During conversations with friends in Italy (over a cup of cappuccino, of course :)), a popular topic of discussion is the charming cities of this country. And one town that many folks have fallen in love with, is Lucca. Reason enough to plan a getaway to the Tuscan town.
In the regional train from Florence to Lucca, we rarely took our eyes off the windows during our journey though the picturesque Tuscan countryside.
Spotting the contradewhile walking in the streets of the historic center of Siena was a fun way to explore the Tuscan city.
But, of course, we had “bigger” sights to discover. And as always, there was something in it for each of us.
“The” Piazza del Campo
The Piazza del Campo was a stone’s throw (ok, maybe just a little bit more) away from our hotel, the B&B Piazza Duomo.
A weekend in the medieval Tuscan city of Siena. A city well-known for the Palio horse race in the Piazza del Campo, brought to the big screen by the Bond movie, Quantum of Solace.
We walked the narrow streets of the well-preserved historic center (another UNESCO World Heritage Site! :)), in search of signs of the 17 contrade (neighborhoods or wards) of Siena that fiercely contest the Palio.
Every contrada has its own symbol and flag, and it was exciting to head out in search of them.
On our trip to the landlocked country of Luxembourg, one of our favorite activities was elephant-spotting. Yes, elephants in Luxembourg City! 🙂
Let me offer an explanation. During our weekend in Luxembourg City, we saw beautiful statues of elephants at various locations in the city. The Elephant Parade, an open-air exhibition of statues of the pachyderm, was held in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 2013. The objective of this fund-raising event is to increase public awareness of the need for conservation of Asian elephants.
A gorgeous Sunday morning along the lake.
It had been fun exploring Lugano on Saturday, and we looked forward to another great day in this Italian-speaking city in south Switzerland.
A Sunny Day on Monte Bre
We boarded a bus to the other end of town where the funicular to Monte Breawaited us :).
Junior is completely smitten by the “funicular+mountain+park” combination now. As we ascend, the vistas provide countless photo-ops.
Views from our hotel room… Lake Lugano. And the powerful jet of water from a fountain… I could sit here for hours… days… months… and stare… wonder… dream.
On a warm June weekend, we headed to Lugano, Switzerland. Lugano, the land of Swiss landscapes with an Italian touch, is approximately an hour’s train ride from Milan.
After an introductory tour of the city by the “tourist train”, we explored the city at a leisurely pace.
It is no secret that the little boy at home is obsessed with cars. And that his face lights up at the mere mention of a Ferrari. I will not even begin to describe his reaction when he sees one :).
And hence, a surprise visit was planned to the Ferrari Museum (Museo Ferrari) at Maranello, near Modena. By the other Ferrari fan in our family :). As for me – their enthusiasm rubbed off on me :).
Bologna. Known as “La dotta”, “La grassa”, “La rossa”.
Famous for its gastronomy, its university, and the red color on most buildings.
On a very hot summer afternoon, we had the opportunity to discover Bologna in the shade! We walked along the innumerable beautiful porticoes of the capital of Emilia-Romagna in Italy. And we were amazed by the visual treat.
As we wondered about exploring Bologna in the blazing sun, the porticoes came to our rescue.
Need a breather from the city sights of Milan?
Looking to recharge your spirits?
How does a pretty tranquil little town – on the shore of Lake Como, with spectacular mountain and lake views, verdant gardens overlooking the lake, quaint narrow streets (and not many tourists) – sound?
On a sunny weekend morning in June, our destination was the little lakeside town of Varenna.
This town, on the shore of Lake Como, turned out to be a fantastic visual treat.
Art, architecture, history, beauty – we discovered all that and more in Florence, the capital of Tuscany. Florence finds itself on almost every tourist itinerary of Italy. We now know why.
We boarded an Italo train from Milano, and in about 2 hours, we were in the capital of Tuscany.
In the next couple of days, we were completely enchanted by the magic of the Renaissance city.
I must confess: We skipped the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia.