A city may host several attractions but actually there is a unique reason to visit a place for devoted travelers.For Assisi, we can say that this is the inspiration we get from the life of Saint Francis.The city of Assisi, a place of pilgrimage for Christians, is located in the Umbria region of Italy. It is twenty kilometers from Perugia, the capital city of the region, and can be easily reached with a two-hour train ride from Rome. A wonderfully preserved postcard little town built on top of...

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We reach Perugia, the capital of the Umbria region, located north of Rome, by a two and a half hour train ride from Rome.It's like a place that hasn't changed since the Middle Ages when it was founded, and with its stone walls, narrow streets, bridges between buildings, pastel brown color, it is a place that takes you inside the moment you first start to name the city. The city is home to its fourteenth-century university and another foreigners' university; It is known as a student city and...

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Val di Noto, the valley of Noto, is located at the southeast of Sicily, it is where the latebaroque citiesincludingNoto, Monica and Ragusaand other are and since 2002 they are named as aUnesco heritage site. They can be visited from Siracusa by train as day trip visits or by renting a car.Noto is the most visited and famous one as it is half an hour trip by train from Siracusa. It was home to the aristocracy during the16th and 17thcenturies; though most of the buildings we see today are built...

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The ‘Grand Voyage’: big trip- I wish I could visit Taormina in the18th centuryduring my Grand Voyage in Southern Europe and come here on horseback from Catania the same asGoethedid. It must have been quite different from the today’s town visited by hundreds of tourist everyday. It is still beautiful however the smallness of the place and the tourist groups from cruise ships that come and go make it a bit ‘too’ crowded during day time.The main attraction,The ancient Greek theatre (Teatro...

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An open air museum in Siracusa, the archeological site of Neapolis is a fifteen minute walk from the train station of Siracusa. Meaning the new city it was built during the reign ofHieron the 2nd,the lasttyron of Siracusa in Greek period,3rd century B.C. The roman historianCicerodefined it‘imposing and very beautiful’during his visit to one of the most important city of the antiquity.Built as the urban and architectural project of Iron the 2nd the archeological site today consists of four...

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I like places that have a historical heritage yet are still lively. Siracusa’s Ortigia island is one of them. Instead of making a day visit stay a couple of days to truly enjoy this place, explore the narrow streets, enjoy the various colours of yellow and pink of the façades of the buildings, walk along the sea side, swim in the Mediterranean. You may spare your days to visit the nearby cities as well likeNoto, Modica, Ragusa.Separated form the main land with two bridges Ortigia island is...

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