Archive for 'Northwest Italy'

There are quite a few abandoned, or nearly abandoned, towns in Italy and each has its own particular appeal and unique charms. There is just something fascinating and hauntingly beautiful about places that are crumbling, that nature is taking back and which are devoid of human presence.

One such town is Leri Cavour in the comune of Trino which is located north-east of Turin in Piedmont.

The walls and streets of Milan are home to the work of many famous and unknown Italian and International street artists. You need only know where to look in order to explore the biggest art gallery in the world. Even then, surprises will often await you around corners and hidden almost out of sight. One of the greatest pleasures that the city has to offer is the experience of leisurely strolling her streets while always having something to look at.

Milan is known internationally as an important industrial centre and the fashion capital of Italy. Of course, as it is an Italian city, it is known for its art but doesn't have quite the reputation and glorious past of other cities. However, it does have a rather exceptionally rich tradition in street art.

So much so, in fact, that you can take a specific guided tour around the city in which you will be informed of the history of street art in Milan and be shown some of the most important works.

Even if you don't take the tour, there's something to see around every corner so merely wandering around with an ice-cream or coffee in hand becomes a fantastic activity in its own right.

Find a holiday rental in Milan and discover the art of its streets.

The surrealist painter, Giorgio de Chirico once described Turin as “the most profound, most enigmatic, most disquieting city not only of Italy, but of the world.” It is hard to imagine that he wasn't referring to the rich magical heritage of the city which sees symbols of the occult and confusing mixed messages in public monuments located at every turn. In our first and second articles on magic in Turin, we discussed the magical origins of the city and the major magical destinations. Yet, there is even more to be said! More than could be said in a few articles. However, this is a good place to start to prepare you for what you might expect once you've found a vacation rental in Piedmont and are exploring the city of Turin to take in this spooky past.

From the previous article, you'll know that Turin is a city long connected to magic and which is said to sit at the centre of black and white magic in the world. Due to this, there are some rather unusual sights dotted around the city which have popped up over the ages. On the surface, Turin is just a beautiful Italian city with elegant streets that are reminiscent of Paris and a rich cultural heritage as evidenced by the proliferation of palaces, museums, churches and other stunning buildings. However, once you scratch this lovely surface, you'll see the evidence of its magical past, often out in the open and hiding in plain sight. Find a holiday rental in Piedmont and you can spend a day wandering the streets of Turin and exploring its hidden past.