Umbria part 1

ASSISI

I used to be religious and I believed that there is a god. I thought there was a man above us, that decided what should happen and what not. And it never occurred to me that it could be a woman, or just an it. Who says it has to be a man? Or a woman? Or an it? Perhaps it is just the spirit of all of us, like a thought in a Universe, that leads us to believe what is right and what is wrong. 

Assisi is one of those places, where I had the feeling to make questions about the meaning of the universe. It made me think of Nelson Mandela. And Santa Teresa of Calcutta. I even thought of Princess Diana, due to her death of that very same year the Assisi earthquake took place. And of course of the protector of Italia: Saint Francis.  

Any place on earth where I have been, Assisi is the only one where the spiritual energy is so high that it reached even my sceptical me. 

The Basilica of San Francisco

Most people start their visit of Assisi from the Square of the Basilica of San Francisco. 
I headed to Basilica inferiore, where is to be admired major works of Giotto and Cimabue. The construction of the church stated just two years after Francisco's death in 1228. Following through stairs and along the monastery yard and book shop, rising up to the upper level to the basilica superiore the very first artwork is to seen those burned paintings on the wall. In the naval area is to admire the whole story of Saint Francis painted by Cimabue and continued later on by Giotto. The Basilica of San Francesco was celebrated by pope Innenzio IV in the year 1253.  This part of the Basilica and mainly the naval roof was badly damaged during the earthquake of 1997. 

If you don't believe in god, or do not want to experiment the spirituality of this place, visit Assisi then because its beauty and artwork in all those nearly 15 churches Assisi has to offer. 

Inside of the Basilica di San Francesco

Francis was born in a wealthy family. He got prisoned during the war against Perugia and met for the first time in life poor people and got it touch with poverty. It took one year after he was realized that he chose to give up his rich and wealthy life and follow the path of protector of poor and weaker ones, among animals he so much loved. He sold all his inheritage and became a monk. 

Among many followers he had, and I am not speaking about Twitter, there was one particular: Chiara. She had noble background and at very young age decided not to become just a wife of one man refusing marriage proposal her family had decided to her. As many young women in medieval time also Chiara was educated at home with good manners, handcraft work and elementary level of literature. She knew about Francisco and at age of 18 she escaped to get involved with Francisco's group that introduced her to the monastery of San Paolo delle Badesse.  
What I had was this incredibly strange feeling while visiting her crypt at the church of Santa Chiara di Assisi. The building of this church started in 1255. Just two years after the death of this poor child that saw life on earth only 60 years. Santa Chiara's tomb is to be visited in the lower level of the church and some reliques find their place there too. 

Some where in the half way of these two main churches I found this Minevra Temple. It was probably dedicated to Hercules with roman style of art proximately 30 AD. It was turned to Benedictine church San Donato in the medieval period and with an order of Pope Paolo III in 1539 it was changed to Catholic church Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Goethe has visited this church during his stay in Assisi. 

photo from wikipedia

Besides of churches that Assisi has, that are more than 10, I enjoy mostly of the medieval and renesance stile of architecture and figurative art, those church walls can offer. It is amazing how long these paintings have been for the pleasure of anyone willing to see them. 

Assisi offers spiritual peace and quietness for more than just one day. My advice is to take few days time to visit Assisi properly and feel the tranquillity that it leaves to visitors heart. 

Assisi is also a good place to taste the Umbrian cuisine. Umbrian bread has no salt in it and that comes from the Roman period when salt came from Rome and it was highly taxed. It is the perfect bread for the oil tasters, because it doesn't alternate the taste of olive oil. 

I had lunch in a vegan restaurant just near the main road and I was truly satisfied for the offer of the quantity of the products that were to mach animal free cuisine. 

Since I was in Assisi, and San Francisco is also the protector of animals, I felt I had no right to come here and eat meat. 

Assisi is not that easy to reach from cities near by as it may look like. First I needed to take the train and then walk few chilometers uphill. Or wait a bus. And walk uphill. Best way to visit Assisi and it churches is with a local guide. It has a history and markable quantity of architectural sites witch may pass unnoticed if not led to there with description and their particular artworks. 

uphill we go

Underneath of the town Assisi I visited this church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, at the same named village. It was build by the request of Pope Pio V in the 15th century. It holds inside a mall church, that appears to be the one what was given to Francis. The story tells also that in this littel church Fracis met Chiara at the night of her escape. It is an interesting place to visit due to it's totally different art style than the churches in Assisi. 

Feel free to ask an offer of tour-leader services to your group to visit Assisi, 

in GB, IT, FIN and NL

Rome part 1: Ostia Antica

I had this lovely opportunity to visit Ostia Antica at Rome. I must say finally, because it is not far from the Fiumicino airport and I have seen plenty of advertisement about it. But I never seem to get anyone interesting enough to come with me. 
This time I was lucky because a friend of mine wanted to join me. 

Rome was not only the city of Rome, but it was most of Europe, part of Asia and northern Africa too. One and only person ruled over it all. With the help of senator's  This very same political model is still in many countries. 

Photo by Huffington Post

So what romans did was to bring water, build roads and have fine food. Pretty much what we do. They also collected taxes and had an efficient military system and used slaves. Pretty much what we do today. Next to it, they exterminate several other populations they thought was menaces to them. Pretty much what we do once we get in war with other nations. 

They also took care of their body and had fun. Pretty much what we do today. 

So to understand Rome, that is huge and absolutely not possible to imagine, a visit to Ostia Antica clears all thoughts. This should be a stop to each school trip visiting Rome. It is worth more than several history books. 

At the entrance we found this map and a spot where to listen the first explanation. 

The whole area covers 15.000 km2

It was all created by the Empire Claudio out of a need of a harbour town, 42 aD that serves Rome. After several other improvements by Traiano and Caesarian, it has the peak of inhabitants near 75.000. Only a handful of what Rome had. 

Following the tour we saw the necropolis that stands for Roman age cemetery. 

In our culture we use to bury death bodies, or cremate them, that might come from Etruscan and Roman period. 

The statue of Minerva, or Menvra as Etruscan used to say waited for us.

 Minevra stands for Greek Pallas Athene, and it was the goddess of earth and wine. 

Roman empire was full of marble statues and there is more to be seen in the whole area.

Romans loved bathing and instead of having simple blue tiles in the pool area, they had beautifully decorated mosaic. If you still haven't got a chance to visit Terme di Caracalla, this can be less emotional experience. I had chicken skin just at admiring all that art work done nearly 2000 years ago. 

As I said, Romans loved drama, and that was made by actors or by circus, with animals overseas. Nowadays it is a bit outdated to go and see a tiger jumping in a circus, and it is preferable to watch human acrobats instead. But it certainly started from Rome that we want to have some adrenaline watching exotic animals making tricks. 

 I thought that I should shoot my self in different angles as a proof that I really was here. 

Romans actually had a mall in the area of the theatre. Apparently Romans figured out that between one play and an other one people might get bored and giving them the opportunity to explore what was new and from where it could be good for the business. 

Shops with signs to explain what they sold. A little bit like in our modern days.  

The sign is on the top of a shop or in the window. Romans decorated the area in the floor near the entrance. 

This marble table belongs to the fish shop near by the harbour. That area is actually the market place of the city. 

Some where between the market place ant the theatre I was indicate to have a closer look to this Roman period bakery

It was to my total surprise to found a real restaurant. It actually had a place for fire place, a desc or an accounter and some kind of a jar where they kept either food or beverage. 

Right... give me a cup of wine

It was not only Romans that could build houses in several floors; If you have red my visit to Sardinia, you might have red about Nuraghi too. Sardinians used to build houses in several floors, but they didn't have the technique to build stairs indoor. 

The River Tiber was truly important to Ostia Antica. It was like an entrance to the Rome. Any merchandise passed throughout Ostia Antica before it reached the Senate and the Empire.

Rome was, as I see with my foreign eyes that come from a culture that has written history not older than 250 years, the United States or China of that time being. As a matter of fact, Wikipedia says about Rome this: "'The City of Rome was the largest city in the world c. 100 BC – c. 400 AD, with Constantinople (New Rome) becoming the largest around 500 AD,and the Empire's populace grew to an estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants (roughly 20% of the world's population at the time). 

To understand Rome, and to understand our culture, I had to visit Ostia Antica. 

Every singe visitor of Rome, should pay one day of her or his time and visit Ostia Antica. 

It is easy to get to Ostia Antica from Rome. I just took a tube from the station Pyramide and with the price of the same ticket as in downtown Rome, without getting out of the tube station I took an other train. 

There are two routes to follow. One that takes 4 hours and an other one of 7 hours.

The entrance fee was €5 and audioguide €5

But I would have preferred to have a guide. 

There is only one restaurant and one restroom area. 

As a guide, I do not approve paying for a "machine", if I can relate with a real person instead. 

Tour of Sardinia part 2: Sardinian diner

As one of my latest trip I went to visit the Italian Island Sardinia.
Sardinians actually do not consider themselves Italians at all. They are Sardinians.

For ages this island has been robbed and raped by different population and civilisations.
The original Sardinians belong to to populations of nuraghi that were extinct by Romans.
Somewhat I still think that Romans got mixed with some of those Nuraghi people, and that population is still alive and kicking.

There are archeological fundings that show how Nuraghi population had the peak of their hight at 160cm. It also seems that in the island lived an other population called giants. Next to any man that is 160cm tall a basket ball player may look like a giant.

photo by quisardegna.org

Any how this island has a heavenly kitchen and various labels of wine. I took some of it at home and had a diner party that has a theme Sardinia. And here is what we had for diner.
As a starter I had some courgette and fennel with "bottarga" that stands for "caviar"; Bottarga of tuna.

Fennel with bottarga

Accompaigned with Sardinian bread called Carasau. It is dry and crispy, and it is served with some Sardinian olive oil in it.
As a main course I served fregole pasta and arselle clams. I studied the recipe on youtube.
And then we had this plate of various Sardinian cheese, sausage and ham of wild swine.
I brought the Sardinian biscuits with me, but my son ate them all during my absence, so all I could find that possibly looks similar was this biscuit with a fig filling in it.

photo by lakasa.it

We also drink some wine; Vermentino di Gallura and Cannonau.
Cannonau is the typical wine of the Island of Nuraghi that is close to Cagliari. Cannonau is actually the most well known wine from Sardinia. It is a fruity red wine that suits well most dishes from starters to main course. It is one of the wines I prefer because it is easy to give as a gift. It really suits at every diner table.
Vermentino di Gallura explains itself. Gallura is the area of north east of Sardinia just south of the island of Corsica that used to be Italian, but was gift to France as a gift. Gallura has a rocky soil. And its soil gives also the flavour to this particular white wine. It is granite rock and one of the hardest if not the hardest to find in this planet. Most obelisks and monuments, like the one in the Suez Canal are done by Sardinian granite.
I found an interesting mineral museum at the Island of Caprera, just next to Maddalena Island.

photo by I Love Costa

My culinary trip was basically concentrated on two areas of Sardinia; the south-west and north-east.
South-west is the Area of Cagliari, that to me is a pleasant town. It has 120.000 inhabitants but it looks as big and vivid as Thessaloniki, Greece. People are outgoing and there are many young people due to the university.
Cagliari actually offers more than they may be able to advertise.
Within just 30 minutes of taxi from the airport or an hour with two local bus services, it is possible to reach the beach Poetto, and admire "the devils sable" Sella del diavolo as Cagliari people call the rock. There is a legend about this Rock I am not going to tell, because it is interesting to learn about it once at Cagliari. 

Sella del Diavolo seen from Mount Urbano

Visit the salt pools and admire flamingos, visit Nuraghi, or just hang on in the down town of Cagliari. Some of my fiends fly over to Cagliari for just one day. They take their swim suit, get to Poetto and hang in the downtown for the afternoon before flying back home to Milan. 

photo by studiainitalia.com 

Cagliari has this lovely market to visit with a huge fish market and every vegetable there is to find in this island. My discovery were these mushrooms called "ovuli", because they look a bit like eggs while closed. And just as Funghi Porcini, Ovuli are to eaten raw, with some pecorino sardo cheese. 

Market at Cagliari

I also advice a visit to Cagliari's archeological museum. I visited before visiting Nuraghi, but is should be done other way around. In that way it gives the idea of evolution in Sardinia and how Nuraghi people actually lived. 

bronse statues of the nuraghi period at the archeological museum

The other part; north-east is equally amazing, due to its rock and beautiful small towns, such as Santa Teresa Gallura that could have been the old Roman town called Tibula. Its granite has been used to build the Pisa Cathedral, and some parts of the Rome's Pantheon.

The name was given by the king Vittorio Emanuele I as honour to his wife Maria Teresa d'Asburgo Este. I am totally astonished of the beauty of the rocks at Capo Testa, due to the erasion that wind and sea salt has done to them. 

dinosaur head rock at capo testa

Following the road towards the Archipelago of Maddalena passing by vineyards. At the city of Palau I needed to take a ferry and get to the island of Maddalena. Giuseppe Garibaldi moved to Caprera Island once he retired from politics. And I might just to the very same. Maddalena looks like an ideal place to sit down and write my travel blog. Considering that the airport of Olbia is just one hour driving from the harbour of Palau.

the grave stone of Giuseppe Garibaldi at Caprera 

I found the visit at the old house of Garibaldi and his story really interesting. His father was an engineer as far as I remember, and he had developed really genius problem solving that even today may look modern. A bit like my favourite architect Gaudi. 

Costa Smeralda is the most exclusive area

of Sardinia. It offers luxurious villas, hotels and yacht harbours. In an old fashion Sardinian law, also women were to inherit. But only men got mainland because it was useful for the agriculture. Women inherit mostly cost line. This coastline area was indeed inherit by a Sardinian woman, who made business selling it to Aga Khan. He then developed the finest vacation resort area thinking of the jet set of the show business. I must say that I felt really fancy staying in this beautiful hotel with such a view. 

Hotel Balocco, Porto Cervo

It took us 8 days to do it all and we hired a car for 5 days. We stayed first 3 nights at Cagliari, then one at Oristano, two days in Alghero, and finally two nights at Porto Cervo, Costa Smeralda. 

Once we left Cagliari airport by car, we headed to the town called Iglesias. From there along the cost line passing by a beautiful beach called Piscinas, and headed towards Oristano to get some rest. From Oristano we drove along Tinnura to see the Murales, and to the town of Bosa, so that for the evening we found ourselves in the swimming pool in our hotel at Alghero. We visited also the National Park Capo Caccia, and drove to Stintino, to admire the view towards the National Park of the Island of Asinara. 

From Alghero we headed through Sassari and Castelsardo towards north-east. 

elephant rock near Castelsardo

I am still missing the whole eastern part from north to south. That will be the target to my next Sardinian trip. 

Let me know wether you want to be part of it, by leaving a comment down below. 

What kind of accommodation would I prefer?

picture by clipartkid.com

When I was 16 years old, it was normal to me to go to a camping in every weather circumstances.
Later on I chose youth hostels if possible. That turned on Bed and Breakfast. Sometimes I rented a flat. Or had a room in one of those Airbnb locations.
But my favourite keeps on being a nice comfortable hotel room.






I once rented a flat for entire month. I don't know about the standards people are used to live and leave their houses to others, but this was a real nightmare. 
We payed very little of it, but it was wilthy; cupboards were full of food that had expired. Not from last year, but from many years ago. Food in a fridge was also so old that it could walk away by itself. 
Wardroabs were so filled in that we had no place where to put our clothes. 
Imagine me having my clothes and those of my kids in a luggage for 5 weeks. 
I cleaned the house for one week. Bathroom was really disinfected and kitchen finally so clean I could let my kids eat in it. I dusted all the furnitures and all those tiny little objects the owner was so found of. 
Actually I should have been payed insted letting me pay the rent. I learned a lesson.
That was the last time I ever rent from a private ones. 

My last stay was outside the old town at Rome in a room I had from Airbnb. 
I iniatially booked a room in a B&B, but it turned full, and they moved me to this Airbnb. 
This flat is owned by a young couple who takes really good care of their house.  
It was just outside of the centrum circle, and Rome is large, so this was far to my standards. 
Then it was in the 4th floor, with no elevator. Forth floor in an old Italian house is actually like fith floor, because the first one is at the level of half floor. Then the flat had just one bathroom in the use of six customers. The owners are planning to fix another room to let. That would make 8 people queue to poe every morning, not to mention the shower. 
Although the owner was kind to carry my luggage to the 5th floor after few complications and delays, he wasnt that available to carry it down when I was leaving although he had promised so. 
I also found the location complicate to my purpose of the visit. It was far too far from everywhere althought it could sound comfortble to those who live in the city. 

photo by lastampa.it

I travel a lot due to my job and also because of the hobby I have: Travelling.
What I look as a first thing with the accomodation is usually the location. The nearest it is to the city center, the better I manage without taxi, car hire, or public transport. I walk nearly 10 km everyday. 
Just to give out a short calculation: If I pay a hotel room in down town like €100 a night from where I am with a walking distance to every thing, I save proximately €20 daily taxi or few hours time if I use public transport system. And time is money. Just a drop of a stone from down town I can have accomodation for €80 and pay the €20 for a cap daily. 
Or I could go further away and then pay more for each time I need to go anywhere. 

This suits me if I am a guest at someones home. "Never look at the mouth of a gift horse"
But if it is me paying for it, the I do have some serious requests. 

Most accodomations do not have international way to categorise them. In some countries a 4* hotel can be equal to my country 2* hotel. This makes a lots of confusion among travellers. 
In New York I stayed in a 4* hotel that was a bit more confortable than a youth hostel to me. We had our own bathroom. The room was tiny, windows dirty and we payed far too much for it. 
Then again, one 4* hotel at Bangkok we had better service in more spacious rooms than we had got in Pejing in a 5* hotel. 
Also in same country there are differences. Or in same city. 
In Sardinia, in Alghero, two 4* hotels have similar price. But only one qualifies to 4*. 
4* hotels shoul be neat with nice halls. Not tiny rooms and old furniture and bedlinnen that are sewed. 

Photo by grandhotelplazamilano.it

When I have time, I like to fancy in a nice hotel with a Spa. Then I don't except that being in a center of any town. My travel prospective changes. Taking baths and massages is so energy consuming that it is much better to stay in a hotel and enjoy what they have to offer. Too bad that some of the hotels do not play a fair role in that.
I have this one special spot in the mountains at the Italian Dolomites. Hotel Luesnerhof. Its like 10 km from the nearest town Bressanone. There I can snow walk or go to ski. Or just walk around. Take the bus and visit the town and get back to the afternoon tea and go to the Spa. They have excellent food due to the hotel school near by that sends pupils to exercise in hotels. I love staying there also evenings, because they organize things to customers. One night they have wine tasting, other night table games and so on. Those three days or a week is so relaxing.

photo by luesnerhof.it

But not all the hotels have arrived to make business. Real business.

I remember 80's when hotels were in. They organized parties, and brunches everyone could affort. 
I remeber going to disco's that were in Hotels. My parents used to go for a sunday afternoon dance to a hotel.
What happened to them? 
Nowadays hotels do not care that much about their customers. And that leaves really bitter aftertaste. Specially if I think of hotel restaurant. 
Consider this. I can have a Pizza and a beer with €15 anywhere. Why would I pay €25 in my hotel? Make it €15 and you earn other customers. It looks good to your hotel and in the eyes of the customers when the hotel restaurant is full, also by the locals near by. It means the food is good. 

Hotels seem to have the policy of airports. Everything must be more expensive. Why? 
Why do I need to pay €1,50 for a half liter bottle water, if I can have 1,5 liter with 30ct from the store next door? Why do not the hotels pic up the profit?
If they would ask just like any bar for the same drinks they have deposit in a fridge, I could even buy them. What hotels are offering is limited quantity of drinks self service and to be drank out of plastic cups. The pub next door offers me several brands of beer, brings it to the table and tips including it is less expencive. 

Just to give you an idea of one hotel I was in Bangkok. At the Eastin Grand Hotel Bangkok. 

photo by Eastin Hotel and Residences 

We had this fantastic deal by taking superior room by paying just few extra. We got rooms on top floor, breakfast at the area of suites and happy hour every evening. Plus free use of gym and the swimming pool.
As it was rainy season in Bangkok, that gym was just perfect to those rainy mornings. Also the tube tickets were included. The hotel actually had its own tube stop. Well... not really. They had a tunnel that led to the tube stop. Very handy, and easy to get back.
This hotel had made a real business out of it. Rise the price a bit and include all services. I counted that we spent equal by doing so than going to some fancy club and get the same service. 
And this hotel was smart. Why would let customers spend their money elswhere if the hotel can have it all?


An other hotel I just recently visited in Costa Smeralda in Sardinia was Hotel Balocco. 
We had a beautiful room for 100€ a night including breakfast, and use of the swimming pool. It was sadly too cold for that, but I appreciated the service. Our luggage were brought to the room.
I really liked it out there, except one thing: They had far too expencive restaurant. 
After one day around I don't want to drive any more kilometer, nor I want to spend money for a cap, because it would turn out as expencive as dining in a hotel with their over priced menu.
If the price in such hotel restaurants were resenable, I could easily eat for more and make them earn better. It is not the €20 for a pasta dish that I am short of. It pisses me off to pay that amount. Knowing that in the normal restaurant it would be €12. 
I understand that the deal we had was better they usually give to customers. We were out of the season. But I don't think the hotel roomservice earns less in October than they do in July. So if a hotel can give out rooms cheaper in october, also the food in the restaurant should be cheaper. Right? 

photo by TripAdvisor

One of my best hotel chains is the accord hotel group that has Ibis hotel in it. The comfort of this hotel group is  that all the hotels are the same. They have same furnitures, same matras and same pillows. I know I can sleep well when I stay at Ibis hotel. 
The best Ibis hotel  I found at Saragoza. We were just across the river and walking distance to everywhere.
Rooms were comfortable and I had a river view.
Breakfast untill noon made us save money not needing a lunch since we travelled with a low budget and wanted to see as much as possible with the money in our pockets.
Zaragoza is really a pearl of a town many people do not even know the excistance. 
At Cannes the same hotel group has this Novotel Suites I once booked. With bicycle it is really handy. 
It takes a bit to rise up hill, but going to down town is all down hill. Walking distance perhaps 20 minutes from La Croisette. They had a huge room for us and a beautiful bathroom, with separate toilet. So French to me.

photo by novotel.com

As a closing statement: My best hotel bed experience was at the airport of Bruxelles. Sheraton hotel. 
It was far too expencive to my taste, with it's €20 breakfast, considering that the same menu is sold at the airport for €12. 
But they had a heavenly bed, I shall never forget. 

photo by TripAdvisor