town is obviously thriving. A town of 10,000 it has a famous jazz festival each year and attracts artists and artisans from other countries. The cathedral dating from the twelfth century is … Continue reading Three lesser known towns to visit in northwestern Tuscany
Florence and Siena and the Chianti region between these two cities have made Tuscany a popular world attraction. But in the northwest corner of Tuscany, nestled in the Apuan Alps, is the region of Garfagnana. This is the place to go if you like small hilltop towns and steep walking through lots of greenery with views to snow capped mountains. We were based in near … Continue reading Walking off the beaten track in Tuscany
Venice continues to draw so many tourists that local Venetians are understandably unhappy. Living in Venice presents huge challenges in this city which some say is drowning in its canals. Shopping, moving around the narrow streets on foot, accessing the train station or the doctor or even conducting a funeral. This is becoming increasingly difficult with the hoards of tourists descending upon Venice, especially from … Continue reading Is Venice worth visiting?
Tourists have been heading to Italy for a long time but there is still a lesser known part of Italy that many tourists have not yet discovered. Situated above the Veneto region ( think Venice, Verona, Vicenza, Padova) and reaching up to Austria in the north and Slovenia in the east is the unique Italian region of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. It’s capital is the former Austro Hungarian … Continue reading San Vito al Tagliamento – a small Italian town in the heart of Friuli
In this age of mass tourism when taking a cruise or a package tour is a growing phenomenon, the simple experience of walking by foot along a Spanish Camino is a growing trend. Last year in 2018 over 320,000 people walked into Santiago de Compostela and many more ( like myself) have walked just part of a Camino finishing before Santiago. In my seven days … Continue reading The Spanish Camino brings soul to the travel experience
The last three days of walking have taken us from the hot, dry and remote region of the Extremadura into the cooler and mountainous parts of Castile y Leon. Walking along grassy paths with a view towards snow on the mountains was a pleasing change. We continued to see Roman miliarios, creeks and streams of water, more wildflowers and large numbers of fine looking cattle … Continue reading Walking to San Pedro de Rozados along Via de la Plata
I have now walked three days along the Camino called Via de la Plata, a distance of 68 kilometres. The weather has been dry but hot in the afternoons without shade. I have now adapted to that sensation of being a Pellegrino when you carry everything you have in your pack, your most important job for the day is to find and follow the arrows … Continue reading Walking from Cañaveral to Jarilla along Via de la Plata
Arriving in Caceres (my starting point for walking part of the Via de la Plata Camino) was a bit different. As I hopped off the train from Madrid in the evening I faced cold and rain. Time for a taxi to my hotel only meters from Plaza Mayor. As I arrive I hear the bands and music and see that some kind of festival is … Continue reading Caceres – one of Spain’s splendid small cities
