To leave Montpellier is sad, because we enjoyed it, but also because the one of Arles will be our last stop. Once again, for eight days now, we fill our InterRail ticket and we reach the small city of western Provence. We will spend two nights in a room for rent, which in reality is a microscopic claustrophobic attic, whichContinuaContinua a leggere “An adventure on two rails. Step 7: Arles and Camargue (France)”
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An adventure on two rails. Step 6: Montpellier (France)
After 19 hours travelling on 8 trains, maybe any city would have seemed a Paradise, but Montpellier really impress us in a positive way. Nice, live, colorful: it tastes of sea and cheerfulness. We arrive for lunch time and we eat an half of water melon bought from a greengrocer. We visit the city walking withContinuaContinua a leggere “An adventure on two rails. Step 6: Montpellier (France)”
An adventure on two rails. Step 5: Munich (Germany)
After a night in the open at the Austrian train station of Villach, a 7.20 am we take the train which will allow us to cross that small piece of Austria and to reach Munich. The train is one of the best ones ever taken: the compartment is empty and the seats can be joined in theContinuaContinua a leggere “An adventure on two rails. Step 5: Munich (Germany)”
An adventure on two rails. Step 4: Ljubljana (Slovenia)
In Ljubljana, arrived by train in the late afternoon from Bled lake, we are welcomed by Nika, a girl I knew two summers ago in Rotterdam, because she was also hosted by the same girls with Couchsurfing. We had met for few hours and two years are gone, but in spyte of everything she welcomes us with a big smileContinuaContinua a leggere “An adventure on two rails. Step 4: Ljubljana (Slovenia)”
An adventure on two rails. Step 3: Bled lake (Slovenia)
Thanks to a passage by car over the borderline, we can easily reach Sezana from Trieste. Here we take a small train with three wagons, diesel, all painted by sprays and whose retro coloured benches help us to take place with a lot of fun, in order to cross the unexplored Slovenia. The railway runs along the Soca river,ContinuaContinua a leggere “An adventure on two rails. Step 3: Bled lake (Slovenia)”
An adventure on two rails. Step 2: Piran, Izola and Koper (Slovenia)
After the first night in Trieste (see the previous article), we choose to do a short step around the small villages of Slovenian coast. Slovenia only has 47km of coast, so it is often ignored by travellers who are searching the good sea and who, usually, simply cross it to enjoy the huge choice offered by theContinuaContinua a leggere “An adventure on two rails. Step 2: Piran, Izola and Koper (Slovenia)”
An adventure on two rails. Step 1: Trieste (Italy)
Backpacks are ready, the InterRail tickets are arrived, enthusiasm fills us: we can leave for our travel which will make us “circumnavigate” Italy from the north, moving from Slovenia to France through Switzerland. The Intercity train in 5 exact hours brings us from Firenze to Trieste, chosen as our first step because city on a borderline, full of history,ContinuaContinua a leggere “An adventure on two rails. Step 1: Trieste (Italy)”
Traveling with “Couchsurfing”: the world seen from a couch
Do you trust it? Aren’t you afraid? I’ll never go to unknonwn people’s houses. What if they kill you? Oh, yes, I heard people saying that and much more. Friends, even who I thought to not be sceptic, but open to the others, said to me all this kind of things when I started to use Couchsurfing.ContinuaContinua a leggere “Traveling with “Couchsurfing”: the world seen from a couch”
In Belgrade the “good morning” lacks
To land in Belgrade is not as to set foot in an other European city. The people on the bus which brings to the center of the Serbian capital city have a dark look, it’s not full of that joy you usually feel coming back home. Bread and poor fried pastries are selled in little stands andContinuaContinua a leggere “In Belgrade the “good morning” lacks”
Sacra of San Michele. Journey in the middle of the Angelic Route.
Monviso is a candid cream cornet which invites us to taste di sweet day, while from Carignano we are moving to Val di Susa. The snowy Alps in this sunny winter morning transmit a sense of imposingness and protection, like if nobody but the wind could get over them. Moving in the direction of Sant’Ambrogio, from many miles awayContinuaContinua a leggere “Sacra of San Michele. Journey in the middle of the Angelic Route.”
How to make our life a masterpiece: the recipe of Beatrice Fazi
Beatrice is an actress. But there is much more in her life, a lot to tell and to share, a lot that you can’t see on the screeens zapping between “Un medico in famiglia” and “Il restauratore” (Italian fictions). The semplicity of a person is immediately clear: when she jump down from the train leaping on herContinuaContinua a leggere “How to make our life a masterpiece: the recipe of Beatrice Fazi”
Better the Little Prince than the Prince Charming
It was a prince charming the one I was searching for. A prince charming who turned out in a boy with drug addiction problems, with who I remained pregnant. I had an abortion. He died for AIDS. I found myself alone. To talk is Nicoletta. A woman now mature who, telling her adolescence, remembers with bitterness her mistakes.ContinuaContinua a leggere “Better the Little Prince than the Prince Charming”
Oria: the 4000 Italian shipwrecked who said NO to Nazism
The memorial day: every 27th of January we remember the massacres committed by the Nazis, as a warning that something similar does not happen again. The mistake we maybe make is to limit – in this memory – only to people who died in the death camps, forgetting all them who lost their life because ofContinuaContinua a leggere “Oria: the 4000 Italian shipwrecked who said NO to Nazism”
Athens: antiquity at your fingertips
To land in Athens airport during the morning (after a destroying sleepless night at Rome-Ciampino airport), allows not to waste a day travelling. The best way to reach the city center is bus X95, which for the fix price of 5€ brings you till the very central Syntagma square, where the Greek parliament stands. Here it isContinuaContinua a leggere “Athens: antiquity at your fingertips”
From Athens to Cape Sounion: discovering Attica
To rent a car in Athens is not difficult. The big Leof. Andrea Siggrou avenue branches off from the center and there are more car rentals than pigeons. For be sure – especially if you have to do a lot of km – it’s maybe advisable an international circuit (as we did). For short journeys maybe you saveContinuaContinua a leggere “From Athens to Cape Sounion: discovering Attica”
From Florence to Gura Humorului: impressions on the journey to the most remote village of Romania
Almost 30 hours from Florence to Gura Humorului. But the time is not lost and I don’t mind about it, if the important is the journey itself. From Florence to Rome, then the airplane to Bucharest. The night in the airport of the Romanian capital city is unconfortable, but to not sleep stimulates us to talk and toContinuaContinua a leggere “From Florence to Gura Humorului: impressions on the journey to the most remote village of Romania”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 18: Barcelona (Spain)
We arrive in Barcelona after 15 hours on a night train from La Coruña. The thought that in 24 hours I’ll be in Italy again, after a month travelling, makes me a little bit sad. With my traveling companion, we leave the huge backpacks which accompany us in the safes of bus station, to immerse ourselves inContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 18: Barcelona (Spain)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 17: La Coruña (Spain)
We leave the hostel at 7 am, to abandon Porto with the train which will bring us in Spain again, to La Coruña. I realize, watching the city flowing away to leave space to the hills, that my journey is almost finished. Another couple of days moving and I’ll be on the airplane for coming back home.ContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 17: La Coruña (Spain)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 16: Porto (Portugal)
All uphill. This is the first impression about Porto. It seems that the streets in plain, here, are not designed. The hostel is a pleasant surprise: it’s called Porto Wine Hostel and it is, obviously, themed on Vinho do Porto. Each room has the name of a different kind of wine and the corridors are fullContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 16: Porto (Portugal)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 15: Ericeira, Obidos, Figueira da Foz, Coimbra (Portugal)
A 9 in the morning, as we prepare to leave Lisbon, the housemate of Magui comes back home. He tell us about the night outside, about which he doesn’t remember anything. Then, he takes a salad bowl full of green jelly and he starts to eat it with a soup spoon. There is no accounting forContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 15: Ericeira, Obidos, Figueira da Foz, Coimbra (Portugal)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 14: Lisbon (Portugal)
After 13 hours without sleeping on the night train because of the evil child (read here), the only good thing is to see Giacomo clapping the hands each time that the little ball of lard tries to close his eyes; a deserved revenge after the night we spent because of him. Today, to see Magui againContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 14: Lisbon (Portugal)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 13: Bilbao (Spain)
The wonderful girl of Bilbao information office says that we commit a crime if we don’t visit Guggenheim Museum. Only because has been her to say it, we go there and we take a picture with the mastodontic dog made with flowers at the entrance, but considering the ticket price and our lack of interest for modernContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 13: Bilbao (Spain)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 12: Guernica, Bermeo, Mundaka, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Spain)
From San Sebastian we move to the second step in Basque Country: Bermeo. In this little fishing village on the ocean, Giacomo and I will be hosted by Izaskùn, a 39 y.o. woman who works as turist guide in Guernica. We already thought about visiting it and, with this coincidence, it’s good to go there immediately.ContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 12: Guernica, Bermeo, Mundaka, San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (Spain)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 11: San Sebastian (Spain)
Giacomo and I arrive in Irun, on the Spanish border with France, around 12pm. The 13 hours on the night train destroyed us. Although it is early August, clouds and a fine drizzle welcome us. We search for a train to San Sebastiàn, where we’ll spend a couple of days, before to move to other places ofContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 11: San Sebastian (Spain)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 10: Marseille (France)
I arrive in the Provencal city at 6.30 a.m., rested but still eager to rest on my couchette. On the night train from Luxembourg to Marseille, the 11 hours in have been passed in a flash. As is routine, after the visit of 9 cities in 2 weeks, I search for a map from the informationContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 10: Marseille (France)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 9: Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
I leave Amsterdam early, saying goodbye to Alberto to embark on my journey to France. In around 6 hours I’ll arrive in Luxembourg. I must be in Marseille tomorrow, so I hope to find a place in the night train which leaves from Luxembourg this evening. If not, I will have to spend the nightContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 9: Luxembourg (Luxembourg)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 8: Amsterdam and surroundings (Netherlands)
The smell of fresh herring on the port’s stalls says goodbye to me while I’m going to take my train at Rotterdam station. The Dutch capital city is waiting for me: I will spend 5 days there with Alberto, who is coming there from Florence by plane. I meet him near the station of Amsterdam and weContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 8: Amsterdam and surroundings (Netherlands)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 7: Rotterdam (Netherlands)
The morning is cloudy, as they have all been since I arrived in Be-ne-lux, but I hope for the sun. Today Rotterdam is waiting for me. It is Sunday, so when I arrive I start to search for a church. At the only one I find, mass has just finished. An old Peruvian lady says that what countsContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 7: Rotterdam (Netherlands)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 6: Delft (Netherlands)
I wake up with the sound of thunder: it’s raining hard. I hope, going in Holland, to get away from the rain. When I arrive in Delft, after a couple of trains, it is nice to see again Barbara after so much time. I met her in 2007, when she was a guest of the camping in whichContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 6: Delft (Netherlands)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 5: Antwerp (Belgium)
I say goodbye to Elisa and I try to find the Congolese quarter of Bruxelles, but I don’t find it. I leave for Antwerp. Upon my arrival, a slight drizzle welcomes me. I walk fast (or at least how much my backpack of 15kg allows me) to search for the house of Aaron, the boyContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 5: Antwerp (Belgium)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 4: Bruges (Belgium)
The day in Bruxelles is grey. It is raining a little bit. I take advantage of my InterRail pass and I take a train to Bruges (or Brugge… this Belgian bilingualism makes me crazy!). It has been described to me as the best preserved medieval town in Europe: the places with a touch of medieval are always myContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 4: Bruges (Belgium)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 3: Bruxelles (Belgium)
The banks of the Rhine accompany me away from the German mountains, towards the Belgian plain. Boats and barges are moving slowly on the large river, while on the opposite bank I see passing little quaint villages, still intact, unchanged for centuries, guarded by the castles perched on the hills behind. Bayreuth, Nuremberg, Koln, Aachen: in halfContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 3: Bruxelles (Belgium)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 2: Bayreuth (Germany)
The journey by train from Munich to Nuremberg is quiet boring. I’m leaving a little bit tired and already after few minutes I can’t wait to get off that train crowded with commuters. But, once I change the train in the city of the famous trials, I like this one more. It is small and slowly creepsContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 2: Bayreuth (Germany)”
7 Countries in 30 days. Step 1: Munich (Germany)
Joy, excitement, some fear, a sense of freedom. At the Bologna train station a guy gives me a pat on my backpack and screams: Go to Padua! Padua!!. Surely, he had mistaken me for a foreigner traveling in Italy and he’s encouraging me to visit his hometown, of which he is proud. I have toContinuaContinua a leggere “7 Countries in 30 days. Step 1: Munich (Germany)”
When a “I’ll be back in 10 minutes” become 13 years
I’ve always lived with the idea to have a family. Two old parents, a little brother and two older sisters. One sister is Andreea and she’s 37, the other one is 33, but she left home when she was young. Antida is only 16 years old, but she is a smart girl and she shows most of theContinuaContinua a leggere “When a “I’ll be back in 10 minutes” become 13 years”
The violet flowers of Campulung
The chimney of the old chemical factory acts as a sentinel to the city, as a bleak lighthouse that from the hill indicates the presence of the place which was the first capital of Romania, and which is now considered a little bit more than a village. Andrei guides me safely, riding his bike, avoidingContinuaContinua a leggere “The violet flowers of Campulung”
Chantal and Stefano Borgonovo. A love that overcome the disease
Killed by the “bitch” – how he himself was used to define the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis after years of daily fights againts the illness, lost his battle one year ago the Italian soccer player Stefano Borgonovo. When last 27th of June the whole football’s world mobilized to visit the mortuary of the former striker, there is who who watched overContinuaContinua a leggere “Chantal and Stefano Borgonovo. A love that overcome the disease”
ANDREA CUMINATTO 