By Belén Parra and Carme Gasull

Characterised and recognised due to its age-old attributes, we suggest approaching Bologna from the perspective of all there is to see (Rossa), to get to know (Dota) and, above all, to taste (Grassa) in this city, which is also the capital of Emilia Romagna, the epicentre of an Italy that is always rich when it comes to gastronomy.

ROSSA (tourist spots to SEE and get to know)

The traveller's eyes bulge at its kilometres of porticos and the range of colours in its buildings. That is exactly why we advise looking around it on foot. Visiting at the weekend has the added value that the whole historic quarter is closed to traffic and it is a pedestrian area for two days.

Bologna is marked out in a way by its 5 gates, which are both an entrance to the historic quarter and also let you get to know the 'other city'. Get away to this green lung made up of its gardens and its hills to see it from a height.

You'll find few squares more beautiful than the Delle Siete Chiese, especially when it is lit up. A stronghold for romantics, bohemians and nostalgics.

Like a good Italian, Bologna is also tremendous. The Due Torri, Santa Maria Maggiore and Neptuno are impressive. But you will also come across neverending avenues, the Galerías Cavour (Via Luigi Carlo Farini, 40) to ‘stay fashionable’ and the historical palazzi or buildings restored for cultural purposes, such as the old Town Hall with its marvellous public library called Salaborsa (Piazza Nettuno, 3) - ideal for trips with children.

DOTA (curiosities, warnings and things worth KNOWING)

They say that Bologna is the oldest city in the oldest country in the world. And the truth is that it has the oldest University in Europe, which not only students from all over Italy want to attend, but also from all over Europe - especially Erasmus students - and ones from further afield. Note: get a place in Law or Fine Arts. In the streets and bars, don't be surprised to hear more than one or two languages at a time. It's not only the tourists but also the people who have chosen to study and live in this city. Because there is lots of Italy beyond Rome, Venice and Florence...

The capital of Emilia Romagna is eminently a city of fairs, and it houses one of the most modern and functional trade fair venues of old Europe, BolognaFiere.

With good connections, the bicycle is the preferred form of local transport, but the bus is the quickest way to move around ‘fuori porte’. But be aware that paying for a ticket on board is a little more expensive than purchasing it in advance at a newsagents. There are a few places where you can learn the art of making homemade pasta but two stand out: the Vecchia Scuola Bolognese (Via Galliera, 11) and La Bottega Due Portici (Via Independenza, 69).

GRASSA (where and what to EAT and drink)

In Italy you can't really eat badly anywhere, but it's a fact that in Bologna you eat especially well. Its title of città del cibo (food) is as right as it is true.

The pasta that identifies this land is the tortellini, and the sauce, ragù. To try some of the best dishes from Bologna, go to the Trattoria AnnaMaria ( Via delle Belle Arti, 17/a), one of the most traditional premises in the city. All the photographs on its walls are evidence of the hundreds of performers and celebrities that have eaten at its tables.

The crescentina or crescenta is the best local bread. Spongy and tasty if it is homemade. And if you accompany it with local mortadela salami and regional parmesan cheese, then you've got a meal. In this regard, a trip through the Salsamenteria Tamburini (Via Caprarie, 1) is a must - a unchangeable classic that has know how to adapt to times and demand. In fact, its wine cellar is the corner that is most in demand and is also the cosiest of the whole establishment.

Very nearby you also have the Osteria del Sole (Vicolo Ranocchi, 1/d) - a unique premises wherever it is. You are only asked to drink here because you can bring your own snacks even from home. Nevertheless, people usually arrive with their piadine, focaccie and cold meats to share them with the whole table. If you don't mind drinking one thing or another, we recommend that you try the homemade beer while you're here. The birra is a must.

For wine tastings, pass by Alla Porta Vini (Via Castiglione, 79/a). Every day, they open a few bottles of wine for tasting. Amongst their preferences, those from the Southern Alps and from small producers.

La Osteria al Cappello Rosso (via dè Fusari, 9/b) is another of those delightful places where you will also want to eat everything you see. Local products used in traditional recipes and served in generous portions. Don't miss its selection of cold meats or its Lambrusco (a source of pride for the region) or its 'torta bolognesa', the typical cake of the city made from rice.

If you feel like an ice cream, don't hesitate to choose La Sorbetteria Castiglione (Via Castiglione, 44) or Il Gelatauro (Via San Vitale 98/b). And if instead you prefer a creamy ice-pop (on a stick), go to the Cremeria Sette Chiese (Via Santo Stefano, 14/a).

The Mercato delle Erbe (Via Hugo Bassi, 25) will charm your senses, above all those of sight and taste. Although there are many shops with good, fresh products. There is also the seafood. See for yourself at the Pescheria del Pavaglione (Via Pescherie Vecchie, 14) where, besides buying, you can taste an original Aperyfish - which doesn't need to be translated.

Also go to Paolo Atti & Figli (Via Caprarie, 7), a shop with traditional gastronomy known for the quality of its breads, cakes and fresh pasta.

Elegant and refined, Zanarini (Piazza Galvani, 1) is the historic café of the city and one of the preferred places for locals to have breakfast, a good cup of coffee and a better cake, and, of course, to see and be seen.

And another very special place, leaving the centre of the city behind: Il Cerfoglio, a restaurant committed to organic produce and km 0 in light, healthy and well made dishes (Via John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 11, San Lazzaro).

We’ll be there. If you want to come too, check out our flights here.

Trainspotting, a movie that became a totem for a whole generation, is the screen adaptation of the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh, one of the writers who most accurately portrayed the darker side of Edinburgh. To mark the twentieth anniversary of its release and on the verge of a rendezvous between Mark Renton, Sick Boy, Spud and Frank Begbie,we take you on a tour of some of the most significant spots in Edinburgh where the film was set.

Princes Street

Princes Street provides the setting for the opening scene in the movie, one of the most iconic sequences in 90s cinema. The heroin addicts yet well-educated Mark Renton and Spud, who have just been shoplifting in a bookstore, are chased along Princes Street by security to the pulsating rhythm of Lust for Life by Iggy Pop. Princes Street, which was laid at the end of the 18th century, is the main thoroughfare and shopping precinct in the Scottish capital. It runs for one and a half kilometres and joins Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east.

Cowgate

Mark Renton’s flight from the security guards of the shop where he has just pinched a few books ends when he is hit by a car in the Cowgate. A historic street in Edinburgh’s Old Town, as may be inferred from its name, it was once the route taken by cattle on their way to market. Sited alongside the ever ebullient Grassmarket Square, it is now one of the busiest areas in the city and home to some of the best pubs in Edinburgh, namely The Three Sisters, The Last Drop and the Beehive Inn.

The Volley

The psychopath Frank Begbie spends much of Trainspotting’s footage clouting whoever gets in his way. One of these drubbings is set in a popular pub and billiards saloon in the city called The Volunteer Arms, although known to everyone as “The Volley”. The bar still stands on Leith Walk, an avenue running from the city centre to the harbour area. Now, however, it has been revamped as the Cask & Still, an upmarket whisky bar which serves the finest gin and whisky distilled in Scotland.

The Worst Toilet in Scotland

Mark Renton is in the grips of cold turkey and the only thing he can score in the “market” are some opium suppositories. To compound his woes, there is nowhere to hide and he is forced to take them in what he appropriately describes as “the worst toilet in Scotland”, a foul bog located at the back of a bookies in the Muirhouse shopping mall. Twenty years on, this shopping centre is in a spooky-looking area with most of the businesses boarded up.

The Meadows

With the city in full Edinburgh Festival swing and all the pubs full of festival-goers, Renton, Spud and Sick Boy find nothing better to do than to take some ecstasy and wander through The Meadows. They chat up two girls from a nearby private school but end up messing about with some squirrels. Located south of the city centre, The Meadows is one of the largest parks in Edinburgh, one of those endless green commons so typical of British cities, with recreational areas for children, croquet clubs, tennis courts and football and rugby fields.

Leith Central Station

After a sojourn in London, Renton returns to Leith for Christmas and meets up with his old pals. He visits Leith Central Station with one of them, Begbie and describes the station as “a barren, desolate hangar, which is soon to be demolished and replaced by a supermarket and swimming centre.” Leith Central Station was closed to passengers in the 50s and finally made redundant in 1972, after which the building became a haven for the city’s drug addicts. Years later, the area where the platforms once stood was turned into a Tesco superstore, while the terminal building was refurbished as a waterworld complex known as Leith Waterworld.

Easter Road

Although not physically present, theHibernian FC and its grounds, Easter Road, are referred to constantly in the novel and film. Founded in 1875 by Irish immigrants, the Hibernian is Leith’s harbour district club and the team supported by all the main characters in Trainspotting. Easter Road is the headquarters of the “Hibs”, as they call it, the stadium having being unveiled in 1893. That shoebox with its endearing musty smell characteristic of British football stadiums is known as The Holy Ground or the Leith San Siro by the club’s fans. While the Hibs of Irish extraction is the Catholic team, its opposite number in Edinburgh football is Heart of Midlothian Football Club or “Hearts”, most of whose supporters are Protestant, a situation which mirrors the rivalry between the two greats of Glasgow – Celtic and Rangers.

Glasgow

While Irvine Welsh’s novel is set entirely in Edinburgh, most of the screen adaptation was shot in… Glasgow! White lies of the seventh art. Two of the most significant settings in Trainspotting actually located in Glasgow include Volcano, the disco where Renton meets his very own Lolita, Diane. Located at 15 Benalder Street, near Kelvinhall Station, don’t bother to search for it as it was demolished some years ago. The other location, which you will still come across, is Rouken Glen Park, where Renton and Sick Boy discuss Sean Connery’s film career and shoot a Rottweiler in the behind with pellets.

Those of you interested in touring the settings where Trainspotting was filmed can either choose to do so on your own or else sign up for the laid-on Trainspotting Walking Tour hosted by Leith Walks. From Leith Central Station to the “worst toilet in Scotland”, a tour guide will reveal the main locations in Irvine Welsh’s novel as it was ported to the big screen by Danny Boyle.

If you happen to be in Edinburgh, be sure to wander around the haunts where that iconic movie was set. Check out your Vueling flight here.

Text by Oriol Rodríguez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Naureen-s, Babatuel, Denna Jones, Joe Price, LHOON, GDU photography

Tuscany is a paradise for enthusiasts of cyclotourism as it boasts a good network of roads and paths and has little traffic, inviting cyclists to venture amid landscapes seemingly from yesteryear. The possibilities are endless and there are routes for all difficulty ratings. In this post we cover a route from Siena to Florence in two or three stages – depending on how fit you are – crossing a region where one of the world’s most famous red wines is produced – Chianti. With beginners in mind, we have chosen an easy itinerary stretching for 95 km. While it does include slopes, particularly in the area known as Colline del Chianti, you will find it is well worth the effort, as the route takes you through a stunning countryside, and inquiring travellers will be rewarded with amazing stories and local hosts eager to help and strike up conversation. There are exquisite culinary experiences awaiting you, too.

Jewels of Tuscany

As soon as you land at Florence’s international airport, head for the city’s historic centre. If you choose a morning flight, before going to pick up your bikes at the hire shop, you can walk around the monumental area of what is the cradle of the Renaissance.

Renaissance Tour

A quick but really spectacular walk starts at the Piazza del Duomo, which looks onto the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with its huge dome – the work of Brunelleschi – and its beautiful facade faced with Tuscan marble. Next up is the Piazza della Signoria with the stunning Palazzo Vecchio, the Neptune Fountain, a reproduction of Michelangelo’s David and a collection of statues of the Medicis, prominent among them being Perseus with the Head of the Medusa,by Cellini. The last stretch of our stroll involves crossing the emblematic Ponte Vecchio over the river Arno.

Ice-cream, Bicycles and Trains

We recommend you hire your bicycle at Florence by Bike and then head for the Firenze Santa Maria Novella railway station, less than 1 km from the bike shop.

If you fancy a genuinely artisan ice-cream, stop off at I Gelati del Bondi, at Via Nazionale 61R (on the corner of the Via Faenza), as you will pass by it on your way to the station. They sell ice-creams made by the master, Vetulio Bondi. Consider that people travel to Florence for a few hours solely to attend private classes by this artigiano gelatiere.The train ride to Siena takes 90 minutes (timetable at http://www.trenitalia.com). Only the regionali trains allow bikes on board – there’s an area set aside for them at a charge of 3.5 euros per bike.

Once in Siena, your best bet is to head straight for the hotel, park your bike and go out to enjoy the afternoon and evening in a city which is lively and picturesque throughout. Your way to the Piazza del Campo – where they hold the spectacular, hair-raising Palio di Siena horse race – is lined with many charming restaurants. When choosing a menu, remember that you’re going to be pedalling the next day.

The Essence of Chianti

You cycle out of Siena along the SR222 secondary road, also known as the Via Chiantigiana, which starts at Siena’s central train station and crosses the whole region as far as Florence. After an initial climb, you take an early detour along a more solitary road, the SP102. It leads to Corsignano, Vagliagli and Radda in Chianti, the tarred stretches interspersed with sections of typical Tuscan strada bianca, a dazzling, bright, white compacted-earth surface.

Here, you cycle between hills carpeted with vineyards and olive groves, flanked by rows of cypress trees and past various wineries, notably Terra di Seta (1 km before Vagliagli) and Capannelle (on the outskirts of Gaiole in Chianti), where you can join guided tours and tastings of local wines and virgin olive oils.

The village of Radda in Chianti is a good spot for taking a breather and refuelling. From here, you could go for an optional, 17-km detour loop to visit Castello Vertine and Gaiole in Chianti. This small, tranquil village is a centre of pilgrimage for devotees of vintage cycling. The vintage bike festival known as L’Eroica is held every first Sunday in October here, an event which draws over 7,000 cyclists on vintage bikes. If you want to shorten the ride slightly and save yourself the odd climb, from Radda in Chianti head straight for Panzano. There, connoisseurs of quality meat should stop and sit down to a meal at the Officina de la Bistecca – the former Antica Macelleria Cecchini– where you will meet Dario Cecchini, a craft butcher who imbues his creations with passion and know-how. There are several menus – including a vegetarian one – for both lunch and dinner, but the undisputed star dish is Bistecca a la Fiorentina, still cooked and served on the bone. This experience is key to understanding Dario’s pure, contagious love of his trade, meat and land – he descends from eight generations of butchers. He is so enthralled by his craft that he offers guests the chance to be “a butcher for the day”.

Florence In Style

From Panzano, the road leads down to Greve in Chianti, and then continues on to Chiocchio and Strada in Chianti. Here, you leave the SR222 and head for Ferrone and Impruneta along local roads with the aim of entering Florence via its most spectacular, panoramic access – San Miniato Hill.

From Impruneta, the SP70 takes you to Cascine del Riccio where you have to climb a very steep, narrow street up to San Michele a Monteripaldi. Once on the top, you cycle past some stately villas in the direction of Piazzale Michelangelo, at which point the town lies at your feet. This undoubtedly provides the perfect end-of-route picture.

For the finishing touch to your cycling “escapade”, we recommend booking ahead to dine at Essenziale, chef Simone Cipriani’s new restaurant, which wows guests with a minimalist yet friendly and carefree ambience. Here, the traditional Tuscan recipes della nonna have been reworked and reappraised in subtle, delicate and amusing terms. The Conoscersi tasting menu (3 dishes for 35 euros) and La persistenza de la memoria (5 dishes for 55 euros) are a feast of flavours and sensations, as well as a journey into the culinary essence and history of the region. At Essenziale, you will also be taken aback by the lack of any barriers between the kitchen and dining area, while the chef personally serves and describes his creations and reveals his secrets.

Practical Guide

- Route Navigation: you can check out the 95 km itinerary we have just described at this Google Maps link. To plan other routes, the best paper map is Firenze, Siena, Chianti by Kompass.

- Duration: everyone can split up the route at will, depending on accommodations and the number of days available. To enjoy everything the region has to offer, you should ideally devote 3 or 4 days to the trip.

- Choosing Bikes: if you fly with Vueling, you can take your own bike on the plane, but, as the bike tour is only a two-day ride, it may be more convenient to hire one at your destination. At Florence by Bike they renew their fleet every year and have all kinds of bicycles. Touring bikes are the most suitable for the route we have laid out. If you’re worried about slopes, they also have electric bicycles (90 euros for 2 days), which will allow you to negotiate climbs effortlessly.

- Accommodation: available accommodation in Siena and Florence is in overwhelming supply, but be sure to book in advance to secure rooms in the historic centre. En route, your best bet is to look for small B&Bs or go for agritourism.

Text by Sergio Fernández Tolosa & Amelia Herrero Becker

Images by Con un par de ruedas and Giovanni Rasoti

By Silvia Artaza from Gastronomistas

That Frankfurt is a place of contrasts is something you take in at first sight when you land at this German city. A skyline that rises over buildings from another era; a busy Turkish restaurant full of suited executives at lunchtime; a Japanese pâtisserie where you can just as well buy macarons as sit at its sushi bar.

We got away to Frankfurt for three days to find out what the city has to offer apart from the famous sausages it gives its name to. And we found out.

We used NH City as our headquarters. It's a very well located hotel, a stone's throw from Konstablerwache Square, where the pedestrian shopping area (Zeil) begins. There is a train station of the same name right there, with a direct line to the airport, which is an advantage worth considering when planning your trip. And if you like markets, the square has an interesting market of regional products at the weekend, with heaps of things to try from small-scale producers.

At Christmas, as in many German cities, street markets take centre stage, making this is a great time to visit Frankfurt. But undoubtedly the event in the city with the greatest international impact is the Book Fair. Held in October, it is the largest and most important book fair in the world, a showcase for publishers that attracts over 250,000 visitors each year.

It wasn't October, but we found a good book and headed off to look for those ten cafés where you could spend hours reading.

1- Iimori Pâtisserie & Restaurant. Macarons and Sushi Bar.

Very close to the cathedral, in the heart of Frankfurt, two discreet Japanese women welcome us to this original pâtisserie. A charming café to settle into and enjoy any of the sweet snacks from behind the glass counter: macarons, pastries, fine cakes, including green tea cake, fresh fruit tarts, etc. If you like tea, it's a place not to miss. And the same goes if you like Japanese food. Because upstairs you'll be surprised to find a sushi bar with a great choice of dishes both for lunch and dinner, as well as to take away.

There is a daily buffet breakfast with pastries, croissants, bread, fresh fruit with yoghurt, jams, chocolate cream, sausages and cheeses. And on Saturdays and Sundays there's brunch, where Iimori's sweet side is combined with a great selection of sushi and other Japanese specialities. (Braubachstraße 24)

2-Bitter & Zart. The pleasure of chocolate.

Without leaving this street, we switched from tea and pastries to chocolate in all its varieties. Bitter & Zart began as a shop offering fine chocolate. Tablets, pralines, chocolates, truffles, cocoa... of all the imaginable intensities and flavours (toasted almonds, Ceylon cinnamon, caramel, etc.).

But in 2012 an adjoining room, which they call the "living room", was opened. A cozy and inviting place to enjoy a coffee, tea, chocolate drink or juice, with something sweet or savoury from the counter display. If you come here you have to try the Bitter & Zart chocolate cake. (Braubachstraße 14)

 3-Frankfurter Kunstverein café/bar.

Located in the heart of Frankfurt near Römer square, Frankfurter Kunstverein is an art centre that pioneers in the production and exhibition of young and experimental artists. Its café/bar is, as you'd expect, a meeting place for creative minds, where artists and advertising people are to be seen with their laptops while having a cup of coffee.

The fresh homemade food is based on seasonal regional produce. They bake their own bread and the fruit juices are freshly squeezed. It's a great choice if you're looking for a place to have breakfast or enjoy a cocktail in a good atmosphere. (Steinernes Haus am Römerberg. Markt 44).

 4-Café Metropol. A must-do.

Also right by the cathedral, Café Metropol is one of the most common places to get together in the city. A good atmosphere and good prices. At its large wooden tables you can have coffee, one of the best homemade pies in Frankfurt, sandwiches, pasta and salads.

It is very bright and you can spend hours gazing through its large window onto a garden, which, coupled with its simplicity, makes it one of the nicest places we found to enjoy a good read. That said, you should know that for dinner (with its international menu) and breakfast at the weekend it's chock-a-block, so it's best to book. (Weckmarkt 13-15)

5-Breakfasts at Café Karin

Another place that is often full is Café Karin, which is a great place for breakfast. The variety is incredible. The breakfast menu uses the names of Frankfurt's various districts, with choices ranging from a classic croissant with butter and jam to a heaped plate of cheeses, meats, sweets... And of course, there are also fresh juices, coffee and muesli, plus the possibility of customising your breakfast with lots of extras. We could call it breakfast, or better still, brunch, because it's available until the evening. (Grosser Hirschgraben 28)

6-Café Albatros. An afterwork place with atmosphere

People had told us about Bockenheim, a neighbourhood we reached passing through a more residential area. Less lively than the centre, but with interesting places like this, Café Albatros, full of young people having a quiet beer after work.

Like Café Metropol, it closes after midnight during the week, so the atmosphere is lively at dinner time. And, of course, there is the Sunday brunch, with some 50 different hot and cold, sweet and savoury dishes. The menu is international, ranging from Italian pasta dishes and salads to tasty Samosas with yoghurt and mint sauce. (Kiesstrasse 27)

7-Roseli. An early evening café

A bit hidden away. This café is located in an alley in an area halfway between the shopping district (Zeil) and the main square (Römer). We liked it because it's small, intimate and very pleasant. And because it has a charming terrace away from the traffic for days with good weather.

Organic teas, coffees and irresistible cakes. But there are also savoury dishes like quiche, focaccia, panini and salads. Nearby Roseli there are other urbane alternatives worth dropping in at, like Brot und seine Freunde (a home bakery with coffees, sandwiches and sweets) and Souper! (with loads of great soups to eat in or take away). (Weißadlergasse 9)

8-History at the tables of Café Liebfrauenberg

Part of Frankfurt's history is definitely to be found here, in this café. Established over 120 years ago, it was and remains a place for social gatherings in the city centre. With its air of nostalgia and of being from another time, it is a must on a list like this, taking in this German city's cafés.

Coffees, teas, drinking chocolate and a variety of sweets to drive you mad. Pancakes, crepes and waffles, and also homemade cakes made with seasonal fruit. Don't miss the walnut cake. (Liebfrauenberg 24)

9-Cocktails and more at Moloko +

Neither Anthony Burgess's book nor Kubrick's film adaptation of it reveal its recipe, but we remember the Moloko Plus as the cocktail drunk by the characters in A Clockwork Orange. Its namesake in Frankfurt also began as a cocktail bar, but has now evolved into a non-stop concept where you can have everything from breakfast in the morning to a mojito at night. The interior design is excuse enough in itself to drop by. (Kurt-Schumacher-Straße 1)

10-Café Süden. Drop in to try its sweets and teas

We love to get off the tourist trail and so one afternoon we ended up in the Bornheim district. We were told that this is an area where locals hang out, which makes us like it even more. With places like this little café. Just four little tables and a bar at the back full of cakes. Really lovely, a place to enjoy a good tea in a candlelit atmosphere. To our surprise, it's the little brother of a Spanish food restaurant in the city! (Berger Strasse 239)

And don't miss…

Operation "Frankfurt beyond the frankfurter" achieved, but we must confess that we also tried a few of them. Which is why, along with all of these recommendations, we encourage you to not miss ...

A visit to a traditional cider (Apfelwein) bar, like Apfelwein Wagner in the Sachsenhausen district, with apple/cider wine, breaded cutlets (Schnitzel) with green sauce(Grünen Soße), which they make with “seven herbs” (borage, chervil, watercress, parsley, burnet, chives and sorrel), or a typical cream cheese with paprika served as a spread starter (Spundekas). (Schweizer Straße 71)

And you should also stroll around the daily market at Kleinmarkthalle, where you can stop off at the Schreiber stall to try some of its sausages. At mid morning there is usually a long queue of locals waiting their turn, but if you want a real frankfurt in Frankfurt, this is the place. (Hasengasse 5)

 Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!