After the downfall of the Third Reich, Germany was rebuilt from the ruins of war in a hurry, and, more often than not, it shows. Throughout the 1950s, as Germany was clearing up the WWII rubble and slowly finding its feet again, the priority for politicians and urban planners was to build what was urgently…
Milan, in many ways, is the odd one out among major Italian cities. It has no Centro Storico, that characteristic warren of buildings from different periods. But there is one particular element that is missing from the cityscape: Milan has no major natural body of water, neither a mighty river (such as Rome, Florence, Turin)…
What are the must-have ingredients for an entertaining and enjoyable walk? Well, trees and plants, to begin with, … … then wide open spaces with scenic views into the far distance, … … and on top of that, some bright sunshine would help, if only to highlight the colours of the scenery with a radiantly…
The Easy Hikers have been going on country hikes and urban walks in roughly even proportions for well over 10 years now, and I still cannot decide which of the two I would go for if I could pick only one. Simply stated, the problem is this: a good country hike beats a good urban…
The main attraction of Varese is, without a doubt, the Sacro Monte del Rosario. This is not to say that there is nothing else worthy of your attention in this handsome northern Italian town. Varese has a colourful city centre … … that has developed around the town’s historic core of medieval cathedral and baptistry…
The Italian South is not all of one piece, contrary to what visitors from the North (folks like us) may assume. Rather than having been cut from the same cloth, it is a coat of many colours. Think of the American South, if you will: Tennessee is not like Louisiana, and Texas is another story…
If you have seen a Bible movie at any time in the last few decades that was shot on a proper location rather than a soundstage, there is a good chance that Matera was in it. In fact, Matera – located in the southern Italian region of Basilicata – stood in so frequently for the…
Dijon is not a one-bird town. Having introduced you last week to the Martin-Pecheur, the kingfisher who is occasionally spotted near the trail that has been named in his honour, we will tell you today about the other bird that is associated with the capital of Burgundy: the owl. In contrast to the Martin-Pecheur, however,…
Throughout history, few large cities in the world have managed without a navigable waterway, but there are some whose river or canal passes out of sight and out of town, through countryside or distant suburbs. (Milan is an example for this, as is – more surprisingly, perhaps – Vienna). This applies to Strasbourg as well,…
Greek heritage is big in eastern Sicily. Most places in this part of the world were established by Greek settlers, after all, and have the ruins to prove it. But even in this distinguished company of heritage sites, Siracusa is in a class of its own. For one, there is the hardware: Siracusa’s Temple of…
