Discover the heart of Rome: Trastevere

Trastevere is one of the most ancient district of Rome, separated from the city centre by the Tevere river. Trastevere in ancient times was lived by the working-class population, while today is the heart of the Roman night life, with many restaurants, pubs and clubs where have a good time most of all in the summer evenings. The heart of Trastevere is Piazza di Santa Maria in Trastevere in Rome, a pedestrianised square where admire the beautiful church sitting on the steps surrounding the central fountain or looking at popular singers or hand-craft objects. The streets close to the square, like Viale Trastevere, are quieter and there’re a few unpretentious restaurants where it’s possible to enjoy a peaceful meal at an outdoors table. Another interesting church in Rome is Santa Cecilia in Trastevere, the patron saint of music. From there, it’s a short walk to visit the Isola Tiberina (Tiber Island in Rome), that separates Central Rome and Trastevere and has been linked to the rest of Rome. Moreover, Tiber Island, in the roman age, was the location for a temple to the Greek god of medicine and healing Aesculapius; now there’s the Fatebenefratelli Hospital. Trastevere is a lovely area to wander in the soft dark Roman evenings.

Visit Viareggio in Tuscany

Today I’ll take you  to a very nice and interesting locality of Tuscany: Viareggio. This is a little but big city in the Tirrenian coast, famous not only for the beautiful sea and sand with very  organized beach areas but also for a lot of other attractions. Rich of pubs, bars, luxurious hotels, restaurants, shops and every kind of  entertainment places, Viareggio is not only a destination for summertime’s holidays ( often for celebrities): in winter too you can have a very good time going to see or to take part at the local “Mardi Gras”. The Carnevale di Viareggio is very famous and appreciate in Italy, almost like the Venetian’s one. In this days Viareggio’s streets seems like a little Rio de Janeiro, with fanciful masked wagons characterizing different politics or italian celebrity (but not limited) life’s themes, and costumed people that follow them singing, dancing and laughing!
Speaking about dance and songs, if you like music there are a lot of theatres and clubs that often accommodate very famous artists and if  you prefer opera, very near  Viareggio you can find Torre del lago Puccini, where during the summer you can assist at the Puccinian Season, with the performance of the lyric theatres of the great Giacomo Puccini, in the suggestive open theatre in front of the lake, and just near the house of the famous Italian composer.
Enjoy your holiday, in any  seasons you’ll  have it.

Your Travel to Castelsardo in Sardinia

For a funny and suggestive day of your holidays in north Sardinia, you can go to Castelsardo, a characteristic small town erecedt on an headland near Golfo dell’Asinara: it’s a tiring walk but it’s worth visiting. The village is surmounted by an amazing castle called Castel-aragonese with an awesome view and an interesting story. I think that Castelsardo it’s a very nice place because you can feel like you are living a few centuries ago thanks of his alleys where you can often see many old craftsmen weaving typical sardinian baskets and fishermen who tangle fishing nets! After this unusual day you can be very hungry but don’t worry: you can easily find good restaurants where you’ll eat sardinian food (zuppa gallurese, pulligiones, seadas…), seafood and fish, drinking a good wine, liquor made by myrtle and a strong cleare spirit distilled from grapes called “Filu e ferru” . Have a nice stay.

A jewel of the Amalfi coast: Ravello

Ravello

Ravello is history, nature, beauty, elegance and calmness. Ravello was an important town of the Maritime Republic of Amalfi and offers, from its 350 meters above the sea level, a breathtaking view of the Amalfi coastline and of the Mediterranean Sea and for these reasons it has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
You can’t miss a visit to Ravello’s cathedral, called “Duomo”, built in the XI century with a notable bronze central door and to the fascinating Villa Cimbrone, with its “Terrace of the Infinite” which had amongst its guests W. Churchill and Greta Garbo.
Close to the cathedral, nature meets history in the famous Villa Rufolo, built by one of Ravello’s richest men; Villa Rufolo has been mentioned in Boccaccio’s Decameron and here Wagner was inspired for the stage design of his Parsifal. During the summer time it is here that takes place the famous Ravello Festival.
Not only Wagner has been fascinated by Ravello’s beauty, also Virginia Woolf, Paul Valery, Graham Greene, Rafael Alberti and many others have been struck by its astonishing views.
Ravello is also a mythical place from the origins of times; according to an ancient legend, Satan transported here Jesus during his second temptation to show him the beauty of the world…

Nex travel: Hotels in Rome on a Budget

Rome is a beautiful city full or art, culture, and of course excellent Italian food. But what you really want to look for are hotels in Rome that will fall into your desired price range. Hotels in Rome on a budget are not hard to find. If you want to get to Rome but don’t want to have to pay a lot to stay there, you will want to find hotels that are outside of the city center. Often times, these hotels located in the suburbs will provide you with all the amenities that you need and still can be affordable. You will also find that using public transportation to get to all of the attractions that you want to see will make it easy to explore Rome. Hotels in Rome on a budget hotel are out there if you are willing to sacrifice some extra perks that you may not even need, such as valet parking.

An island that is not only sandy beaches and sea. The jewel of the Tuscan Archipelago: the island of Elba!

Mediterranean flora and sandy beaches, hidden coves and chestnut woods, impressive cliffs and trekking itineraries, sailing and diving: this is but a partial list of the opportunities offered by the island of Elba in Tuscany Italy, the biggest of the Tuscan Archipelago islands which also hosts the biggest sea park in Europe. The Elba Island offers you also the emotion of history; here you will find traces of the Argonauts, the Etrurians, the Romans and Napoleon. The coastline stretches for over 140 kilometers with beaches of different typology: sandy, shingle or mixed. Sea is not the only attraction of this island: the natural landscape offers a rich flora, from the Mediterranean scrub to cool chestnut woods to the Mediterranean pine trees which, although not original of the island, are nowadays part of the local vegetation. Finally, around the top of Monte Capanne, even a fascinating alpine flora. If you are looking for something different from the beach, maybe just for one day, you have pleasant destinations like the area of Monte Capanne or Monte Perone, the cool valleys towards Pomone or Patresi with rich chestnuts woods. The island of Elba has many faces. You will taste the gastronomic Elba, with its typical dishes and wines, the island of Elba means also sport, from scuba diving to trekking, from golf to sailing and you will also be able to relax in the thermal baths for a well-being oriented holiday, moreover Elba is also folklore with its traditional feasts, festivals and concerts. An island for every season and every taste. My favorite season? Spring with all its colors and perfumes.

An Archeological Jewel South of Naples: Paestum!

During our short holiday in Campania we could not miss this precious jewel named Paestum well known for its spectacular Doric temples. According to the legend these temples where built by the Argonauts, but history says that Paestum was founded in the VII century b.C. by the inhabitants of Sibari. Its first name was Poseidonia and it soon became a flourishing business centre of the Mediterranean sea. The archeological park consists of three Doric temples built in the V century b.C. facing the sea and are really well preserved: the Temple of Neptune, the Basilica and the Temple of Cerere. The almost 5 kilometers circuit of fortified walls is amongst the best preserved of all the Magna Graecia. If you happen to be there in Summer, don’t miss a night visit to the area, maybe after having tasted a delicious buffalo mozzarella.