Portici

Portici, Bologna

If it rains at Bologna, you do not need to worry: You can endlessly walk through the city center without being exposed to rain (or sunshine). The reason for that are the Portici; arcades next to the street that sometimes are also decorated very nicely. Astonishing 40 kilometers of streets in the city center have these roofed passages. In medieval times multiple European cities had these arcades but only in Bologna they were later protected on large scale – making the city a UNESCO world heritage site today.

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Due Torri

Due Torri, Bologna

When you’re thinking about leaning towers in Italy you’ll probably think a bit the famous one at Pisa. Another city of towers was in the past Bologna, as many families had their own ones (giving the city the name La Turrita). And in the center you’ll find two towers that are leaning like the famous one: the Torre Asinelli and the Torre Garisenda. They are not so beautifully decorated as in medieval times they were used for military purposes; today they are the icons of the city of Bologna.

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Southern Sardegna

Cala Monte Turnu, Castiadas

Last year we decided to fly to Mallorca, Spain for the Easter holidays. It was wonderful and of course there was the request to just get back to this island. But as I love to discover new places we decided to search the same experience on a different island: Sardegna. We were immediately warned that tourism works different there; but it was also a great experience and a very friendly environment. Continue reading “Southern Sardegna”

Sardinian language

Mediterranean sea, Sardegna, Italy

Traveling to Sardegna is a pretty easy thing and you don’t need too many language skills. Most times you can communicate in English, some staff in our hotel also spoke German. Only one time in a very remote location I had to rely on my minor knowledge of the Italian language. Only when you look at the names of places you can see that there is another language spoke on the island: Sardinian.

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Fenicotteri

Fenicotteri, Chia, Domus De Maria

When preparing for the trip to Sardegna I learned that in the south of the island you can see flamingos in the wild. As I only knew these colorful birds (gaining their color from eating red crabs) from zoological gardens I was keen to see them in their natural habitat. But for days there was not a single fenicottero to see. Continue reading “Fenicotteri”