Theme Week Basilicata – Lauria

30 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Michele Luongo/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Michele Luongo/cc-by-sa-4.0

Lauria is a town and comune of the province of Potenza, in Basilicata, southern Italy, situated near the borders of Calabria. It is a walled, medieval town on the steep side of a hill, with another portion of municipal territory in the plain below. It is historically the largest city in the southwestern Lucania region.   read more…

Theme Week Basilicata – Melfi

29 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

© Maria Belen Ramos/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Maria Belen Ramos/cc-by-sa-4.0

Melfi (Lucano: Mèlfe) is a town and comune in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Melfi is involved in the production of the “Aglianico del Vulture“, recognized as DOC, considered one of the greatest red wines of Italy, and the olive oil “Vulture”. Another renowned product is the “marroncino”, a type of chestnut used for many sweet and salty recipes and is precious for the industries specialized in the preparation of the marron glacé.   read more…

Theme Week Basilicata – Rionero in Vulture

28 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Asia/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Asia/cc-by-sa-4.0

Rionero in Vulture (Arbëreshë Albanian: Arrionero) is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is located on the slopes of Monte Vulture in the northern part of the region. The village was founded and historically inhabited by the Arbëreshë minority, who no longer retain the language and the cultural Arbëreshe heritage. In Rionero in Vulture, vines are grown for the red wine Aglianico del Vulture.   read more…

Theme Week Basilicata – Bernalda

27 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Francescodiciancia/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Francescodiciancia/cc-by-sa-4.0

Bernalda (Metapontino: Vernàlle or Bernàlle) is a town and comune in the province of Matera, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. The frazione of Metaponto is the site of the ancient city of Metapontum. Until the 15th century, it was called Camarda. It is home to a castle built in the 15th century during the Aragonese rule in the Kingdom of Naples.   read more…

Theme Week Basilicata – Venosa

26 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Piazza Orazio Flacco © Roberto Strafella/cc-by-sa-4.0

Piazza Orazio Flacco © Roberto Strafella/cc-by-sa-4.0

Venosa is a town and comune in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the Vulture area. It is bounded by the comuni of Barile, Ginestra, Lavello, Maschito, Montemilone, Palazzo San Gervasio, Rapolla and Spinazzola. It is a member of the I Borghi più belli d’Italia (“The most beautiful villages of Italy”) association.   read more…

Theme Week Basilicata

25 December 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  9 minutes

Sassi di Matera © Superchilum/cc-by-sa-4.0

Sassi di Matera © Superchilum/cc-by-sa-4.0

Basilicata, also known by its ancient name Lucania, is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-km stretch on the Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania and Calabria, and a longer coastline along the Gulf of Taranto between Calabria and Apulia. The region can be thought of as the “instep” of Italy, with Calabria functioning as the “toe” and Apulia the “heel”.   read more…

Theme Week Djibouti – Djibouti City

25 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Djibouti Port © flickr.com - CharlesFred/cc-by-sa-3.0

Djibouti Port © flickr.com – CharlesFred/cc-by-sa-3.0

Djibouti (also called Djibouti City and Jibuti in early Western texts) is the eponymous capital of Djibouti. It is located in the coastal Djibouti Region on the Gulf of Tadjoura. Djibouti has a population of around 600,000 inhabitants, which counts for 54% of the country’s population. The settlement was founded in 1888 by the French, on land leased from the ruling Somali and Afar Sultans. During the ensuing period, it served as the capital of French Somaliland and its successor the French Territory of the Afars and Issas.   read more…

Theme Week Djibouti – Obock

24 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  11 minutes

© Luc Michel/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Luc Michel/cc-by-sa-3.0

Obock (also Obok, Afar: Hayyú) is a small port town in Djibouti. It is located on the northern shore of the Gulf of Tadjoura, where it opens out into the Gulf of Aden. The town is home to an airstrip and has ferries to Djibouti City. The French form Obock derives from Arabic “Oboh”, deformation of Oboki, a name given to the Wadi Dar’i in its middle part, upstream of its coastal delta.   read more…

Theme Week Djibouti – Ali Sabieh

23 November 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Skilla1st/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Skilla1st/cc-by-sa-4.0

Ali Sabieh (Somali: Cali Sabiix) is the second largest city in Djibouti. It is situated about 98 kilometres (61 miles) Southwest of Djibouti City and 10 km (6 mi) north of the border with Ethiopia. It sprawls on a wide basin surrounded by granitic mountains on all sides. Ali Sabieh mild climate makes it a popular tourist destination for Djiboutians. The famous landmark of Ali Sabieh is located near the city.   read more…

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