The Little Red Train On The Alps

Livigno is a spectacular mountain locality, especially dedicated to skiers. But that is not the only attraction of this Alpine resort. The surrounding area is full of spectacular landscapes to explore and activities to experience. Such as the romantic mountain train bringing you through out-of-this-world landscapes, glaciers and gorges. The train is friendly called the "Little Red Train".

For the Valtellina people, to talk about the "red train" is like talking about a dear friend.

This is because the Bernina Express departs from the center of the Valtellina, the town of Tirano, and because it is tireless with his slow pilgrimage through gentle valleys and high mountain passes to reach its destination in the heart of upper Engadina.

Tourists are fascinated by this train, and for many it is the most beautiful in the world. Getting on the Bernina Express Railway is equivalent to entering a theater with the landscape unfolding before your eyes. The stage offers a constantly changing spectacle. You can admire not only natural beauties, but also the spectacular railroad structure itself, with its bridges and loop tunnels, reaching at times impressive inclinations. Surely, the route contributes to the charm of this line, going from the Valtellina valley to the Val Poschiavo and then on to climb up among the glaciers and peaks of the Bernina, finally descending to ever-charming Engadina until Pontresina and St. Moritz.

This spectacular and unforgettable rail journey begins in Tirano, the terminus of the Milan-Sondrio-Tirano Italian railways track. The train consists of modern and comfortable coaches. It leaves this lovely city to begin a breathtaking journey, in winter just as in summer, on slopes of 70 per thousand (without rack) up to an altitude of 2253 meters above sea level, which is unique in Europe. After a few kilometers from departure a marvel suddenly strikes your eyes: it's the Brusio viaduct, an outdoor helical ramp. Beyond Poschiavo, the capital of the valley with its beautiful patrician houses, the traveler reaches Alp Grüm, a unique panoramic point on the Palu glacier.

After crossing the pass at an altitude of 2253 meters above sea level, Montebello offers the observer an impressive view of the Monteratsch glacier and the Bernina chain, 4 thousand meters high and covered with glittering eternal snows.

In Pontresina, a popular tourist resort and winter sports center, the line branches off to Samaden-Chur, which allows travelers to reach Central Switzerland and Northern Europe. A few more kilometers and you will come across the enchanting landscape of the Upper Engadine and reach the beautiful St. Moritz.

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Sardinia and The Fantastic Beach of Orri

Italy has some of the most wonderful beaches in the Mediterranean and the world. And Sardinia has some of the most wonderful beaches of Italy. Therefore you can trust that your holiday in Italy will bring you to the most prized seaside localities with the best shores you have ever dreamed of. Orri is one if these beaches.

Set on the side of Sardinia that looks Italy, it can be found on the southern coast of Arbatax, from where it is about 8 km, while from Tortolì it is just 2 Km away.

Getting there
Go from Olbia to Siniscola through the SP125 or the new expressway to Nuoro and follow the indications for Lanusei and Tortoli. At the junction turn right towards the Lido Orrì and follow the road for a couple of miles along the beach.

The Beach
It is a famous and enchanting place. It is rich of many inlets each leading to delicious deserted beaches. Orrì is considered one of the most beautiful and cleanest beaches in Sardinia. The beach is very long and wide, nearly 16 km of coastline, characterized by fine white sand and shallow waters for about three hundred meters from the shore and a light blue color. The beach has a sandy bottom with white rocks polished by the time that can be found both on the beach and submerged by the water. The water has a characteristic iridescent blue color due to the sun light reflecting on the sea bottom.

Services
This is the usual meeting point for holidays in Ogliastra, and today this is the crown jewel of the town of Tortoli. The services are numerous and of any kind, from various rentals, kiosks, bars, street vending, and games for children. During lively summer evenings on the road that runs along the main beach there are street vendors, music and various entertainments. A visit to this beach is not to be missed!

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Salento, The Heart of Apulia (Puglia)

Prehistoric monuments as a Dolmen and Menhir testify a thousand years of history. The natural environment is as diverse as it is beautiful, the green countryside and bare hills are covered with wheat, tobacco crops and olive groves, while the sea is the highlight of it all. The coast is high, rocky, rugged, dotted with caves and bays, while waters are rich in flora and fauna. All this is Salento. Perhaps most important of all is the story of its people who overcome famines and persistent poverty and now can offer their land to tourists with love and kindness.

The Territory
Once the Salento peninsula included the territory occupied by the provinces of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto, but today this term has been used to include the geographical area of ​​Lecce, which is much smaller. The Salento stretches from the so-called "Messapian threshold" between Casalabate, north of Lecce, and Punta Prosciutto, north-west of Porto Cesareo, goes down to the Cape of Santa Maria di Leuca, and is limited by 220 kilometers of coastline overlooking the Adriatic and lonio Seas.

The Heart of Salento
Like any land, Salento has a heart, which is called Salento Greece. Its sunny villages, the dialect rich of Hellenic words, the spirit and tradition characterize this area.
Palmieri, Castrigiano of the Greeks, Corigliano d'Otranto, Lecce, Melpignano, Soleto, Sternatia and Zollino are a world apart, or rather what remains of a larger area known as the ancient Land of Otranto. This area was made Greek starting from the sixth century. It remained impenetrable to Latinization up to the eleventh century. The priests of this area continued to celebrate their Greek Orthodox rites up until the first half of the seventeenth century.

Suggested Tour
Take two or three days to dedicate to this part of Salento. The small villages made of white houses and beautiful sunny countryside open lands invite you to get lost in them while eavesdropping the so-called Griko dialect.
Then you can enjoy the Greek roots at the table with typical dishes of Greek derivation with Mediterranean aftertaste.
This is the most unexpected corner of Italy's heel. It's exotic and archaic character forces time to flow more slowly than elsewhere. The tour winds from Calimera to Soleto and you can travel it by car stopping every few kilometers at one interesting town or site.

The Climate
The climate of Salento is typically Mediterranean. Obviously a result of the mitigating effect of the sea, the peninsula provides exceptionally long summers, dry and sunny days overall for and average of 2600 hours of sunshine per year. The colder weather is mild and brief, and is felt differently depending on the area you are in, as there are several micro-climatic zones. The high Adriatic coast, between Otranto and Leuca, receives more rain than the one on the Ionian coast up to Gallipoli, where warm winds from North Africa prevail. The area north of Otranto receives Balkan influences that determine slightly lower temperatures.

Villas and Farmhouses
The Lecce Baroque period saw its prelude with cities being reborn, large countryside farms being built, bishops and local aristocrats promoting local building activity, church and castle artworks being produced in Castro, Cupertino, Gallipoli and Otranto. In the seventeenth century architects and master builders transformed urban spaces and created new sceneries where to place squares, churches and palaces.
The Baroque of Lecce is still elegantly shaping the capital and cities such as Alessi, Cupertino, Gallipoli, Leverano, Minervino, Morciano di Leuca, Muro Leccese and Presicce. Elegance and imagination remained during the following centuries, as many homes in Liberty style in Santa Cesarea Terme and Marina di Leuca testify. Moorish villas reaffirm the memory of the link with Middle East.

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Christmas in Italy

Christmas in Italy has already changed a lot during the years. Many years ago there was no Christmas tree tradition, and a nativity scene was the only thing that was done. For some reasons, maybe the pro-American feelings that undoubtedly pervade the whole country, or maybe because is an easier decoration to prepare, the tree has become one of the most poignant Christmas images in Italian peninsula. Nowadays in Italy you most often find a nativity scene besides a Christmas tree.

Spending Christmas in Italy means to discover many traditions of the past, mostly tied to the countryside and the Catholic religion. These Holidays are paced by the various religious and pagan festivities that chase each other and come to a conclusion with Epiphany on January 6. Today is Saint Stephen, an it's a holiday. New year's eve and January 1st are also holidays. The greater majority go to work during the days in between these festive days, however some take vacation days to have a long weekend. Schools in Italy close on December 23 and open again on the first school day after January 6.

Epiphany is a small Christmas for children. It is a festivity tied to when the three wise kings arrived to Bethlehem to adore the newborn Jesus. Indeed epiphany means revelation. In this day Italians hang a stocking at the fireplace and await the arrival of Befana to fill them up with candies and small presents for good kids, and charcoal for bad kids. Befana is the name of the old and ugly lady that comes flying on a broomstick to distribute presents to kids. She embodies this festivity since the legend tells that when the wise kings knocked on her door asking for the direction to Bethlehem, she helped them, but refused to join their journey as she was busy with home chores. She later regretted it, and after gathering some presents for baby Jesus she immediately started chasing after the wise kings. But no matter how hard she looked for them, she was unable to find them. So she decided to look for baby Jesus in each house where there was a new born, and leave a present to each one in case that was going to be the one.

Italians are also very traditional, and never fail to celebrate Christmas with their family. They have a saying "Natale coi tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi", Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever, which gives the sense how this festivity is much more felt than Easter. Sometimes it is hard to stay with your and your spouse's family. Therefore Italians employ Christmas Eve as a good occasion to stay with one side of the family, spend Midnight there, which is officially Christmas, then the next day is spent with th eother side of the family.

There is little moving around during these festivities, as the majority stay at home. Some use these days as a holiday period, visiting the Alps or seaside localities with thermal spots such as Ischia. But this is not typically Italian. Therefore if you want to visit Italy after Christmas day, you will find quiet cities, especially on the 26. The days approaching New Year's Eve are a little busier, but calm is soon restored on January first until the Befana.

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Comacchio, The Small Venice

Comacchio is the most original and fascinating historical center of the mouth of the Po river. Its history is inextricably linked to the flourishing of activities such as fishing, lagoon fish breeding, processing of sugar cane and the production of salt, which is still well developed. Its hallmark is the Trepponti bridge in addition to other important monuments such as the San Cassiano cathedral, the Portico of the Capuchins and the ancient Sanctuary of Santa Maria in Aula Regia.

Comacchio is also called the small Venice, because the city was founded on the canals of the mouth of Po River Park, famous for the Lidi of Comacchio, which are very busy in summer.
But apart from the sea and the beauty of Emilia Romagna near Ferrara, Comacchio is a town to be discovered, even while surfing through the canals of the islands that comprise it.

Places of interest
Trepponti - This is the symbol of Comacchio, five large staircase on the channels that accommodate the passing tourists.

Bellini Building - This building is located near the Bridge of Sbirri and is a large building that houses the Art Gallery and many temporary exhibitions

Cathedral of Comacchio - In Piazza XX Settembre, is the Cathedral of St. Cassian, cathedral city

Clock Tower - This tower is one of the main monuments of the city and is located in the beautiful Piazza Ugo Bassi

Excursions and tours
There are many possible itineraries and excursions in Comacchio, but one that I recommend is the boat ride on the "Batana" (typical boats of the area). To take advantage of this free service, you must go to the docks in front of the old fish market.
Do not forget the itineraries of Comacchio on foot, by bicycle or by boat ride on the Po mouth.

Another important excursion that you have to take into consideration is the former saline extraction facilities. Large portions of salt lagoon that were abandoned and are now the safe landing for a community of hundreds Flamingos. These spectacular birds started populating the area after all salt extraction work ceased, which gave the area the deep serene and quiet character that Flamingos need to live and thrive.

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Trieste Guide

Trieste is one of the most beautiful Italian cities. It is spectacularly placed in front of the sea, nestled foothills. The beautiful nineteenth century buildings that line the waterfront testify to a past of great maritime traffics with the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Trieste has always been, and still is, a frontier town, both culturally and geographically: Slovenia is not far from the Carso heights leading there, and from where the Bora wind sweeps the city.

It is the capital of Friuli Venezia Giulia with about 210,000 inhabitants. Trieste is a fascinating and aristocratic city. It is the last city of northeast Italy, the extreme southern part of Central Europe, the first city in the new Europe at the same time. The three notations enable us to understand a rich fabric of history, art and culture linked to the world of technology and scientific research, and to nature that here shows only some of its most fascinating phenomena.

Really, you can not understand Trieste at a glance. Viewed from the sea, it appears in a semicircle between the promontory of St. Andrew, where the lantern rests, and Ripa. The bank is barricaded by a long row of houses and buildings. The row is interrupted by a flight of streets that are lost within the city. Only toward the Portonuovo, between two rows of buildings, the Grand Canal opens a hole in the heart of the city for about 300 meters, forming one of the most characteristic spots of Trieste: the casual walker is startled by the sudden view of ships in the middle of the city, unexpectedly appearing to those coming off the main street going into the Pontegrosso, Canal Grande, and the likes.

At the bottom of the canal stands a Roman-style church, St. Anthony, beside the church of the Greek schismatics, St. Spyridon in purely Byzantine style. Viewed from the sea, therefore, Trieste appears almost tiny. Two hills, springing from the heart of the city, San Giusto and San Vito, make believe here are two possible limits to the city. On the contrary, after climbing those two hills, the city rushes to occupy the valleys that open behind, fending a new assault on to other flanking hills, then continuing to grow between walls of rock, and the jolly vegetable gardens and groves. Therefore, there never is a single point of the city from which the observer can embrace the whole city.
According to many visitors, few Italian cities have such natural beauties as Trieste. Due to its enviable position, Trieste has always attracted many artists, who searched for their inspiration in its purple sunrises and fire sunsets. Byron, Charles Nodier, Carducci, are just a few.

Trieste shows the changing of times with ruins that attest to its Roman origins, its alleys in the old neighborhoods, the remains of its medieval walls, and towers, the patrician houses, now poor, battered, but still with a noble character, the legends carved on nude rocks, the wells in the courtyards, and the preserved tombstones with Latin inscriptions.

The city has experienced long years of political extremism, which has sometimes been national irredentism, sometimes a real clash of civilizations. The definitive passage to Italy in 1954 is still alive in the memory of Trieste, during a time when the return to the homeland appeared uncertain. Almost by a miracle in Trieste, just like in other border cities of transit, the constant psychological tension, dictated by the many political upheavals and uncertainties, refined intellectual sensibility and produced fine reflections of intellectuals born here, or that here found their creative habitats: James Joyce, Rainer Maria Rilke, Umberto Saba and Italo Svevo. The legendary Cafes of Trieste are imbued with memories of great conversations and discussions that took place within them. They happened at a time when politics and art, literature and philosophy were discussed in various languages, in a twilight world with an uncertain future that was darkly looming ahead.

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