Trapani in Sicily

16 December 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© flickr.com - Myke Bryan/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Myke Bryan/cc-by-2.0

Trapani is a city and comune on the west coast of Sicily in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Aegadian Islands. The city was badly damaged during World War II, when it was subjected to intense Allied bombardments. It has grown greatly since the end of the war, sprawling out virtually to the foot of Monte San Giuliano. Tourism has grown in recent years due to the city’s proximity to popular destinations such as Erice, Segesta, and the Aegadian Islands.   read more…

Saint-Pierre-la-Mer on the Mediterranean Sea

1 June 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Tournasol7/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Tournasol7/cc-by-sa-3.0

A seaside village ideal for a family holiday: Saint-Pierre-la-Mer. Above all, there are beautiful, wild landscapes, an ideal place for outdoor sports and gliding activities. And not forgetting the wines of La Clape. Restaurants and cafes by the sea contribute to the great atmosphere, not to mention the famous open-air market.   read more…

Pellestrina in Venice

22 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union Reading Time:  5 minutes

© panoramio.com - ildirettore/cc-by-3.0

© panoramio.com – ildirettore/cc-by-3.0

Pellestrina is an island in northern Italy, forming a barrier between the southern Venetian Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea, lying south west of the Lido. The island is 11 kilometres (7 miles) long and has since the eighteenth century been bounded to its seaward side by large embankments. There are four main villages: San Pietro in Volta, Porto Secco, Sant’ Antonio di Pellestrina and Pellestrina, known for their colourfully-painted houses.   read more…

Theme Week Turkey

18 April 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage, Union for the Mediterranean Reading Time:  2 minutes

Levent business district in Istanbul © Derrick Brutel/cc-by-sa-4.0

Levent business district in Istanbul © Derrick Brutel/cc-by-sa-4.0

Turkey is a transcontinental Eurasian country located mainly on the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia, with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe. East Thrace, the part of Turkey in Europe, is separated from Anatolia by the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus and the Dardanelles (collectively called the Turkish Straits). Istanbul, which straddles Europe and Asia, is the largest city in the country, while Ankara is the capital. Turkey is bordered on its northwest by Greece and Bulgaria; north by the Black Sea; northeast by Georgia; east by Armenia, the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran; southeast by Iraq; south by Syria and the Mediterranean Sea; and west by the Aegean Sea. Approximately 70 to 80 percent of the country’s citizens identify as Turkish, while Kurds are the largest minority, at between 15 to 20 percent of the population.   read more…

Theme Week Marseille – Old Port

2 March 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Jean Pascal Hamida/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Jean Pascal Hamida/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Old Port of Marseille (Vieux-Port de Marseille) is at the end of the Canebière, the major street of Marseille. It has been the natural harbour of the city since antiquity and is now the main popular place in Marseille. It became mainly pedestrian in 2013. In 600 BC, Greek settlers from Phocaea landed in the Lacydon, a rocky Mediterranean cove, now the site of the Old Port of Marseille. They set up a trading post or emporion in the hills on the northern shore. Until the nineteenth century the Old Port remained the centre of maritime activity in Marseille. In the Middle Ages the land at the far end of the port was used to cultivate hemp for the local manufacture of rope for mariners, which is the origin of the name of the main thoroughfare of Marseille, the Canebière. The great St. Victor’s Abbey was gradually built between the third and ninth centuries on the hills to the south of the Old Port, on the site of an Hellenic burial ground.   read more…

Theme Week Apulia – Bari

28 December 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  16 minutes

Seafood Market © flickr.com - Italo Greco/cc-by-2.0

Seafood Market © flickr.com – Italo Greco/cc-by-2.0

Bari is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples (the third after Palermo if insular Italy is included), a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas. The city itself has a population of 320,257 inhabitants, over 116 square kilometres (45 sq mi), while the urban area has 750,000 inhabitants. The metropolitan area has 1.3 million inhabitants.   read more…

Theme Week Apulia – Foggia

27 December 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Villa Comunale © Ettore Timi/cc-by-2.5

Villa Comunale © Ettore Timi/cc-by-2.5

Foggia is a city and comune of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. The population is at 151.000. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known as the “granary of Italy”. It is a communication and industrial center and the main wheat market of Southern Italy. Foggia is famous for its watermelons and tomatoes. Although less important than once before, the agricultural sector remains the mainstay of Foggia’s economy. The few industries present are mostly devoted to food processing. Craftsmanship is also encouraged and developed.   read more…

Theme Week Apulia – Lecce

26 December 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  12 minutes

Santa Croce © panoramio.com - Lamberto Zannotti/cc-by-sa-3.0

Santa Croce © panoramio.com – Lamberto Zannotti/cc-by-sa-3.0

Lecce is a historic city of 95,000 inhabitants in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Lecce, the second province in the region by population, as well as one of the most important cities of Apulia. It is the main city of the Salentine Peninsula, a sub-peninsula at the heel of the Italian Peninsula and is over 2,000 years old.   read more…

Theme Week Apulia – Martina Franca

25 December 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Piazza Plebiscito and the Cathedral © Tango71747cc-by-sa-4.0

Piazza Plebiscito and the Cathedral © Tango71747cc-by-sa-4.0

Martina Franca, or just Martina, is a town and municipality in the province of Taranto, Apulia. It is the second most populated town of the province after Taranto, and has a population of 49,000. Since 1975, the town has hosted the annual summer opera festival, the Festival della Valle d’Itria. Martina Franca is located in the Itria Valley, close to the provinces of Bari and Brindisi.   read more…

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