Dance and Travel

San Fruttuoso Abbey One of my favourite places in Northern Italy, is in the East Riviera in Liguria, in Italy, and is called  Portofino Mountain Park  (Parco di Portofino), which is a regional Natural Park. I could have written something about Cinque Terre, the most famous area in Liguria and one of the must visit in Italy for sure, but actually, Liguria is more than Cinque Terre. The Portofino Mountain Park was established in 1935; it extends along both sides of the Promontory of Portofino, facing Tigullio and “Paradiso” Gulfs, under the Municipalities of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. The Trail of the Pipes in the Portofino Mountain Park This protected coastal area is the most northern in the western Mediterranean Sea, and it offers an extraordinary combination of rural and maritime cultures.  The Park boasts one of the greatest varieties of plant species in the Mediterranean area, an array of wildlife and important architectura...

Besalu town in Catalonia Catalonia is the Region to which Barcelona belongs, in Spain. Such a region is amazing since it has a combination of mountains, sea and hills with mild temperatures almost all the year. Catalonia's most famous city is Barcelona, however the best places to visit and see are outside the city, deeply embedded in the nature. I have made a list of 3 that you should not miss:  Siurana, Rupit i Pruit, and Besalu all of them are small medieval villages immersed in nature at 1 and half hour away from Barcelona. Siurana Siurana is a wonderful medieval town located in Catalonia near to Tarragona city where history and outdoors activities perfectly combine together. The village is known to be the last bastion of Christian recapture in Catalonia. Siurana village Legend tells that the moorish queen Abdelazia preferred to jump down the cliff with her horse rather than being captured by the Christians. Her horse tried to resist in vain, leaving its...

Rocca Calascio Fortress (1450 mt. - L'Aquila province) Have you ever heard about Abruzzo? Probably not! Well, maybe is better you start knowing it. It is a region located in the Center of italy, on the right side of Rome that overlooks the Adriatic Sea. I would define Abruzzo as a complete region from the naturalistic point of view: it has a mountainous area to the west side, which includes the Gran Sasso d'Italia, a coastal area to the east with beaches on the Adriatic sea, all around is green and hills. According to Wikipedia , it hosts 3 national parks and 38 protected nature reserves. Geopolitical map of the Centre of italy What makes Abruzzo special? An Italian diplomat and journalist called Primo Levi described Abruzzo as " forte e gentile " (strong and kind), adjectives that personally I think best describe the Beauty of the region and the Character of its people. Historically, Abruzzo it has always been a poor region, land of shepher...

Cemeteries, in particular monumental ones, has always fascinated me, of that kind of fascination which is difficult to explain. I would say it is a mix of sense of sacred and beauty, with a bit of respect and fear. I believe that cemeteries represent the soul and history of the city thanks their art. Yes, because cemeteries are full of art, full of great masterpieces made by local and international artists, the most of the time before they become famous, like the Italian Naturalist Sculptor Giulio Monteverde . For sure my fashination is also linked to the “romantic” suggestion of the silent landscape and the presence monuments and architectures, which are connected very tightly to each other and creates at the same time a sacred and mystic atmosphere. Cementery of Staglieno: nature and architecture It is because this hidden and romantic charm that every time I visit a city, I visit its cemetery as well. I do this also to know better about the history of the city and its peo...