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The Florentine
What’s on and events in Florence, Italy, including exhibitions, movies, music, travel and more.
Siena has a more insular and less forthcoming atmosphere than Florence – but it’s one you definitely should get to know. If you have little time to spend in the city, use it wisely by wandering the steep and twisting streets, viewing the numerous palazzi, the Duomo, the
Sicily is chalk to Florence’s cheese. If you’ve headed there from the north, sometimes you wonder if you’re still in Italy at all. The differences are hard to pin down – the cliché of a poor, pastoral cousin certainly sells this complex
I got lost on my last trip to Venice. It makes no difference that it was my twentieth trip to La Serenissima in half as many years, or that I can, on a very good day, navigate its infinite bridges and narrow calli without a second thought. During
Most people are familiar with the masked revellers at the Carnevale in Venice, but another truly fantastic celebration ofCarneVa (literally meaning the “meat goes”) is held each year in the Tuscan coastal city of Viareggio. Here the stars of the show are the spectacular papier-mâch&
Proverbial wisdom about early birds catching worms doesn’t apply to boar. I am used to fox hunting in the US, where you have to be ready to go at dawn. Not so with boar hunting; at nine am the hunters were just starting to arrive. The
Isn’t winter a drag? Rest assured though, it’s better here than in my home town Edinburgh, which gets the worst of the eternal dark Scottish winters. At this time of year, Scots must actively seek ways to lift the spirits, and for me the
Situation:Two teachers with two school-age children, my wife and I have lots and lots of time for traveling -- Christmas, Easter, Summer -- however, being two teachers with two children we don’t have lots of money. Question: Since we have time to see the world, how
With just weeks to go until the start of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, the beautiful baroque city of Turin is bustling with excitement. Flags and banners wave from bridges that cross the lovely Po River. Road and building work have switched into high gear, and as the date of
“I will tell you what our stay is like. Very well, as far as board and lodging is concerned; what disturbs me a bit is the noise. We live in ...
More than 7 million tourists pile into Florence each year, so it stands to reason that this small city suffers from serious overcrowding. Add severe traffic problems and the resulting levels of noise and pollution, and it’s not surprising that many visitors opt for accommodation that is situated
It is no secret that Italians are leaving bigger cities in search of a slower paced rural lifestyle. The current revival of small towns throughout Italy is allowing people to rediscover the beauty and benefits of a more simple and traditional way of living. Tourism is also following the
It is no secret that Italians are leaving bigger cities in search of a slower paced rural lifestyle. The current revival of small towns throughout Italy is allowing people to rediscover the beauty and benefits of a more simple and traditional way of living. Tourism is also following the
Tuscany is full of natural hot springs or ‘terme,’ many of which date from Roman or even Etruscan times and whose waters, originating from deep within the earth’s crust, have long been associated with curative properties. Each individual spring has a different make up in terms
Ineeded a break. From what, I’m not sure. It wasn’t work; I had just spent 3 weeks at the sea. Actually, I needed some hard, tough, exercise. Plus some solitude. Something that only comes from being in the mountains, and mountains
“You live in Pistoia, how quaint” was the response of a friend from Florence when I told him about my place of residence. His reply pretty well sums up the ...
Taormina has long been Sicily’s most favourite resort town. Situated in the northwest of the island, it is perched on a coastal escarpment that looks out onto the Tyrrhenian sea between Messina and Catania. Its ancient narrow streets are full of small specialist shops, cafes, and restaurants,
Whether you are looking for a historic festival, Roman ruins, great wine and seafood, or one of Europe’s top beaches, little known Grado has it all. And the perfect time to go there is the first weekend in July, when, each year since 1237 Grado honours the
Low-cost airlines have revolutionised the way we travel around Europe. If at all possible we will take a flight rather than catch a train or a bus, and in many cases, the choice is made based on the fact that these days, a plane ticket can cost much less. &
1. Monterosso 2. Vernazza 3. Corniglia 4. Manarola 5. Riomaggiore There are those who will testify, cursing certain guidebook writers in the same breath, that not long ago Cinque Terre was a secluded haven known only to Italians and few other Europeans. The five villages, as the tale goes,
There is nowhere quite like Lucca, the charming, quiet Tuscan town which Henry James described in 1909 as ?overflowing with everything that makes for ease, for plenty, for beauty.? It is the perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle of Florence, and given its close proximity, also a perfect day
The sculpture of David by Michelangelo is globally recognized as one of the finest pieces of Renaissance art in existence. Once a metaphor for the invigorated and developing Florentine Republic, youthful, defiant, and brave, Il Gigante ‘The Giant’ as it was known by Renaissance contemporaries, has in modern
Did you know that you could have a private visit to the Vatican Museums and have the Sistine Chapel to yourself? That you can be in this holy place after it closes to the public, to the “masses.” Alone, so that you can stand far enough
I only wanted to see you bathing in the purple rain” … As a words person if I were to pick out a piece to pair with this month’s ...
