Good Food and Views are Worth the Journey
On a rainy day in the Dolomites, I savoured one of the best veal cheek dishes I've ever had. Wholesome, satisfying, comfort food at its best. The cheeks were tender and tasty and the gravy, rich but subtle, complimenting the meat. So while we didn't see the iconic Passo Giau views, it was certainly worth the drive to the Berghotel Passo Giau for lunch in its restaurant.
The Hotel Passo Giau is the only facility of its kind in this landmark location. It has been lovingly run by the...
Cinque Terre has to be one of the most memorable parts of the world. The pastel buildings of the five fishing villages hugging the steep hills, encroaching into the pristine blue sea as seen in the photo of Manarola at dusk has to be one of the more iconic travel photos ever taken. This is great place for walkers and amateur photographers with the villages linked by a series of hiking paths and amazing scenery at every bend. The five fishing villages (hence Cinque Terre which means five...
Two of central Tuscany's most popular visits are to Siena and San Gimignano. Both are walled cities with unique landmarks including San Gimignano's towers and Siena's striped cathedral and famous town square. Both are also cities that peaked during the middle ages and which eventually came under Florentine control during the Renaissance.
While we could easily spend more than a day in each city, especially Siena, we dropped in on San Gimignano in the morning and went onto...
There is good reason that central Tuscany is on most travel bucket lists - it's almost a perfect combination of history, culture, food and scenery. Pienza, noted to be the "ideal" renaissance city, is not as well visited as Florence or Siena but I think is worth a trip especially to spend time roaming and driving through the surrounding Val d'Orcia which contain so many iconic Tuscan scenes.
I was here last year in May and unfortunately my trip coincided with a long weekend in...
Florence had been one of my favourite cities in Europe for its great art, history and of course, shopping, but it is getting impossible to roam around these days without encountering crowds of tourists. This does make having a pleasant trip more challenging so I highly recommend that visitors who want to visit the museums and other historical sites to do so with a guide. I arranged a private tour to visit the Vasari Corridor, a secret Medici passageway while in Florence last year and it...