Resilient to globalization? Visit Sedilo, Sardinia

casa nonna in Sedilo, Sardinia

I can’t remember how many times I’ve been to Sedilo, one of Sardinia’s prettiest villages. Impossible to count them, really. It’s the village where my mom was born, where my grandparents grew up, met, got married, and lived until their sixth child when they migrated to France. After more than twenty years of living beyond …

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The Legend of wolf that made Rome possible

lupa romolo e remo

Many people gape at Rome’s monuments, their authenticity makes it incredibly easy to picture toga-clad muscular men busy organizing naval battles at the Colosseum, but how many have wondered how all this started? To make sure Rome’s foundation sounded as grand as its present and future, historians, writers, and poets back in the BCs produced …

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Secret Sardinia, Shelter of the Knights Templar

santu lussurgiu sardinia

It’s easy to be seduced by Sardinia’s irregular beauty. The island’s rugged mountains framed by sandy beaches and crystal clear waters make for a pristine landscape one can hardly forget. Most villages proudly boast a great resilience against the waves of globalization, and although some traditions do struggle to survive, locals are very jealous of …

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Pratobello, a ghost town, or breeding ground for revolution?

Mural at the very entrance of Pratobello. It's in Sardinia's native language and reads: "Out the military State/ Out the nuclear State/ Out the State of threats from Sardinia"

“Does anybody live here in Pratobello?” Smirk. “Who would want to live here?!” A shepherd from Orgosolo was guarding his sheep grazing early morning and didn’t seem to appreciate our question, and due to Orgosolo’s reputation, we opted not to insist. At first sight, from the road, that small cluster of wrecked buildings gives for …

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Journey through Roman Grandeur

palazzo colonna garden

Recently, I was invited by Context Travel to a cultural walk led by Dr. Francesca Barberini through the magnificence of Princess Isabelle’s Apartment in Palazzo Colonna, 66 Piazza SS. Apostoli, just beside Piazza Venezia, in Rome’s city center. As soon as I arrived, something looked familiar. True, I had lived in Rome for seven years, …

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Best Things To Do In Bolzano, Northern Italy

what to do in bolzano italy

The cross-cultural reality of Italian and German traditions, Bolzano is a fascinating city that perfectly blends nature, history, and culture. One of the cities to visit in Trentino Alto Adige, it makes for a great travel destination in both summer and winter. From museums and historic sites to outdoor recreation opportunities, there’s something for everyone …

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Exploring Veio, Rome’s “last big enemy”

One of the best day trips from Rome is to Veio, the last Etruscan city that surrendered to the new conquerors’ fury, Rome’s “last big enemy”. It is such a shame that the civilization prior to the Romans in Central Italy has been wiped out by the mighty new dynasties of divine origins, and their …

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Is Sardinia Atlantis?

Giants tomb front - Travel Images

When I first wrote about Sardinia’s mysteries, I focused on popular tales, legends and unexplained facts that from time to time still happen. This second chapter is devoted to some studies that academics, journalists, and researchers are carrying out on the island’s most ancient history trying to answer the long-standing question: Is Sardinia Atlantis? Traveling …

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Don’t Miss a Visit to the Colosseum, Rome’s Most Photographed Landmark

colosseum2 - Travel Images

Hardly in need of any introduction, the Amphitheatrum Flavium, better known as Colosseum, is one of Rome’s most visited and photographed landmarks. One of those Rome must-sees no guidebooks would ever dare to forget. It must be its look, its majesty, its ancient wisdom overlooking whimsical modernity, what has been attracting thousands of people every day …

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Fantastic Day Trips From Florence, Italy

best day trips from florence siena

Find the best day trip from Florence to explore more of the beautiful Tuscany region. Medieval towns, thermal baths and cities like Pisa and Siena are only some of the the places to visit from Florence.

Don’t Miss Orgosolo in Central Sardinia, the Town of Beautiful Street Art

Sardinian shepherd 3 - Travel Images

Orgosolo is a small, apparently sleepy, town of central-eastern Sardinia located in the Barbagia region of the Nuoro province. It’s very well-known both on the island and in the rest of the country for its stormy past. This was, in fact, the place where misunderstandings would be solved with blood feuds involving entire families for …

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Stunning S’Ardia horse race in Sedilo, Sardinia, racing for faith and tradition

Ardia1 - Travel Images

S’Ardia, the wild horse race in Sedilo that takes places every 6th and 7th of July, never fails to attract thousands of visitors from Sardinia, Italy, and Europe. Sedilo, a quiet village of some 2000 people in Oristano province in central Sardinia, holds every year one of the island’s most reckless festivals. While I’m not …

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The Best Italy Tours To Build Wonderful Travel Memories

Image: Liguria cost in the best Italy tours

Italy. A country that is stereotyped by pizza, pasta and the Mario brothers. Yet, this boot-shaped piece of land in the Mediterranean has so much more to offer than these stereotypes would allow. Whether it is the alpine experiences of northern Italy, the rolling hills of Tuscany, the crowded city of Rome or the unique …

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Capo Cubeddu and the unsung heroes of Italy’s Varignano

Capo Cubeddu, deep-sea diver from the Navy's Varignano to the seven Continents

When he was accepted at the Varignano, the famous diving training school of the Italian Navy in Le Grazie along La Spezia coastline, Domenico Cubeddu couldn’t even swim. Hailing from a small mountain village in central Sardinia, in 1954, when Italy was emerging from the debris of WWII, he was dreaming to join the Navy …

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Top 12 reasons to visit Italy

venice canals

For years Italy has been one of the most popular travel destinations for tourists from the world over. Culture, beauty, food, history, this small European country has it all and the reasons to visit Italy are endless. Thanks to its huge cultural heritage, the places to visit in Italy can keep you busy for a lifetime. …

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Perugia city of staircases and arches in central Italy

perugia

They wandered to and fro, accordingly, and lost themselves among the strange, precipitate passages, which, in Perugia, are called streets, Some of them are like caverns, being arched all over, and plunging down abruptly towards an unknown darkness; which, when you have fathomed its depths, admits you to a daylight that you scarcely hoped to …

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San Sperate, the world of bees and Sardinian honey

sardinian honey

Home to Pino Sciola’s sounding stones and great honey, San Sperate, near Cagliari, is one of the places you should visit when planning a holiday in Sardinia. What would happen if bees went extinct? From BBC to Business Insider, we’ve been warned many times about the catastrophic consequences of bee extinction. After reading and listening …

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Visit Seneghe, hidden gem in central Sardinia

seneghe

Seneghe, according to the local mythology, is the town that engenders crazy people. It boasts a beautiful mountain, natural spring water, mouthwatering local cuisine and fertile lands. Yet, it generates crazy people. If you are planning a holiday in Sardinia, Seneghe is definitely worth it. But you will need to rent a car in Sardinia as …

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Exploring Rome like a tourist with Marco Polo Guidebooks

Rome marco polo guidebooks - Travel Images

With the extraordinary Jubilee, or Holy Year of Mercy, announced by Pope Francis and starting December 8th, from the very moment all sacred doors around the city will be open, Rome will be in the spotlight even more than usual, which is already quite a lot. While I sure am pretty confident getting around the Italian capital, …

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20 things to know before travelling to Sardinia

1 monte seneghe sardinia - Travel Images

Are you thinking about spending a holiday in this beautiful Italian island? Here are some of the things to know before you travel to Sardinia. #1 It’s a desert island. Or is it? #2 Get ready to gain weight #3 If you are offered rotten cheese, don’t take it as an insult #4 Do we speak Italian or Spanish? #5 Are you ready to travel in time?

Discovering my hometown Sardinia with Marco Polo Guidebooks

sardinia marco polo guidebook - Travel Images

If you’ve been following my Instagram gallery, you might know that I just got back from a blissful two-week holiday in my hometown Sardinia, which, to brag just a little, happens to be my hometown. This has obviously led me to write extensively about it, with a soft spot for the lesser-known places, customs and …

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Exploring Sicily with Marco Polo Guidebooks

sicily marco polo guidebook - Travel Images

Confession time: in all my wanderings, the country I have probably explored less is my own, Italy. This is why when I received a wedding invitation from a friend of mine from Sicily I grabbed my Marco Polo Sicily Guidebook, packed my new swimwear and summer dresses and got ready in a heartbeat to enjoy …

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Venice Ghetto, the stormy past of Europe’s oldest Jewish Quarter

venice ghetto1 - Travel Images

It was the year 1516, to be precise March 29th, when the Senate of the Serenissima Maritime Republic of Venice declared official the institution of the city’s Jewish Quarter, known also as Venice Ghetto, Europe’s first neighbourhood of its kind. This is how I roughly translate the Renaissance Italian words issued by former Venetian rulers …

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Delicacies from a traditional Sardinian meal

6 sardinian meal - Travel Images

Now in July, just for a little summer break from Rome’s hustle and bustle, I came up with the bright idea to spend a long weekend in Sardinia to enjoy some good sun and beach time. Or so I thought. From last Thursday, day of my arrival, right until Monday, when I came back to Rome, …

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A photo stroll around Ghilarza, my hometown in central Sardinia

ghilarza1 - Travel Images

A photo-reportage from a typical Sardinian village, Ghilarza, which happens to be also Antonio Gramsci’s and my hometown. Stone walls, a persistent nature, colourful flowers and churches are possibly the main characters of most villages in the big Italian island of Sardinia. Being a small town surrounded by a huge countryside, houses in Ghilarza are …

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Uncovering secret Trastevere with Scopri Roma

raphael fresco2 - Travel Images

Touristy yet traditional, Trastevere is one of the most famous areas of Rome. Even though most tourists like to linger here from morning to evening, the younger through the night, it may come as a surprise to learn that with so many hidden spots, there is much to discover about secret Trastevere. Who has been …

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A walk around Levanto, Liguria

On the day I arrived in Liguria, just before walking to La Francesca village resort, I decided to spend some hours and my first lunch of the region in Levanto, small medieval town a little more than an hour train from Genoa. Although it was cloudy and rainy, the city looked lovely already at a …

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Viterbo, beautiful medieval, shady City of Popes

7 quartiere san pellegrino - Travel Images

Devoting an entire day to Viterbo, Italy, beautiful and mysterious city about 80 km from Rome is an experience everyone traveling to the capital should make at least once. Steeped in history and folktales, Viterbo is the City of Popes. Hardly one of those cities you stumble on naturally, for Viterbo you need a proper plan, …

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Eleonora d’Arborea, woman, daughter, mother, ruler in medieval Sardinia

eleonora d'arborea

I used to live about 40 minutes drive from Oristano, the town in central Sardinia where they run the Sartiglia equestrian carousel, and I’ve gone past the imposing statue of Eleonora d’Arborea, dominating the square named after her, probably a million times. Woman, mother, daughter, ruler, strategist, Eleonora d’Arborea is a figure of inestimable value …

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