Archive

Cheap Tuscany, Italy It’s no surprise that one of the most popular regions of Italy is also one of the most expensive. Between accommodation, food and sites, you can really burn through the euros on a trip to Tuscany. But the good news is that it doesn’t have to be that way – it is ...

San Gimignano, Italy San Gimignano is a city of towers. Fourteen in total these days (although at one point there were as many as 72!). Built during the fourteenth century, they were status symbols of the various families. Phallic like, it was all about size. The Italian city of San Gimignano was once one of the ...

Palio di Siena horse race, Italy Standing here, you can imagine the thundering of hooves and the roaring of the spectators. The energy must be incredible, thousands of people crammed together in the centre of the square as the horses race around them. Encircled and squashed, there would be nothing to do but shout with ...

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy Perhaps it’s all a marketing scam, this leaning tower thing. Perhaps it was meant to be built like that! There’s a school of thought that says the slant of the tower in Pisa was no accident. These ‘experts’ claim it may have been because of Pisa’s rivalry with Florence ...

The thing about Florence Daydreaming as I walk the streets about Florence, I’m suddenly jolted from my daze by a man crashing into me. The church I’d been looking at is lost from my view as I quickly swing around. Recoiling, I move into a doorway just in time to avoid a second collision with ...

Venus de’ Medici Once upon a time there was a woman who was the most beautiful in all of Florence. Men and women from all across the lands would travel to the city to see her. Of all the attractions in Florence, she was the one people most wanted to see. Venus de’ Medici was ...

Hitler and the Ponte Vecchio Historical rumours are fast becoming one of my new favourite things. They are unlike the everyday rumours that gossipmongers whisper to each other with satisfyingly cheeky smirks on their faces. Oh no – those rumours can be stopped when the tales have been circulated so far they’ve done a full ...

Gucci Museum Florence If you’re anything like me, you’ve got some pretty tatty luggage. Perhaps a backpack as dirty and bruised as you’ve at times felt after carrying it? Maybe a roller case with worn-down wheels from all the times the terrain was a little rough but you couldn’t be bothered to pick it up? ...