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...

Pozzuoli – Volcanoes, Gladiators and sunken treasure

Before you take a trip to Pompeii or Herculaneum, make sure you make your way to the suburb of Pozzuoli. If you have a few days in Naples, the town of Pozzuoli is well worth a day (or two) of your time. Spend half a day wandering around the Solfatara and Flavian Amphitheater and then...