Rome – The Historical City and Best Vacation Place
This is the time to spend your memorable vacations in historic but most romantic city Rome. Rome is undoubtedly, an ideal place for all those visitors who love ancient architect and make their holidays, the best moments of their life. Rome is not only the place of ancient art, but a true picture of Italy’s [...]
Tour du Mont Blanc
1st night in Les Houches (France) After a long drive from the Loire Valley, we reached Les Houches. We chose Les Houches as our TMB starting point specifically because of the excellent dinner prepared by Hotel Slalom last year. Disappointingly, Hotel Slalom has a new chef. The meal tasted like a microwave defrosting of sub-quality [...]
Skiing in Chamonix, France
Chamonix is a world class ski resort continually hosting a wide international crowd. We planned a ski week in Chamonix. Chamonix locals advised us to arrive the 2nd week of January just after the holiday crowds return home. We agreed on the dates and booked the hotel (Au Bon Coin) in advance. 2 days of [...]
Cinque Terre, Italy
The five coastal towns Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, located between Genoa and La Spezia, make up Cinque Terre. American friends we knew in Singapore recommended that we rent an apartment in one of these towns and enjoy Mediterranean coastal life for a few days. Our Lonely Planet Italy guidebook mentioned a 5-hour hiking [...]
Venice, Italy
Some people love Venice for its romantic canals, narrow pedestrian streets, and interconnected islands. Others find the numerous dead-ends, constantly changing street direction, and poor signage to be frustrating. Contrary to coastal canal cities like Amsterdam or Bangkok, Venice is actually 117 small islands connected by pedestrian bridges. Aside from the main train station that’s [...]
Hiking in the Dolomites, Italy
The Dolomite Mountain Ranges located in northern Italy form a large portion of the eastern Alps. These spiked peaks are ancient coral reefs composed of sedimentary limestone formed from calcium carbonate and magnesium. Marine fossils can be found on these 2000 – 3000 meter high pinnacles. Reaching the peaks requires fitness, strength, and rock climbing [...]
Pisa and Siena, Italy
Pisa and Siena are 2 hours away from each other by train, but accommodation availability dictated that we stay in Pisa and day trip to Siena. We telephoned all the Siena budget listings in the Lonely Planet for a double room, but they were full. Pisa turned out to the cheaper and quieter. Overall, it [...]
Assisi, Italy
Assisi is a small town halfway between Rome and Florence that was recommended by a friend who we met in Berlin. The birthplace of San Francesco, founder of the Frati Minori (later known as the Franciscans after San Francesco’s death), the town attracts millions of tourists and pilgrims every year. The only tourist and religious [...]
Rome, Italy
The quantity of breathtaking sites in Rome is unequaled in any other city. To see them all would take a dedicated week of 8-hour site seeing days. Our Italy schedule allocated 4 days in Rome. Even after prioritizing the sites, we realized our time was insufficient. The Colosseo is a regular tourist bus stop. Large [...]
Florence
Home to Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and the Medici, Florence is a hub of art, culture, and history. Like Rome, trying to see all the sites of Florence requires planning and dedicated days of site seeing. The weekend of September 28 and 29 was European Cultural Day. Government museums throughout Italy waived admission fees. Without knowing of [...]
