Exploring the world, one place at a time
When I read in my guidebook that Daphne du Maurier had been inspired to write Don't Look Now on a trip to Torcello, I was intrigued and keen to find out more about the place that had inspired the sinister short story. Settled in the 5th century, the island of Torcello was for centuries the... Continue Reading →
While in Venice, I was keen to go beyond the confines of the city and explore some of the islands in the Venetian lagoon. So on our second day in Venice, we set off through Cannaregio's deserted streets to Fondamente Nuove (stumbling upon this petrol station for boats, below, along the way) to catch the... Continue Reading →
No trip to Venice would be complete without a visit to its most famous square, the Piazza San Marco, and the iconic sites that surround it, the Basilica di San Marco, the Palazzo Ducale and the Campanile. So after cruising down the Grand Canal, we disembarked at San Marco, where we stopped to take some... Continue Reading →
We started our first full day in Venice by exploring the canals near our hotel in the Cannaregio district, snaking our way over the bridges and along the deserted canals, while soaking up the area's eerie stillness. As we got closer to the Rialto district and the Grand Canal (below), the city, unsurprisingly, became increasingly... Continue Reading →
It seems hard to believe now, but at the end of January 2020 I was in Venice, little knowing it was the last time I'd go abroad for a very long time. I'd been umming and ahhing about visiting Venice for years – on the one hand keen to see the famous lagoon city, on... Continue Reading →
During my afternoon in Turin, I'd decided to visit Turin's tallest building, the Mole Antonelliana, as well as the city's renowned Egyptian Museum. So after having a spot of lunch, I wandered along Turin's elegant covered streets, past lots of shops and cafés, on my way to the Mole Antonelliana. The Mole Antonelliana (above) is... Continue Reading →
Famous for its sports cars and chocolate, the elegant Italian city of Turin is only an hour from Milan by train, so I decided to spend a day there during my recent Italian jaunt. With its large charming squares, tree-lined avenues, covered walkways, palazzo-style buildings and Alpine backdrop, Turin is a picturesque city to explore.... Continue Reading →
Despite doing a lot of research before my trip to Milan, there were a few things I learned while I was there that I wish I'd known sooner. So I've put together some of my top tips for anyone planning a trip to the Lombard capital. Getting there Milan has three airports – Malpensa, Linate and... Continue Reading →
As regular readers to my blog may have guessed, I'm a sucker for a castle and when I found out Milan has its very own castle, it ended up somewhere near the top of my must-visit list. Having spent the morning exploring every last inch of the city's Duomo, I made my way to the... Continue Reading →
I've visited a lot of cathedrals over the years, but Milan's Duomo is one of the most impressive cathedrals I've ever seen. Commissioned by Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1386, the 157m-long Gothic cathedral took an astonishing five centuries to complete. This fact is less surprising when you see how detailed and elaborate the building is.... Continue Reading →
Little Old World 