Monthly Archives: February 2019

L’œuvre architecturale d’Henry van de Velde (08/04/2008) Henry Clemens Van de Velde (1863–1957) was a Belgian (born in Antwerp) painter, architect and interior designer. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar he could be considered as one of the main … Continue reading →

Arguably Scotland’s most beautiful and enigmatic church, Rosslyn Chapel only reached fame with Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent Hollywood film. Since 2003, the number of tourists has ballooned (190,000 in 2017) and this has made possible … Continue reading →

UNESCO has added 17 projects by 20th-century French architect Le Corbusier to its list of internationally significant architecture sites, including the Unité d’Habitation housing in Marseille – arguably the most influential Brutalist building of all time. They are spread across seven countries built over 50 years … Continue reading →

THE PO PLAIN. Completely flat it extends from Bergamo in the north to Mantua in the southeast. MANTUA (pop 49,000). Actually in Milan Province, it is just north of Parma. The city was taken over by the wealthy horse-breeding Gonzaga family in … Continue reading →

SAN MARINO. Of the world’s 196 independent countries, San Marino is the fifth smallest, and the most curious. A sole survivor of Italy’s once powerful city-state network, the landlocked micronation clung on well after the more powerful kingdoms of Genoa … Continue reading →

ABRUZZO & MOLISE PROVINCES Bisected by the rugged Apennines mountains, these two provinces are rarely on the tourist radar. A major national park-building effort in the 1990s created an almost unbroken string of 4 parks. Amidst them are many picturesque … Continue reading →

On my first time in Italy in January 2018, I saw Rome, Florence and Sienna. On my second time in February 2019, I saw Carrera, Pisa and Livorno and then took the ferry from Livorno to Bastia, Corsica on February … Continue reading →

My first trip to Liguria was in February 2018. I only visited Genoa on that occasion. I took the Flixbus from Barcelona to Genoa (14 hours, ~22€). Arriving at 21:30, I believed that the hostel was closed at 22:00 and … Continue reading →

NOMAD MANIA Italy – Emilia-Romagna (Bologna, Rimini, Parma, Modena, Piacenza) World Heritage Sites: Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena  Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna  Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta Tentative WHS: Evaporite karst and caves … Continue reading →

March 2018 On my way to the UK, I saw Verona, the only place in Veneto Province, but returned in March 15-18, 2019. VERONA (pop260,000). From the 3rd century BC, Verona was a Roman trade center. In the middle ages, … Continue reading →