I don’t know if Fimon Lake was always this pretty, but in the last couple of years I’ve found it really charming.
It’s one of the few lakes of Vicenza, of glacier origins, surrounded by hills on three sides, beautiful in Summer as in Winter (and what about the Autumn colors?). It has a long history, dating back to the Neolitic, and nearby have been discovered some interesting archaeological finds.
It’s rich in fauna and flora, I personally love the rushes by the water, the water lilies, the mallards and swans that get closer in the hope of getting some bread (even though this habit they have is not really healthy, I suppose).
The parking area, where the road arrives, is East and South of the lake. The parking at the end of the road is often full, but there’s another parking in the south, at the beginning of the lake, that seems quite big and not that busy.
The walk
There’s a nice walk that you can take around the lake, a dirt road of about 5 kilometers (3 miles), all flat, easy to walk or to ride on a bike. We did it in little more than one hour, but you should take it more slowly and enjoy its peace and tranquility. It’s mostly in the shade, so it’s ok to walk there even in the hottest days (but I chose to go just before sunset to take advantage of the better light).
The side opposite the parking areas is less charming than the East side, I think, because you can’t really see the lake, the road is separated from the water by a thick vegetation. But there are some nice areas with benches where you can enjoy a picnic with your friends or read a book, also because less people walk down there. The sides at East and South are lovely and they offer very picturesque views.
On all sides you can often meet fishermen with their small boats, great photography subjects, and nice to see for everyone. Fishing is permitted, and you can also camp there for a maximum of two nights (only if fishing though).
Fimon is great for a bike ride around the lake; and it’s well connect through a cycling path and quiet roads to the Riviera Berica and Vicenza. I’m going to take my bike there one day.
Dining and drinking at Fimon Lake
There are some cafes and restaurants near the lake, in the area where the parkings are, and one café is right by the water; clearly on Summer Sundays they are busy.
We had an aperitiv by the lake but went for dinner at Pierina’s, an agrioturism at about two kilometers from the lake. It’s a lovely place, with tables under a portico and vine trees, with chickens and other animals running freely in the courtyard.
I recommend you book in advance, their spit roast is quite famous (and really good); it’s open Friday to Sunday, April to October or November, I can’t remember.
I would say that Fimon Lake is the perfect place for a Sunday stroll in the nature, or ride, or for simply relaxing.
On a hot summer Sunday we decided to go cycling along the Anello Fluviale di Padova, the Water Ring in Padua.
In the past water was very important for Padua, it was used to transport goods, inside the city and in the trade with others, and to irrigate the fields. Today the transportation system is different, but some of the canals are still there, and have become a great spot for relaxation.
The Anello Fluviale di Padova follows canals and rivers around the town centre of Padua. It’s a ring itinerary of 47 kilometers (29 miles), almost completely reserved to bikes and pedestrians, only a few kilometers are on roads shared with cars, but traffic there is very light.
Here is the itinerary on Strava:
We started our ride from ponte del Bassanello, as suggested by a guidebook by the Touring Club Italiano; we found a free parking nearby (it’s not difficult as it’s outside the centre of the town) and we started riding. The path is well marked everywhere, you don’t really need a guidebook.
The ride is basically flat, the height difference is of 58 meters up and down (about 63 yards), not difficult at all, just a bit long, if you are not used to cycling for long distances. The first part towards West along the Bacchiglione and North along the Brentella Canal till Limena was very pleasant, I liked the landscape, with farms and nice houses, and it was mostly in the shade. I would have liked to stop more often to take pictures but we were riding fast and eager to go, at the beginning.
The Itinerary of the Water Ring in Padua
From Limena to Stra the path follows the Brenta River and then again two canals, the Piovego and San Gregorio, to the Bassanello Bridge, a section that is mostly in the sun, so it’s better to avoid it in the hottest days (unlike we did).
The guidebook suggests a few places to visit along the ride, like the Certosa in Vigodarzere and Villa Giovannelli in Noventa Padovana, but we are not strong riders and it was satisfying enough for us to get to the end. But in Stra I took a short detour to give a look to Villa Pisani. I’ll have to go back and do part of te path to Vigodarzere and maybe cycle a bit in the town centre of Padova.
Villa Pisani in Stra
There are some drinking fountains along the road and you often cycle near towns with cafes and restaurants, but you still should have your water bottle with you. We stopped in Limena, Stra and a cute little café along the Canale San Gregorio where there’s a tiny beach where you can swim and sunbath. I would have stayed there for the rest of the afternoon, to rehydrate with beer and lemonade, but if we relaxed too much I wouldn’t have been able to cycle the last few kilometers.
I have always used the bike to move in the cities where I lived, and I also like to visit a new place by bike, even though it’s not the best if you want to take pictures, in particular if you are traveling with others or have to ride for many kilometers. But I hope to cycle more and more often, maybe doing an eco-friendly holiday with a bike and bags in the back. I’ll let you know if I’ll ever do it.
In May 2016 I traveled for 2 weeks in the Balkans; a very short time to get to know it, but long enough to fall in love with the region.
I left home (in Vicenza) without knowing my itinerary. All I knew was that I was going by train to Trieste, and from there I would take a bus to Dubrovnik, in Croatia.
Trieste, first stop
In Trieste I had one hour and a half before my bus, so I decided to take a walk to the main square, Piazza Unità d’Italia, which is one of the most beautiful squares I’ve ever seen and it’s only 15 minutes walk from the two stations.
Here is a video I made of that hour in Trieste:
10 minutes to get to the Balkans
Trieste is close to the border with Slovenia, so after 10 minutes on the bus I was already in the Balkans. But it took me 15 hours to get to Dubrovnik. Anyway, just crossing the border and seeing road signs in a different language threw me on a state of euphoria.
It was interesting in the North of Croatia to see many billboards advertising dental clinics. I had recently seen a program on TV describing this new trend of doing “dental” trips to Croatia from Italy to have your teeth fixed: it’s much cheaper (even including travel expenses) and of good quality. There were so many ads, I had the impression even postmen have become dentists in Croatia now.
I left Trieste at 6.30 pm and the following morning, at 9.30 am (one hour after scheduled time) I arrived in Dubrovnik. I went to the hostel to leave my luggage (fortunately my bed was ready) and shower and I went out immediately. I had seen many pictures of Dubrovnik before and dreamt of seeing it in person. I was not disappointed.
Dubrovnik
The only negative aspect of this beautiful walled town: cruise ships stop here and every day they toss thousands of tourists into its streets.
Montenegro
After Dubrovnik I decided to go to Montenegro. Kotor is only a couple of hours from Dubrovnik. Again, a cruise ships stop, a walled town, and a WOW place. What was nice here is that you can have some nice skewers for a few euro: Montenegrins love their grilled food! Much cheaper than Croatia.
Kotor, Montenegro
Kotor can be visited in a few hours, so on the second day I took a day trip to the north of Montenegro, organized by a local agency. It only cost me 39 euro and it would have been difficult to get there by myself on public transportation. And what I saw made me really happy I did this trip, although we didn’t stop to take pictures where I wanted.
We visited Salt Lake, the Tara bridge, Durmitor National Park with its Black Lake, and the Ostrog Monastery, carved in a rock.
Durmitor National Park in Montenegro
In these few days traveling I had made a plan to go to Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, and from there take a ferry to Italy, but the bus from Podgorica, the capital city of Montenegro, arrives in Pristina in Kosovo at 5 am. And what was I meant to do in Pristina at that time of the day? I did it in the past, I am not willing to repeat it again; I’m getting old I guess.
So the following day I decided to go to Ulcinj, on the border with Albania, and on the way I stopped in Budva.
Another beautiful walled town by the sea, a holiday destination loved by Montenegrins, Russian and Ukrainians.
Budva, a favorite beach destination
After a couple of hours walking along the tiny alleys of Budva, I took a small bus to Ulcinj. There was an accident on the way and we had to wait for about an hour; I basically wasted the whole afternoon for a 2 hours drive. But these things happen when you are backpacking, and it’s no big deal. I actually enjoyed the positive side of it: I studied how Montenegrins react when they are blocked on the road and don’t know why and how long it’s going to take. They get upset and anxious, just like Italians. We are not that different after all. Although I’m not sure I can say for sure they were Montenegrins the people that were on the bus. Apparently in Montenegro live people coming from the whole region, mainly Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania.
Ulcinj was part of Albania until a few years ago, and its name is pronounced differently according to whom you are talking to. I knew it was a preview of what I would witness in Albania, and I was very excited. And what did I find here: there were only men at the cafes. There were women walking in the street or in the shops, but only men at the cafes. And me. Quite interesting.
Another walled town, with nudist beaches, nice food and great coffee. Unfortunately because I had little time, I could only stay here one night. The following afternoon I was on my way to Albania.
Albania
Albanians don’t have a good reputation in Italy, but while I was living in London and here in Arzignano I have met a few people from Albania and I found them nice and interesting. I really wanted to go and meet them in their natural environment.
The first stop was Shkoder. A beautiful town with Venetian influence in the architecture and the language, a great outdoor-time-spending culture and therefore many cafes (some – mainly sports bar – with only male guests, others with both men and women).
The pedestrian street in Shkoder
I arrived at about 6.30 pm and went immediately to the hostel. A few hours later I was in love with Albania. It was probably all these people in the pedestrian streets of Shkoder that seduced me (I guess the great food at little price helped too). Very helpful people, ready to help if you were lost, never trying to take advantage of a solo female traveller, curious, enjoying their time socializing face to face.
The next day I crossed the artificial Koman Lake and got to Valbona. The local boat from Koman is built from an old German bus and stops in the middle of nowhere and you see people walking up hidden paths towards hidden houses lost in the rocky mountains whose slopes decline towards the lake.
Koman Lake
The idea was to trek from Valbona to Theth, but some people scared me off, saying that a few months earlier a German lady died along the path, so I did some hiking on the hills of Valbona and went back to Shkoder the same way I got there.
I enjoyed Valbona a lot. It’s lost in the mountains. It’s a place of peace and shepherds, of quiet tourism, but with a big potential. I bet it will become a top travel destination soon.
My “hotel” in Valbona
From Valbona I went back to Shkoder and from there to Tirana, 2 hours away. I must say that Tirana was not my favorite destination. All religious buildings were destroyed by communism; the only building that survived was this old mosque.
Old Mosque in Tirana
But one thing I liked in Tirana a lot: all the outdoor cafes, some in beautiful gardens, and again people enjoying their time outside. I’m afraid in Italy we have lost this habit. We do go out for a coffee and meet friends in the street, but not as much as in Albania.
Outdoor café in Tirana
I spent the day walking around Tirana and the following day I was on a bus to Berat.
Berat is also called “the town of the thousand windows”. Its peculiarity are the ottoman houses that have many windows; therefore the name. It’s a Unesco Heritage Site since 2008. Very charming.
Berat, the town of the thousand windows
After Berat I went to Gjirokaster in the south, near the Greek border. I loved it because despite being a Unesco Heritage Site, it has little tourism. But things are going to change, or so believes (and hopes) William, the Dutch owner of the best hostel I’ve ever been to.
The main crossroad in Gjirokaster
During the communism were built many bunkers in Albania, to protect the Nomenklatura from possible nuclear attacks. In Gjirokaster you can visit one quite big with long tunnels and many rooms. Creepy.
A bunker in Gjirokaster
I also went hiking on the hills near Gjirokaster, to see a roman amphitheater and two monasteries abandoned many years ago.
A monastery on the hills near Gjirokaster
From Gjirokaster I went back to Durres; thanks to the new roads it is now just 3 hours away. From there I took a night ferry to Bari. The ferry was only 30 euro, less than what I had seen on the web.
I arrived in Bari at about 9 am. I decided to take a train back to Vicenza in the afternoon, so that I could walk a bit around Bari. And the old town is amazing. I had seen pictures of Lecce before and I know that Puglia is a beautiful region, but I wasn’t expecting the old town of Bari to be so beautiful.
Amazing Bari
There was music coming out from every window and people chatting in the streets. But two local elderly people told me to keep an eye on my stuff. I was so relaxed and untroubled in Albania, I had forgotten you need to be careful in Italy. But nothing bad happened, despite the fact that I was walking with one big backpack and one smaller bag on the front. I really enjoyed my 4 hours in Bari.
I have discovered a new beautiful world lived by amazing people just a few hours from home. I wonder why it took me so long to go there and I hope it won’t take too long before I go back. There’s a lot more I want to see in the Balkans!
From time to time I go to Milan for a walk. For those living in the North of Italy it’s quite easy to get there by train, and it makes a perfect day trip destination.
There are 5 places in particular that I like. And they can all be visited on foot.
Duomo and Gallery
Duomo e gallery don’t have much in common, but they are so close one to the other that I consider them part of the same stop.
The Duomo is the symbol of Milan. It’s the largest church in Italy and it took almost five centuries to build it. Its beauty is impressive, so rich in details, with these pinnacles that you can see from close if you go up to the terrace.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II was built at the end of the XIX Century in a Renaissance style. It’s Milan’s living room, a pedestrian path lined with historic and luxurious restaurants and shops. The central dome in glass and iron is what captures my mind mostly, in particular with the late afternoon light.
At the other end of the gallery, when coming from Piazza Duomo, you end up in Piazza della Scala, where you can find the Opera House of Milan, one of the most prestigious in the world.
Piazza Gae Aulenti
Piazza Gae Aulenti is one of the most recent areas of Milan, inaugurated in 2012. It represents the contemporary Milan, and I link it to the City in London because of the skyscrapers occupied by offices. Here you can see the Unicredit Tower, that with its 231 meters is the tallest skyscraper in Italy.
From this square you can also see the palace with the Vertical Forest.
I don’t particularly love skyscrapers, but this area is very nice, a good example of urban redevelopment. It’s a very green place, despite all the concrete, because it was built with a great attention to the environment: some windows around the square and the tree lamp have photovoltaic cells that produce power for the buildings.
Sforza Castle
The Sforza Castle dates back to the XV Century and is situated at one end of Parco Sempione. In the past it was one of the most important fortresses of Europe, and together with the Duomo it’s one of the landmarks of Milan.
Nowadays here you can find some museums and interesting exhibitions.
Navigli
The Navigli are channels that connect Milan to lakes Maggiore and Como and to Po river. In the past they were used to reclaim the land, water the plantations and for trade (for centuries Milan was a fluvial harbor).
Today, the area is best known fo the spritz aperol and the aperitivo. There are traces of its old history, like the “Vicolo dei Lavandai”, the alley of the laundrymen, that still displays an old basin used until the 1950s; there are art galleries, many cafes and restaurants. It’s a hipster area of Milan.
Cimitero Monumentale
I’ve kept the Monumental Cemetery as last site, but it’s actually my favorite. Maybe because a cemetery is not the first place you think of visiting when you are in a new city.
Ho tenuto il Cimitero Monumentale per ultimo ma in realtà è quello che mi piace di più. Forse perché un cimitero non è il primo posto che ti viene in mente di visitare quando sei in un posto nuovo.
The Monumentale was inaugurated in 1866 and hosts the remains of important figures of Milanese society. What I like are the statues, the chapels, the amazing funeral works, most of which cost more than my apartment. You should spend a day there to see enough of them.
The Itinerary
These five sites can be seen in one day during a walk around Milan.
From the train station you can walk to Piazza Gae Aulenti, and from here heading West you get to the Monumental Cemetery.
The Sforza Castle is at one end of Parco Sempione, that you can reach following an alley that starts from the entrance of the cemetery. You can cross the castle and if you take the alley right at your front you can get to Piazza Cardusio, from where you can see the Duomo.
From the Duomo it’s a 30 minutes walk to the Naviglio Grande. Probably by the time you are here it’s the right time for an aperitivo. From here you can go back to the station on foot (about one hour, but I was quite tired at this point), or you can take the underground at Porta Genova station.
I suggest to walk in Milan, as it is beautiful, full of palaces, small gardens and arches that surprise you at any corner.
Conegliano is a medieval town in Treviso, Veneto, that in 2016 celebrated 1000 years of history.
Via XX Settembre, the main road in the old town
I visited Conegliano on a Sunday in June 2016 with other Instagrammers. We did a tour of the town and participated to the historical reenactment in the evening.
On the way to the castle
The first documents of Conegliano date back to 1016. At first there were only some houses, then a castle was erected, on top of the hill, and later a whole village was built around the castle. In the Middle Ages Conegliano was quite important in the trade business, and the many frescoes on the outside walls of the houses of the town testify it. But the frescos have suffered bad damages in the last century, due mainly to the pollution.
Details of the main square
Conegliano was a walled town with two gates, one of which is still visible while the other has been substituted by two more modern towers; a central lane connected the two gates and cut the village in half. There were 72 towers, of which only 2 have remained. During the Venetian control, the doge thought it would be easier to rule the town if there were no towers, in case its people would uprise.
Part of the castle is still there, on the hill, with a great view on the whole town. It now hosts a bar-restaurant and a beautiful garden.
The Castle
The main square in town is named after Giovanni Battista Cima, better known as Cima da Conegliano, its most illustrious citizen. Cima was born here towards 1460 and became a famous painter after he moved to Venice. He was mainly commissioned paintings of saints, but Cima often used his beloved Conegliano as backdrop for his paintings; his paintings are an important testament of how the town looked like at the time.
For the last 30 years Conegliano in the month of June has organized a 10-day long festival, with various shows and events in medieval settings; a dinner with decorations and food from the Middle Ages, a parade in medieval costumes and a live checkers game in historical costumes are the main events. On the Sunday that we were there, we could marvel at the parade, but unfortunately the live game was cancelled due to the rain. People have been working at the festival for months, tailoring costumes and training for the parade and the game; the rain was a real drag.
Parade in medieval costumes
Nowadays Conegliano is the heart of the production of Prosecco, the world-famous sparkling wine. Spades and drawbridges have left place to vines and barrels.
You can see more pictures from Conegliano on my Facebook page:
