The wonderful thing about the Dolomites is that when you take a drive through the mountain valleys to your destination, and you look around – you will see that this route is more interesting than the end. The view on Picco Di Vallandro (translated in German – Dürrenstein) from the flourishing valley, was an absolute pleasant surprise.
The Burano, with its distinctive colours, was unlike anything I had ever seen before. I later learned that there was a purpose behind the colour-toned design. During the golden age of development of Burano, if a house owner wanted to paint his belongings, he had to apply to Burano’s government for a colour. The government would only allow a few options of colours of choice.
You mainly see gondolas in one place on this Earth – Venice. There is more history and meaning in them that you would probably expect. And there are only a few hundred of them – you can only be a gondolier if you receive a license from the Venice’s guild.
Urbino in Marche region in Italy, is one of the hidden gems for history lovers. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage site and now belongs to one of my favourite Italian towns. The old town is known for many medieval ensembles and occupying the remains of the independent Renaissance culture. Today it is recognized as a student town.
Lago di Braies is a natural lake which was the result of a landline blocking the river Braies. The road which leads to it, is an adventure by itself, mainly because of its views. It’s probably one of the most well-known and the largest lakes in the Dolomites, Italy.
Tuscany is best experienced via a car journey. It becomes a real pleasure to drive through the hilly roads, the stops to see the landscape that is covered by the wine trees, over the hills atop with a typical villa in old Tuscan style architecture.
Ferrara was one of the first cities in Italy that was built using specific architectural plans, intent for use to make fully functional and visually appealing. Ferrara, together with the Po Delta River belongs to the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE. I just had to see the real “modern” renaissance city that became a UNESCO sight!
Piazza Il Campo is the beating heart of this city, especially during the annual horse racing “Palio di Siena” which we witnessed. They take place exactly there, under the Torre del Mangia (The Tower above) and the Palazzo Publico (The building on the side). It was the first city that I saw the city square that was built in the shape of an amphitheatre – the sign of Palio’s importance for Siena’s communities.
There is always a place like this for everyone in different parts of the world… I realised that the ‘place’ for Daria and I is Venice, particularly when I stood with my tripod trying to capture the sunset over Rialto Bridge.
The entire day was sunny, but it was just when we climbed the nearby hill to see the Medieval Church of Santa Maddalena, with the Odle Mountains in the background that clouds started to cover the sky. We didn’t run but instead, we stayed in place to embrace nature’s craft. And soon enough, we were soaked! This rain in the Dolomites is very heavy!