Portovenere I know you're all waiting for Cinque Terre - and I'll get to that. But hold your horses, as the Yanks say. First, I'll show you a town at least as pretty (and even more interesting, I think). That's Portovenere, just a few kilometres away. I'd [...]
Well, no, I didn't. Sadly. I obviously wasn't here long enough; you'd have to look far and wide for a more romantic place to find love. Just ask Bogie and Bacall, or Dolce and Gabbana, or Madonna, or Elizabeth Taylor, or George Clooney. As you [...]
One of my favourite villages on the Italian Riviera is Camogli, a vibrant fishing community; all amber, gold, coral and terracotta along the deep blue sea. In fact, Camogli is the opposite of stress.
As I drive east, the gentle rolling hills of Tuscany gradually give way to lofty peaks and deep valleys. The scenery takes my breath away, in every sense: I draw a deep breath before setting down steep roads next to sheer drops, no guard rails. [...]
Hearing the name San Remo, I'm reminded of my teens. Not that I was ever there then; what I remember is reading about it in the weekly mags, specifically about the glamorous princesses of Monaco going to San Remo for shopping. Sometimes I'm surprised how [...]
By Alexandra Redisch on Isola Maggiore: Once upon a time there was a convent. This convent was very old and tired, its walls were falling down and the roof had many holes. The convent was sad because no one lived there anymore. And it was used to having many occupants:..
By Alexandra Redisch at Lago Trasimeno: Last April I found myself in a palazzo in Umbria, listening to enthusiastic Hannibal scholar, professor Giovanni Brizzi. He walks me through the epic battle that played out on the banks of Lake Trasimeno more than two thousand years ago. This is where the Roman army met the fearsome Hannibal of Carthage, in what is probably the most successful ambush in military history.
