Stabiae and Oplontis - Italy

Stabiae and Oplontis – Italy

Post published:29 March 2014
Post category:Europe Italy Southern Europe

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Luxury villas by the sea for the high class Romans

After a couple of years a since the first trip to Naples and Pompeii we decided to come back and visit on this occasion some more of the greatest Roman cities that were buried on the same catastrophic 79 AD Mount Vesuvius eruption; Stabiae, Oplontis and Ercolano. And for the future, there are some other places worth to spare some time to enjoy with other Roman villas uncovered, yet for now, with these bunch of ancient cities and villas to see, the entire weekend would be for that only getting back to Naples to sleep and for some nice dinner.

Needless to say that coming to Naples has more excuses. First, Naples itself; I really like it against what most people say that if either is ugly or dangerous. Nonsense comments; it has so much to see and do that even a weekend is too short. Of course I am talking about the prettiness of the old town, don’t just misjudge the city for the ugly and pretty much run down quarters around it. Then the incredible food and the low prices overall for everything. The best pizzas ever I’ve eaten have been here. Then some of the finest and best preserved Roman era cities and monuments, and the incredible countless villages along the Amalfi and Sorrentine coasts, and of course, the idyllic and posh islands of Capri and Ischia. With Naples you can never be wrong, and there’s always many reasons to return.

Both Stabiae and Oplontis are not cities as such but instead some of the most luxurious Roman villas across the entire southern region of the once glorious Roman Empire. The frescoes among the best preserved and so their entire structure.
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Andorra la Vella - Andorra

Andorra la Vella – Andorra

Post published:22 March 2014
Post category:Andorra Europe Southern Europe

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Highest Capital City in Europe

We could not resist the temptation of being able to step into another country, which as of MArch 2014 it marks the 60th I’ve been so far in my life; making it alone the 40th out of the 50 that forms the European Continent. It was of course a pre-planned trip. Either flying to Barcelona or Toulouse; but with so many times been to Barcelona, Toulouse had the best chances as being a city we’ve also never been before. Now that’s the perfect weekend, two for one.

Coming to Andorra is not easy by plane. There are no commercial airports to begin with, being the nearest one Perpignan some 130 kilometres to the east in France; and that’s a lengthy drive since there are no motorways connecting directly with Andorra, but instead smaller roads with many bends and ports to pass. Then farther away as was in our case, you have at almost 200 kilometres away the much bigger Toulouse airport.

Whichever the choice, bearing the long and at points stressful drive, it was very worth in every minute. Not because of Andorra la Vella itself, but for the incredible landscapes and nature you will be driving through. From pure spring to the deepest of the winter. Right before arriving to the border, the snowy mountains were everywhere, but out of sudden, few kilometres after the border and some hundreds of meters higher, it was heavily snowing! (more…)

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Gibraltar - United Kingdom

Gibraltar – Gibraltar

Post published:26 January 2014
Post category:Southern Europe United Kingdom

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The Rock

Although we’ve returned more times to Gibraltar with the years, this was the first time we ever went to a British Overseas Territory. This little piece of land is little more than a mountain lying between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, neighboring Spain. As small as it is, that the airport is mostly built on land gained to the sea at both sides of the straight, and the only commercial airport in the world to have a main traffic road passing through it perpendicular to the runway with a level crossing as if it would be a railway crossing. Meters north of the airport and you reach the Spanish border and the city of La Linea de la Concepcion.

Contrary to what Spanish people tend to think about the sovereignty of Gibraltar, this territory was ceded to Britain in perpetuity under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. It was never taken from Spain by the British. The issues arise only because the waters surrounding it, which were not part of the original treaty, and the United Kingdom try to claim more and more, clearly violating certain clauses of the treaty.

Politics apart. The old town will for sure surprise you. It is a very beautiful blend of Victorian and Georgian with Southern Spanish architecture mixed with the Mediterranean colours and window shades. It looks much more Italian than British or Spanish. So pleasant and enjoyable stay all together (more…)

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Belgrade - Serbia

Belgrade – Serbia

Post published:12 October 2013
Post category:Europe Serbia Southern Europe

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The White City

Loosing the track on how many new countries I have visited so far during this year alone, this time I land in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, in company of two of my travel friends. Thankfully we managed to find such great air fares, although this had to involve travelling there on Friday very early morning and returning Sunday on the very first flight of the morning. Unfortunately, we could not enjoy an extra full day as it could have been Sunday, but at least, we used it to recover and sleep.

Saying this, 2 days are more than enough for this city. I could not imagine another one unless going somewhere else, so yes, it’s a perfect city size for a cultural weekend trip. Very compact, cute old town and great for walking everywhere; however evolving and expanding with plenty of new construction going one and countless projects to restore the older parts becoming the next tourist destination in the Balkans.

To our surprise, the city has much more to offer than we originally though. Searching for pictures and information over the internet did not give us any greater overall idea and image of what Belgrade really is. This was a great sign as we thought we would become sort of stranded without knowing what else to do after few hours. (more…)

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City of San Marino - San Marino

City of San Marino – San Marino

Post published:6 October 2013
Post category:Europe San Marino Southern Europe

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The third smallest state in Europe

Visiting San Marino now a reality; one of the smallest country in Europe within the Italian Peninsula, and absolutely surrounded by this. This is again a two for the price of one trip, meaning travelling to a city not been before but also completing another country of the list. This is getting more complicated lately to get into new countries if doing merely over the weekends, I know that’s crazy, but it is getting easier with the numerous new flight routes and airlines flying all over Europe hence returning to any country. No matter if already been before it does have a bright side, this is the hundreds other cities and places to go within each. I am not the type of person who travels just to tick off the list and say hey! I’ve been there. No, quite the opposite, I like to explore as much as possible, return to where I like the most and visit other places and cities constantly in my desire for being everywhere in the world in my lifetime.

Unlucky for us, the day was very cloudy and while back in Rimini from where we came was a good visibility, it was not the case here in the City of San Marino. The capital is located at the top of Mount Titano, and the clouds were so low that we had continuous thick fog for the whole day. What could have been great pictures with great views even as far as the Adriatic Sea, were only of a few meters ahead of us, with silhouettes of buildings and walls. Nevertheless, it was only after we returned back from the trip and checked the pictures when I started to appreciate these and actually liked them more than I thought. It is definitely another style of view, as beautiful as if it would have been a clear day. Still that’s not an excuse, I have to return for sure.

The capital city is so small with so many levels up and down that the only way to visit is by walking. Just be prepared that you will need to go up and down hills and stairs constantly. Some nice and comfortable footwear would be really appreciated if I may suggest. (more…)

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Ancona, Fano and Rimini - Italy

Ancona, Fano and Rimini – Italy

Post published:5 October 2013
Post category:Europe Italy

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Terminus of the Roman Via Flaminia

Flying to this region was a long time planned not just only for reaching all these cities never been before, but for reaching San Marino, which you can easily do if flying to Rimini, some 15 km away from the border, Ancona or Bologna airports, both around 100 km away. Since flying to Rimini was well overpriced, and Bologna a place we’ve been in other occasions, Ancona was the perfect candidate and get to see as much as possible from the region and the coastline.

Being all such small cities, it is perfect for a weekend trip. You will have plenty of time and no rush for anything, furthermore, since you will end up with more free time than expected, you can stop along the way in other small villages. Almost all of them contain nice Roman remains, bastions, citadels and beautiful buildings.

Ancona itself is nothing out of the blue, that’s for sure. Just a busy port city; and maybe because we went out of season and on a weekend, it was hard to find anything even opened, not even the restaurants. The Roman arch is really worth to see, although unfortunately it’s been left stranded in the port hence the surroundings are not the nicest at all with a road passing right at the front. The best view of it is from the Parco del Cardeto Hill. Now, if I am honest with you, do not plan any longer than 4 hours of sightseeing if your plans include to head later towards Rimini or elsewhere. There is not much more you could do in here. (more…)

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Kos - Greece

Kos – Greece

Post published:29 April 2013
Post category:Europe Greece Southern Europe

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The birthplace of Hippocrates

Finally, a very much desired Greek island for a long time now in the bucket list, Kos. Considering how many islands are out there in this region and in Greece alone, this could take several years finding nice deals every now and then, or make the most on an Aegean Cruise, why not. But for now, this is the fun of keep travelling, going every time to a different destination, and enjoying as much as possible, never getting tired.

What we believed it would be a very small island, as Google maps might look like, ended up being bigger than expected. The airport is at the centre of the island, and we first headed to Kos Town where our hotel was. A very charming city and amazingly quiet, thankfully because it was still low season. Another reason why we love travelling to places always during the low season months whenever we can.

The ancient Greek-Roman remains are spread all around. On one side is the Forum, on another the Odeon; then the Western Archaeological site and the Casa Romana, while farther away outside of the city is the Asclepeion, ancient healing temple. We only found out that distances were actually bigger than expected when we were there, and decided to rent a car for 24 hours. Best decision ever, out of sudden we were flexible to travel around the entire island.

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Zaragoza - Spain

Zaragoza – Spain

Post published:17 March 2013
Post category:Europe Southern Europe Spain

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Roman Caesaraugusta, Moorish Saraqusta

Completing a guide for another great city in Spain, it’s time for Zaragoza. One of the long pending guides for a proper upgrade and revamp since it was one of the first generation bunch of blog entries when I started this site; now there was no further excuse after the most recent trip here, in coincidence with one of the largest festivities across Spain, El Pilar. Already the 4th time in the city, and for sure not the last. Nowadays it’s not any longer about sightseeing there, but visiting my great friends the priority in this case.

It was back in the year 2002 when I first came to Zaragoza, to visit and to be with friends, and of course, enjoying El Pilar party. Returning for a couple more times in between, and 17 years after the first time, the most recent trip here. That’s a long time for a city to reinvent itself and showcase more than ever the architectural wonders and countless sights so neatly restored and refurbished. Plenty of new areas and revamped streets, modernised and pedestrianised after the re-introduction of the tram through the core of the historical centre and beyond.

New landscaping and re-structure of some buildings, squares and streets led to the discovery and recovery of more Roman remain now beautifully set on display for anyone to enjoy. Let’s not forget an entire Roman city lies beneath the current modern layout of Zaragoza. That’s the ancient Caesaraugusta.

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