Cities have a choice: they can look either forward or back. Those with a clear sense of their own identity often opt for the latter, preserving the past and giving way to the new only if this helps them to strengthen what appears to grow naturally from their deep-rooted traditions. While other cities, those that…
Having addressed the issue of Milan’s alleged lack of “Italianness” in last week’s post, we will today deal with another stick that is often used to beat the city with: Milan “does not do quirky”, it is said. This is an accusation that can be refuted rather easily. All it takes is a visit of…
You will often hear people say that Milan is the “least Italian of Italian cities”, by which they mean: a well-ordered place that lacks the “typically Italian” sense for the joys of anarchy. On today’s walk, we will do two things: first, confirm that, yes, Milan is rather straight-laced and square (in more than on…
Riverwalks are popular for a large number of reasons. They are easy-to-navigate (there are only so many possibilities of heading the wrong way) so you can concentrate on what’s on view, they are lined with towns and public transport connections so you can stop and start your hike almost anywhere you like, and changes in…
No matter how many times you have visited London or how much time you have spent in the city – years or even decades: there will always be entire quarters in which you have never set a foot, and in the quarters that you have visited, there will always be things that you missed. London…
The Marche region may lie in the centre of Italy but if you can imagine a Tourist’s View Of The Country – in the style of Saul Steinberg’s famous View Of the World From Midtown Manhattanposter where every town, state and country beyond the Hudson River disappears in a blur of vague uncertainty – it…
As we demonstrated in last week’s post, there are more reasons to travel to Italy’s Marche region than a visit of Parasol Paradise. Reasons of travel logistics, for example. Marche sits pretty much in the centre of the Adriatic coast, and the airport of Ancona, the region’s heart and capital, is – while small and…
You want to break new ground: to find and explore a piece of unknown Italy? You are looking for a place with hotels, restaurants, railway connections and all the other mod cons (after all, you are a 21st century guy/gal who is not searching to “explore” anything on the back of a donkey, compass in…
In Britain, the city of Durham – about 20 km south of Newcastle – is mainly famous for two things: a bishop who did not believe in God and a university that serves posh kids who have failed their Oxbridge entry exams. We will come to both of these later but start with what Durham…
Good travel destinations, I said a few weeks ago, should offer their visitors three things: character or history, green spaces for a walk, an interesting day trip destination. In our two last posts, we told you where in Marrakesh to find authentically exotic experiences and the most interesting and beautiful gardens. Today, we will turn…