Holiday Like An Italian in Sestri Levante
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Holiday Like An Italian in Sestri Levante

Most people would classify Sestri Levante as a “tourist town”, but you should not think that this is a good reason for bypassing Sestri on your tour of Northern Italy. First of all, because the tag “tourist town”, although commonly used with more than a hint of contempt, is not, if you think about it,…

A Moment of Magic and a Breath of Summer
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A Moment of Magic and a Breath of Summer

In these bleak mid-winter days of sleet, snow and icy winds: what could possibly bring more joy than a trip to a place where you can still feel the breath of summer on your neck, a place where, while the season’s paraphernalia (parasols and pleasure boats) may have been mothballed, the spirit of summer is…

Brescia – 2000 Years of Good Taste and High-Quality Craftsmanship
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Brescia – 2000 Years of Good Taste and High-Quality Craftsmanship

This week, we will serve you another slice of unknown Italy but with a twist to the recipe. While last week’s destination of Udine is, roughly following the famous Donald Rumsfeld classification of unfamiliar objects, very much an “unknown unknown” (think: obscure medieval poets), the city of Brescia is “known-unknown” in the fashion of Edmund…

Journey into Unknown Italy – Udine and Its Tragedies
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Journey into Unknown Italy – Udine and Its Tragedies

No country in the world benefits as much (materially) from tourism as Italy – or suffers as much from its consequences. Other countries may attract more visitors, but these visitors are spread out more thinly over a vast territory (the USA), are more concentrated in a few coastal resorts (Mexico), or both (France). In Italy…

Why Are Parks in Southern Europe So (Ahem) Different?
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Why Are Parks in Southern Europe So (Ahem) Different?

Today’s post deals with a question that I have been wrestling with for quite some time. Why is it so hard to find proper parks in Southern Europe? Why are the green spaces there either overcooked or raw, either overloaded with ornamental features or scruffy and neglected – and why are these spaces often so…

Cinderella of the Canal Network of Milan – The Naviglio di Martesana
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Cinderella of the Canal Network of Milan – The Naviglio di Martesana

Rivers are the beasts of our natural landscapes: they can be fierce and raging, but even when they flow gently, when they are settled and calm, they always command our respect. Canals, by contrast, are their mild-mannered domesticated cousins: hard-working, dependable, and content with a life of quiet drudgery. Among these farm animals of our…