Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for italy
An Italian Village in South Tyrol
By Linda Tancs
Bruneck (Brunico) is the largest town in the Puster Valley in the Italian province of South Tyrol. It boasts a hilltop castle dating to the 13th century with restored rooms and a museum exploring mountain culture in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. The museum, MMM Ripa, is one of six mountain museums set up by mountaineer Reinhold Messner and is a permanent exhibition at the castle. The castle is a short walk from the Brunico train station; a museum ticket will grant you access to all six mountain museums within a one-year period from date of issue.
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A Taste of South Beach in Tuscany
By Linda Tancs
Miami’s South Beach is an area well known for its Art Deco district. You could think of Italy’s seaside city of Viareggio as a kissing cousin. It boasts the same architecture, one of the most famous structures being the Gran Caffè Margherita. Start your tour at the intersection of Via Pietro Mascagni and Viale Alfredo Belluomini and head south on the promenade that runs parallel to the beach.
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Italy’s Marble Mountains
By Linda Tancs
The Apuan Alps is a mountain range in northern Tuscany. Known as a marble-rich area, the luxury stone has been excavated there since ancient Roman times, particularly in Carrara, which is one of the highest producing marble sites on Earth. The mountain range is protected as part of the Apuan Alps Regional Park, where you’ll also find Mount Forato, boasting one of the country’s largest natural arches. The park’s visitor centers are located at Equi Terme in Lunigiana, at Bosa di Careggine in Garfagnana, in Massa and in Seravezza.
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A Towering Pinocchio
By Linda Tancs
Carlo Collodi is the pen name of the Italian novelist responsible for the character Pinocchio. He reportedly spent a considerable amount of time in Collodi as a child, which is why the locale lays claim to the famous author. It’s where you’ll find Pinocchio Park, where you can walk through the story on themed paths taking visitors past statues of characters in the order in which they appear in the book. You’ll first be greeted by a towering wooden Pinocchio, touted as the tallest wooden Pinocchio in the world. It stands 63 feet tall if you count the 11-foot-high plinth. Collodi is easily reached by train or car from Florence.
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Oak of the Witches
By Linda Tancs
Heralded as a national monument, there’s a thriving 600-year-old oak tree in Capannori, Italy. In addition to its age, what’s enchanting about it is its size—over 65 feet high, with a trunk diameter of 13 feet and a crown diameter of 131 feet with gnarled branches stretching horizontally. Legend has it that witches met at the oak and danced on it, causing it to reach horizontally rather than vertically. The tree is so distinctive that it’s recorded on NATO maps as a military point of reference.
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The Lords of Verucchio
By Linda Tancs
Verucchio is a small town in the province of Rimini, Italy. It’s known as the “cradle of the Malatesta family,” an Italian family that dominated Romagna from 1295 to 1500. One of the largest fortifications of the period is Rocca Malatestiana, also known as Rocca del Sasso (Fortress on the Rock) due to its position at the top of the rocky crag that dominates the whole area. The watch tower is an easy landmark, embedded with a clock to mark the hours below in the heart of the old town with Piazza Malatesta and the town hall.
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An Island Between Two Worlds
By Linda Tancs
Sandwiched between Tunisia and Sicily, Lampedusa is an island between two worlds. The last trace of Italian terrain before the African coast, it forms part of the Pelagie Islands, an island group that includes Linosa and Lampione. One of its most popular spots is Rabbit Island (Isola dei Conigli), a few hundred feet off the coast. Contrary to its name, there are no rabbits, but you will find a protected loggerhead sea turtle population and a beach considered by some to be the best in the world. Gastronomically, the island offers a mix of Sicilian and African dishes, particularly along Roma Street (Via Roma), where the majority of shops and restaurants are located. Lampedusa is served by air from many of Italy’s principal cities. You can also take a ferry or hydrofoil from Sicily.
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A Touch of Bourbon in Italy
By Linda Tancs
Italy’s Royal Palace of Caserta (and park) was commissioned by Charles of Bourbon III. A triumph of architecture and design, it borrows features from the palace and park of Versailles as well as villas in Rome and Tuscany. Its gardens are touted as one of the last great European gardens. Indeed, the scale of it is breathtaking, stretching for almost 2 miles from the palace to a waterfall in the forest. The gardens are at their best in spring and summer. The palace is 23 miles from Naples and 124 miles from Rome, easily accessible via train from either city.
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Hunchback Bridge
By Linda Tancs
Nestled in Italy’s Trebbia Valley, Bobbio is a medieval village between Milan and Genoa. It’s often referred to as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy; writer Ernest Hemingway even called it the most beautiful village in the world. Framed by the Apennines, one of its most popular attractions is the abbey founded in the 7th century by Saint Colombano, home today to the City Museum and the Abbey Museum. Another focal point is the Ponte del Gobbo (Hunchback Bridge), so named for the 11 unequal arches that give it an irregular shape. First documented in 1196, the 900-foot-long bridge is an entry point to this scenic locale. The best way to arrive is via car; otherwise, the nearest train station is in Piacenza, with regular bus service.
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A Giant in Italy
By Linda Tancs
Nearly three times the actual size of its subject, the Colossus of Barletta in Italy is a bronze statue of a Roman emperor (thought to be Theodosius II) in Barletta’s city center. An icon of the city, the 16-foot-high structure is also known as “the Giant.” Legend has it that the statue was found in 1204 on a rock in the port of Barletta following the sinking of a Venetian ship returning from a crusade. The more sensible explanation for its appearance is that it was transported to Puglia from Ravenna by imperial decree to serve as an embellishment. You’ll find it in front of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher.
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