Selva Val Gardina

"You may have the universe if I may have Italy." - Giuseppe Verdi, Italian composer. At 2,681 metres strange things can happen. While we were admiring the sun glinting off the glacier of Mt Marmolada, Mr 77 got whacked in his privates with the pointy end of a Nordic walking stick. I turned to exclaim...

The Dolomites – Bring the Cattle Down from the Mountain Pasture Festival !

Deep in the Val Gardena Valley,  the enchanting town of Selva di Val Gardena nestles amongst the towering peaks of the Sella and Sassolungo mountains in the Dolomites of northern Italy.  It is a place where tradition runs deep and cows are a big deal. The spectacular scenery and my love of quirky festivals led me...

Ischia – Poetry, Passion, Pirates & Plagues

Once more, once more, Inarime*, I see thy purple hills!--once more I hear the billows of the bay Wash the white pebbles on thy shore. High o'er the sea-surge and the sands, Like a great galleon wrecked and cast ashore by storms, thy castle stands, A mouldering landmark of the Past... Birds of Passage,  Flight...

10 things to do in Naples before you die !

"See Naples, and then die!' That was a proud saying, Count, which we used to hear as we cruised under lateen sails about the glorious bay that reflects from its waters the fires of Vesuvius "- William KirbyNaples is sadly often missed off a travel itinerary for Italy. Located in Southern Italy, it is the...

Swissotel Sydney – A great stay for families with babies and toddlers

It is a new experience for me having to find child friendly accommodation in Sydney's CBD.  After two decades of  travelling around the world backpacking, flash packing and finally being able to afford luxury hotel stays, I have had to rethink what will make an experience fun and fulfilling and which embraces the needs of Little...