North of Italy: ALBA and many more

Well probably most of you haven’t heard of these little towns in the north of Italy. Probably I would have never gone if it wasn’t for my friend who is from there. One useful tip; hire a car and drive there. It’s almost two hours far from Milano by car. Here you actually see the real life of Italy. If you are wine lover probably you have heard the fame of Langhe wines. This region specialised in red wine and they are super good. All the seasons are good in there however winter can be quiet cold. In Piedmont region there are agriturismo places instead of hotels. They are B&B specific to region. They genereally renovate ancient buildings and turn them into nice hotels. You can stay in Alba or in the villages nearby.  During summer in there are open music nights in Alba. Basically each bar/restaurant put their music system outside and you enjoy your aperitivo in a rather fun way. Aperitivo is very common in Italy. You have a drink and food and you just pay for one drink and the food keeps coming or there is a open buffet.  generally it starts at 7 and finishes by 10. No worries in a magical way different music don’t mix and don’t cause sound pollution. Aperitivo is very common in Italy. You have a drink and food and you just pay for one drink and the food keeps coming or there is a open buffet.  generally it starts at 7 and finishes by 10.

In Alba there are nice restaurants and cafes to try but I recommend you to eat in the villages nearby. However you should try the bar “Soda” in Alba where they make cocktails based on your special request, you just need to describe the taste and then let them do their magic! They are very good at their job and the prices are affordable. The bar is closed on Mondays.

An agriturismo in Alba which used to be the summer house of Royal Family

Definitely visit La Morra, a village in the mountain which is under the protection of Unesco. Buy an ice cream from Venchi and climb up a little hill up to the city center where you have an amazing view of infinite green and wine yards. 

The View of Langhe

Come back to La  Morra for dinner. I recommend restaurant “More &Macine” or “La Fontanza” where you should try tajarin. Tajarin is very thin cut pasta with bolognese sauce, a specialty of this region, it’s better to make reservations. In both restaurants the dishes are very tasty and the prices are normal.

Castle of Pollenza

Little piazza of Pollenza with its church

You can drive to Pollenza which is also under the protection of Unesco. In this village there is the University of Gastronomic Sciences which is in collaboration with Slow Food movement. In the university campus there is a hotel, restaurant and a café/bar. You can enjoy a lunch or just a coffee and relax. If you have time you can visit the castle there. 

Dogliani is another village at the heart of the Langhe where you can spend a night here and try the restaurant “Il Torchino” where you can taste the specialties of the region.  

View of Monforte

Terrace of Moda

My favorite village was Monforte. This village has romantic atmosphere, breathtaking view and amazing castle. It’s build up on a hill and wondering around in its small streets makes you feel good. When you are in this village you should go to Moda. This restaurant/bar has an interesting system where it allows you to taste different wines. They give you a card of 100€ and inside there are many bottles of wine inside the machines. You choose your wine put the card in the machine and choose price and amount of the wine you wish the drink. Generally price range differs from 4€ to 12€. While you are there I recommend you to try “nebiolo”, “barbaresco” and “barolo” wines. Barolo is one of the best wines ever. Nebiolo grape is named after nebbia which means fog in Italian. During the harvest time intense fog sets in this region which makes it hard to collect the grapes. 

Little roads of villages

If you are interested in wine you can visit Barolo wine yards and do wine tastings but it's rather touristic among wine lovers.

All these villages are really close to each other. It takes maximum 20min to go to one another. In order to be independent, a car is a must as I mentioned before.

Lisbon: Capture the Positive Vibe & Sintra: To Live the Fairytale

As you land to the airport you start loving Lisbon. The positive vibes of the city captures you once you see the beautiful sunset through palm trees.  Just take the metro to city center. The metro system is developed and fast. Once you get a card for 0,50€ you can load as much as you want in order to use it in metro,bus or tram.

Alfama 

The city may seem small but actually it’s not. The downtown part Baixa didn’t wow me neither Baio Alto during day time. However Alfama is another thing. It’s the only neighbourhood that survived the 1755 earthquake and it’s just beautiful. Tiny little streets, with colorful buildings. It was the Moors who lived there and the name comes from “Alhama” which meant hot baths. As you wonder in the little streets getting lost is inevitable however this leads to good conclusions such as discoveries of local cafes, shops.
Alfama is the best neighbourhood to listen to Fado music.  I recommend you to make a reservation because Fado music is popular for both locals and tourists.

 I personally prefer when women sing . I had the chance to listen to Fado in different places and top three were A Tasco de Chic, Club de Fado and Sr Fado. I have listened good music and had tasty food there.

 

While you are in Baio Alto area try café/bars

Park Cafe

especially for watching the sunset in these terraces is a unique experience and rather romantic. My favorite one was the “Park”.  It is named Park because it’s a at the terrace of a parking lot! To have access to the café you need to enter the parking lot and climb up the stairs and then you reach a heaven. So blissfully decorated place with lots of trees and wooden chairs. Another place to go is Noobai Café. This terrace also offers a breathtaking view and good cocktails.
Night life of Baio Alto is very vivid there are in total 64 little crossing streets with full of bars. What I suggest is bar hoping and wondering in the streets with your drink, don't stuck in one place!

Chapito

Another must go place is Chapito. Chapito is located close to castle so again imagine the view! It offers very tasty food and good quality of wine. At first glance the entrance of the place looks like a theater with huge lightbulbs and first you enter to a shop and then pass to the restaurant. According to locals the in night is Sunday. However I went on Saturday night and it was full.

Entrance of the elevator in Baixa

Plaça Commercial

I would definitely recommend a visit to St.George’s castle. It’s one of the best preserved castles in Europe and it survived really heavy bombardments. The castle was built solely for military purposes and inside there are ancient canons, tiny stairs to climb up to towers and a breathtaking view. Around the castle there are cute cafes and souvenir shops. Once you are outside the castle if you walk to left you can reach to Alfama if you take the right turn you can reach to city center. Since Lisbon has been constructed on seven hills, sometimes it can be tiring to climb up. However they have solutions for this as well: public elevators!! There is one close to castle which takes you to Baio Alto and another one to downtown to sea level. There is an arch in Plaça Commerciale where you can go up to have a view of the city, it’s the same view of the elevator that has been built by Gustave Eiffel’s apprentice to connect downtown to Baio Alto. But the view from the castle beats them all. Plaça Commerciale is also called white square because everything in the square is made by white marble. Also Lisbon is a very clean city, there is no garbage on the streets.

I strongly recommend you to take the bus towards Belem or tram 15 to see Jeronimos monastery, Belem Tower and statue. In the monastery there is the tomb of Vasco de Gama. Generally Lisbon is a city which is proud of the Discovery age and they have many monuments as a reminder.

Jeronimos Monastery

 Wooden Bridge & Belem Tower

Let’s not forget the beaches! Although they are packed especially during weekends they are worth going to try surfing, to watch the surfers and sunbathing. There are many options for the beaches depending on your taste. You can go to isolated beaches and be peace with the wild nature or you can be a bit more luxurious.

I really fell in love with the Lisbon. It’s a happy city with its colored buildings and decorated curbstones. I would recommend you to visit Lisbon during June because it’s the month when they welcome summer and celebrate St. Antonio month. Every street even the tiniest ones are decorated with colored flags and ornaments and there are public concerts in every placa. So every day passes like a carnival. Music is coming out of every corner, people are dancing on the streets, and they are very helpful and welcoming. I felt like as if I am in my hometown although I didn’t understand Portuguese. 

                                                                          SINTRA

Overview of Sintra from the bus heading to beach

If you are staying let’s say 4/5 days take the train to Sintra, which is an amazing town, and visit. To be honest I thought Sintra was a small town with its place and castle but it’s not! It’s so beautiful so no wonder it’s under Unesco protection.  It’s a big town built on a hill with many things to see. First of all Pena Place which was the summer palace for the monarchs is breathtaking both inside and outside. It’s park is also quite astonishing but generally in Sintra the nature captures you the most.  Then there is the Royal National Palace, Monserrate Palace and Moors Castle. You can visit them of course but I preferred to walk by them and then I took the bus to the beach. Before going to the beach you can chill at the nice cafes and respire the rustic and romantic atmosphere of the town. And I almost forgot don’t forget to taste “traveseirros” in patisseries of Sintra. I highly recommend Piriquita These long, sugar coded 'pillows' are best still warm, and they are freshly made all through the day. The outside is a flaky shell, inside filling is with egg yolk and sugar and almond.... Of course the recipe is a secret, under lock and key, patented and worth a fortune. There are a lot of imitation pastries around, but none as perfect a combination as the original of Piriquita. The main coffee-shop is right in the middle of the Historical Center, and it is closed on Wednesdays.

Pena Palace Entrance

From Rome With Love (ENG)

After a little break it’s time for Rome. The lively capital city of beautiful Italy. The city where there is a masterpiece of Roman empire in every corner. Although I must say this is the most crowded city of Italy, it’s laid back atmosphere hides its chaos. 

I'm sure you know the classics that should be done first, a little summary would be The Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Vatican and the list goes on and on...

But the real Roman spirits lies as you wonder the streets.
1) My first suggestion would be to make a stop in Campo dei Fiori where you can take fresh fruit for breakfast and enjoy the sun along the Tiber river. It takes only five minutes to walk to the river.

Campo dei Fiori

A fisherman along Tiber River

2) Trastevere would be the next stop which is also known as the hipsterish area  of Rome. Many narrow streets full with churches and little cafes, which are amazing for the coffee breaks. If you go during there Easter time, you may have the chance to watch the ritual walk of the Latin church accompanied by songs.

Spend a night in Trastevere. Not because the food is amazing and relatively cheap but also for the atmosphere. Then try out this small neighbourhood bars which offer different and beautiful alternatives of drinks and music.

Busy streets of Trastevere

3) Ponte Milvio: Located in the northern part of Rome has it's name from the Ponte Milvio bridge which was built in 2nd century. Now there are 3 arches remaining of the original bridge. Once was a popular gay neighbourhood now host a heterogeneous crowd. The area is vivid full of bars, restaurants and shops which are open till late. 

Ponte Milvio

4) Monti: It's Rome’s most pleasant old residential neighborhood located between Colosseum, the Quirinal hill. Tourists generally neglect it however it’s a known area among local for its alternative fashion, gourmet street food and alfresco cafe culture.

Via dei Serpenti in Monti

If you are staying long enough I definitely suggest a day trip to Napoli. Just take the regional train and go. It takes approximately 1,5h. you will see a new face of Italy, integration of luxury and poverty. The poorest and the richest street are parallel to each other and although it might be a little dangerous poor sides of the city are also worth seeing in my opinion. In Napoli the starting point could be Castel dell'Ovo then you can walk to Palazzo Reale from where you can take the cable car (also possible to walk) to Castle Saint Elmo for a spectacular view. And of course eat a pizza while you are in Napoli. I would recommend any pizzeria especially if there is a queue in front of it!

If you decide to stay there for one night you might consider going to Pompeii the next day. An amazing sight seeing tour that will touch emotions to core and an experience that every traveller should have. For Napoli I can’t help to say be careful and if possible don’t wear jewellery

Pompei

No matter how tired you might feel after the Napoli trip, the next day you will appreciate all this experience!