Itália
A Itália é um destino europeu padrão. Embora eu geralmente não goste de lugares populares como Londres ou Paris, a Itália é tão rica em história antiga e arquitetura extremamente bonita que Roma e Florença são realmente incrivelmente agradáveis.
Mas, como sempre, os lugares pouco conhecidos, como Pitigliano - a vila no penhasco, Herculano - que é ainda melhor que as famosas Pompéia e Arbelobello, com casas únicas em forma de cone, foram os que mais nos surpreenderam.
Da próxima vez que estivermos na Itália, veremos o norte - os Alpes italianos são de tirar o fôlego!
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Everyone comes to Pisa to see one of the world's most famous attractions - the Leaning Tower. While it's an extremely popular destination, we didn't choose Pisa because we wanted to visit the tower. We went there because it turned out to be the best (and cheapest) gateway to the beautiful region of Italy - Tuscany, where you can find: Cinque Terre, Florence and other, less known destinations like Siena and a charming medieval town built on a steep cliff - Pitigliano. But as we already were in Pisa, we decided to give it a go and find out if this little town had anything else in its offer.
Ostuni is a unique town that resembles a bright cap rising up right from the flat plains near the southern coast of Italy. Its whitewashed defensive walls and houses inside the old town with many winding streets, steps and beautifully decorated, colorful window frames can make you think you're somewhere in Greece. Although Ostuni is one of the main attractions in Puglia, it's less known than Polignano a Mare or Alberobello famous for its cone-shaped Truli houses. And the whole region of Puglia, in turn, is not as popular as, let's say, Tuscany but it's definitely not less worth a visit - so do include it in your itinerary to Italy - especially in the winter time.
Pompeii is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. It's been featured in numerous Hollywood productions and is a symbol of the sophisticated life in ancient Rome. The tragic fate following the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD made this beautiful seaside town cease to exist overnight. The ashes of the volcano sealed and protected the streets with houses of Pompeii from invaders and atmospheric conditions for centuries to come. Excaveted as late as in the 18th century, the perfectly well preserved statues, frescoes, shops and streets have revealed how advanced the ancient Romans were. Pompeii became a literal time capsule.
Florence is probably the second best known city in Italy after Rome. Sited in the heart of Tuscany, the famous, green region among rolling hills and vineyards, stands out as an enormously significant place in European history. Home to world's most famous thinkers and inventors: Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, Florence needs no introduction. The capital of Tuscany is visited by millions of tourists every year, it's the main attraction of northern Italy and a hub for onward travel to smaller but not less exciting destinations in the area, for example the villages of Cinque Terre, Pisa, Siena or virtually unknown, perched on a steep cliff among the lush green fields - Pitigliano.
The whole region of Tuscany is without a doubt idyllic. Picturesque villages, the most visited and historically important towns and cities in the world (for example: Florence, Siena, Pisa), beautiful beaches and coastal areas. There's no need to add anything more. However, in the middle of all this, a bit off the beaten path lies Pitigliano. A little village built atop of a massive cliff among the green rolling hills, fields and woodlands. Peaceful and quiet, it offers some kind of an escape from the noisy tourist crowds.
I spent my first day in Rome visiting the ancient ruins and monuments within the strict center of the ancient city. On Day 2, I decided to stroll down the streets admiring more 'modern' architecture and main Renaissance and Baroque sites. I visited multiple squares and had the original thin-base Italian pizza in one of the cozy restaurants in a quiet street with not many tourists. A must when you are in Italy! But be careful while choosing a restaurant because the menu may be highly overpriced (see the tourist traps and how to avoid them at the end of this post).
The ancient city of Rome - the cradle of one of the greatest civilizations in human history boasts beautiful architecture, numerous museums and countless still standing today monuments, columns and buildings that witnessed the most important events of the Roman Empire at its greatest extent.
Rome doesn't need to be introduced or presented in any way - it's so well known around the world, not only in history classes but also in media, movies and entertainment. It's visited by literally swarms of tourists every day.
The Italian capital wasn't my final destination, I intended to visit the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum that were covered by volcanic ashes and mud after the eruption of the mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. However, I arrived to Rome first and had two days to walk around.
Two days is clearly not enough to visit all the attractions of the city, but, if you are not afraid of walking a lot it is possible to admire some of the most important sights in the center and can even do it on a budget.
Herculaneum, also called "the second Pompeii" is one of the best preserved ancient Roman towns to this day. In many aspects, even better than Pompeii itself. The site is not as large as Pompeii but it has been estimated that only one third of Herculaneum has been excavated so far. What you can find here, in contrast to Pompeii, is for example entirely preserved two-story buildings together with original wooden logs, beds, doors and other furniture. In my opinion, the site of Herculaneum is more concentrated, it occupies less space but it's as great as its famous counterpart - Pompeii. If you visit the bay of Naples, although most of the tourist head straight for Pompeii (I have described it here), don't miss Herculaneum - you won't regret it.
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Many of the visitors coming to southern Poland and Krakow region end up in Zakopane - the little town located at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. Some hike (or take a horse cart ride) up the easy and quite boring trail to the most famous landmark in Polish mountains - Morskie Oko lake which is undoubtedly picturesque and beautiful, but so overcrowded that it can get really irritating.
In this post, I'll try to encourage you to leave Morskie Oko behind and venture into the real, wild beauty of the area. As usual, the most attractive and stunning views are awaiting those who are brave enough to take a risk and explore something beyond the beaten path. I've already described the trek to Dolina Pieciu Stawow which is way nicer than the one to Morskie Oko and now it's time to write about my favorite trail in the Tatras - to Swinica peak via the less known Dolina Gasienicowa (Gasienicowa Valley) and Zawrat saddle. This trail features not one but several crystal clear lakes of different shapes and colors, spectacular views - incomparable with those on the way to Morskie Oko and it's perfect for those who love adventure and adrenaline rush!
On the second day of the extraordinarily beautiful trek to Poon Hill, we left the cozy village of Ulleri at sunrise and headed uphill towards another village - Ghorepani. Ghorepani is located at the elevation of 2750 meters and it differs from other towns with the distinctive blue roofs and houses. It is also a gateway to the most important point of the trek - Poon Hill (around 3200 meters above sea level) which offers a spectacular, 360 degree view of the Annapurna range in the Himalayas. Especially stunning in March/April when all the wild rhododendrons blossom and cover the mountainous valleys in bright red colors.
Lake Kaindy in southern Kazakhstan is one of the newest and most unique natural wonders on our planet. Although literally unknown in the West, if it was located in any European country, it would be its best tourist attraction. Especially beautiful in the fall (autumn), Lake Kaindy boasts not only exceptionally attractive blue color of water and snowy rocky mountains surrounding it but also the unique, silver trunks of dead spruce sticking out of the lake's surface. The "flooded forest" is indeed one of the natural landmarks of Kazakhstan. It all creates a fairy-tale like scenery, not seen anywhere else.
You might have seen photos of the gargantuan hole in the middle of the desert spewing out flames and a beam of light out of its core high up into the night sky while watching National Geographic or some documentary on the weirdest places on Earth. Although the Darvaza Crater has got quite large exposure in the media, it still remains very rarely visited by ordinary tourists. Central Asia is an extremely interesting place both naturally and historically. However, travelers almost always skip it choosing the popular beaches in Southeast Asia. Come to Darvaza and you'll feel as if you were teleported to Mars - it's a unique, outlandish and eerie experience that cannot be compared to anything else you've seen before.
While watching one of the Hollywood apocalyptic films or playing computer games - have you ever thought that a real ghost town is closer than you think? It is actually located in the center of Europe - in Ukraine. 110 kilometers (70 miles) from the country's capital - Kiev, very close to the border with Belarus. A visit to Pripyat is an extraordinary experience - something you most probably have never seen and will never see. It is completely different from the usual sight seeing tours. In this post I am presenting a gallery of photos of this ghost town literally abandoned overnight thirty years ago.
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2015 was a year full of adventure, surprises and amazing opportunities to discover even more of great and off the beaten path places. Just like a year ago, based on my own experience (I've been to all the countries described below), I'd like to present my list of destinations to visit in 2016 (click here to see the post from 2015). As usual, it will be different than most of such lists released by meainstream travel magazines. Instead of repeating all the well known places, I'd like you to get inspired and explore new adventurous and exciting spots. It has probably never even come to your mind that you could visit some of them and you'll surely get shocked when you learn where those amazing wonders actually are located!
The Shipwreck Beach (also called Navagio) on the Greek island - Zakynthos is the most beautiful beach I have seen. It's claimed to be the most beautiful - and I agree. After visiting numerous beaches in other, also way more exotic destinations (like Brazil, Thailand, Italy, Mauritius, Georgia, India, Croatia, Albania, Spain, Portugal), I have yet to discover a place that would enchant me as much as Navagio Beach. But there is a flaw in this perfection. The beach is indeed the most beautiful in the world, granted that it's viewed from the edge of the cliff that surrounds it. Looked at from the sea level, it looses its charm. However, most of the tour agencies offering a trip to the beach arrive there by boat and in this case you will not see it as it is on the postcards or leaflets - from above. It's also impossible to climb the steep rocky cliff from the beach. So what's the solution if you want to admire the famous view from the top?
One of the most important religious sites in Myanmar, seemingly defying the law of gravity - Golden Rock Temple (Kyaiktio or Kyaikhteeyoe Pagoda), although quite famous, is surprisingly not as touristy as the other destinations in the country - Bagan, Mandalay or Yangon. There are good and bad sides to it. The good thing is that the authenticity of the place is still preserved (unlike the temples in Thailand) and you'll see many more locals than foreigners around. The bad thing - to get there without an expensive, privately run tour or a taxi is pretty complicated, the bus schedules are not clear and the level of English among the Burmese is very low. And... to be honest, the site is one of those that look absolutely spectacular in the photos, a bit less so in real life. Having said that, the whole journey was a great adventure, definitely worth the effort and it left some priceless memories in my mind.
It might be a bit strange to see a post about a spa on a blog that describes mainly an active way of traveling and discovering some forgotten and unknown places where few even think of visiting. But Blue Lagoon in Iceland is different. It's an amazing proof how human engineering and nature can cooperate perfectly. It's not an ordinary, boring spa with swimming pools and massages. The Blue Lagoon is one of those experiences that, I think, everyone should try at least once in life. Especially after exploring some of the marvelous sites of Iceland - an outlandish island on the periphery of Europe.
The very south corner of Albania - the country which is still a black spot on the touristic map of Europe offers, in my opinion, the best beaches in the entire old continent: white sand, tropical color of the clearest possible seas, the exoticism of the area and most friendly locals. Most of the very few individual foreign tourists who get to the beach village of Ksamil arrive by ferry from the neighboring, overcrowded by tourists Greek island - Corfu. I followed the same route. And, I really thought that Corfu is amazing until I set foot in Albania's shore. My jaw literally dropped. I immediately felt as if I was transferred to one of the tropical, paradise-like postcard spots. It's a mystery to me how this exceptionally beautiful piece of land lacks any recognition among foreigners. But maybe it's better this way!
Cinque Terre is one of the most picturesque parts of Italy. Close to such popular cities as Florence, it's a must-see destination in the region of Tuscany. Cinque Terre (literally meaning Five Lands) consists of five colorful seaside towns built on steep cliffs along the exceptionally attractive coastline. The sea, the surrounding mountains and enchanting architecture - you can find all this side by side in this magnificent land. If that's not enough, Cinque Terre can also offer spectacular, turquoise beaches where you can relax after a strenuous hike. In this post, I'll give you some tips on what are the best ways to explore this beautiful area.