Archive for 'Lakes'

Italy is beautiful in Spring; the countryside is lush, the cities less full, the queues outside tourist attractions smaller, the temperatures more pleasant, and the prices of things lower. It is a great time to plan a vacation to most parts of the country, however, there are some destinations that are particular lovely in Spring, at their best at this time of year. We began outlining some of these spots in the last post and will continue to in the next but here are two more to keep in mind...     Read More

Last March, I flew to South Korea for a trip, which takes about 24 hours from Ireland, all in. My game plan was to line up a range of recent Oscar-winners and watch all the movies that everyone was buzzing about in one go. Upon finding my seat, I met my two seat-mates, a very sweet elderly Korean couple who took a liking to me as I was raised Catholic and they were returning from a month long pilgrimage around religious sites in Europe. The lady asked me to help her with her screen and I spent a while trying to find something for her to watch in Korean or with subtitles. Surprisingly, there was very little for her to choose from so we eventually gave up. This, however, meant that she turned to look at the screen I had turned on and began watching it with me. I was very painfully aware that a religious granny was observing me watch, “Call Me By Your Name.” I had heard enough about the movie to guess when scenes she might not approve of were coming and, as I feared their approach, I paused the film, leaving it on a still of the idyllic town in which it is set. I began fumbling around with my things as I had become aware that she was slowly falling asleep, and I waited it out for it to happen. As her eyes got heavy, she looked away from the screen and to me and smiled, “What a beautiful place,” she said in Korean, moments before she fell asleep.     Read More

Paying a visit Santa is a must for kids in the run up to Christmas and, if you have found a vacation rental in the Lake Maggiore area, you will be presented with the unique opportunity to see him on his very own boat!

According to local legend, Santa Claus has arrived in Milan at the end of November each year since 1400 to deliver toys and gifts to each child in the city. Next, he is said to hop on his boat, leave the city, and head up the Navigli and Ticino River to make his way to Lake Maggiore. He visits all of the lakeside towns before stopping and settling in the village of Intra until Christmas.     Read More