Set in the heart of Florence, inside one of the greatest masterpieces of Florentine Renaissance architecture, the Fondazione offers a rich and varied programme throughout the year, consisting of high quality, world-class exhibitions ranging from Classical art and the Renaissance to the modern era and to contemporary art.

But in addition to its exhibitions, Palazzo Strozzi is a lively venue for numerous other events such as concerts, performances, contemporary art installations, theatrical performances, activities and guided tours for adults and families. Open throughout the year, it also boasts an elegant café and a quality museum shop.

From 24 September 2015 to 24 January 2016 Palazzo Strozzi will be hosting Divine Beauty from Van Gogh to Chagall and Fontana, an outstanding exhibition that sets out to explore the relationship between art and the sacred from the mid-19^th to the mid-20^th century, showcasing over one hundred works by such celebrated Italian artists as Domenico Morelli, Gaetano Previati, Felice Casorati, Gino Severini, Renato Guttuso, Lucio Fontana and Emilio Vedova, alongside such international masters as Vincent van Gogh, Jean-François Millet, Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Max Ernst, Georges Rouault and Henri Matisse.

The exhibition offers visitors a unique opportunity to compare and contrast a selection of works of art which, while extremely famous, are observed here in a new and very different light. The show's star exhibits include such masterpieces as Jean-François Millet's Angelus on exceptional loan from the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, Vincent van Gogh's Pietà from the Vatican Museums, Renato Guttuso's Crucifixion from the collections of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome and Marc Chagall's White Crucifixion from the Art Institute Museum in Chicago.

The exhibition is open from 10.00 to 20.00 daily, with late opening until 23.00 on Thursdays.

Admission costs €10, with concessions for children aged 7 to 18 at €4, free admission for children up to age 6, and a special family ticket for €20.

Tours are by appointment only and are designed for groups of adults, individuals visitors and schools.  The programme also includes a wealth of activities and a special "Family Kit".

Starting 1 November 2015, you can visitDivine Beauty, the new Opera del Duomo Museum and the Baptistry of San Giovanni on a special joint ticket allowing you to explore the fantastic history of Florence and its art from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Bologna is one of the most beautiful cities in northern Italy. Celebrated for having the oldest university in the world, its other hallmarks include its porticoes and red facades, which change hue with the passage of the sun – a small city with a great history, making it convenient and attractive for sightseeing and highly recommendable for a family getaway.

The past is still alive in the city’s streets, in the medieval inner city, in the Renaissance palaces and villas, the Baroque churches and the squares and gardens. Bologna breathes a young, revolutionary and somewhat bohemian atmosphere. Modernity rubs shoulders with the old, of which its inhabitants can be proud.

The point of departure for touring the city is the Piazza Maggiore which boasts some of Bologna’s major landmarks, notably the Palazzo dei Banchi, Basilica of San Petronio, Palazzo dei Notai, Palazzo d’Accursio, which houses the City Hall, and Palazzo del Podestà. The latter houses the city’s tourist office where they kindly inform visitors of all the possibilities open to family groups. If time is at a premium, there are two options – first, a family friendly guided tour of the city organised by the collective, Mammacult and, second, the 48-hour Welcome Card, which includes free entrance to museums and a guided tour of the historic centre, or the 72-hour Card, which also allows access to the tower and the tourist bus. Each of these is valid for an adult and a child under 12 and either of these cards is worth taking out.

Adjoining the main square is the Piazza del Nettuno, featuring a fountain dedicated to the god of the sea, and the presiding Palazzo Re Enzo, once the hub of Bologna’s economic life and now transformed into a plush multimedia public library. It’s a great place for taking a breather when the fatigue kicks in or in bad weather, as its interior includes a wonderful area for toddlers and babies. And, if you want to keep on reading children’s stories, you only have to go out onto the street again and around the Palazzo Re Enzo, as on the Via Rizzoli you will find the Giannino Stoppani Libreria per Ragazzi. No wonder that each year the world’s leading Children’s Book Fair is held in Bologna.

Pressing on down the same street in the direction of the University Quarter you come to another icon of the city, the medieval Due Torri (Asinelli and Garisenda), the tallest of the twenty towers in Bologna. For the slightly older and bolder young ones, it is great fun to climb up the 498 steps leading up to the Torre Asinelli to see the splendid views of the city. If you get peckish on the way down, you can stroll along the shopping precinct of the Quadrilatero area, the city’s old market. Here, you will be treated to tasty views of fruit, confectionery, fresh pasta and even fresh fish.

Also worth exploring is the “T area” shopping precinct, bounded by the Via Ugo Bassi, Via Rizzoli and the long Via dell’Indipendenza. Walking under the stately porticoes, you will see anything from global brand outlets to long-standing Italian fashion stores, cafés and pastry shops, grocery stores and pharmacies offering a panoply of wares, with plentiful fruit and vegetables awaiting you when you get to the Mercato delle Erbe. There is also a route of old establishments restored in good taste as vintage-style shops. One of these is Les Libellules, a children’s tailored clothes atelier located on the Via San Vitale near the Due Torri.

Another spot well worth visiting is the Finestrella di Via Piella, a small window with canal views located between Via Zamboni and Via dell’Indipendenza which reveals one of the city’s best kept secrets – the underground water streams which once flowed through open-air canals similar to the ones in Venice. We also recommend heading for the Piazza Santo Stefano, presided over by the basilica of the same name, made up of four (formerly six) churches from different periods – a veritable gem! On one side is the Corte Isolani with a covered gallery linking the Strada Maggiore to the Via Santo Stefano. Sited there is La Gallina Smilza, a really cute store with all kinds of items for decorating the home and children’s rooms. A bit further along, at number 70, is one of the most famous and delightful ice-cream parlours in Bologna, the Cremeria Santo Stefano – they have flavours to suit all tastes.

Heading towards the south side of the city you come to the beautiful Margherita Gardens, the ideal spot for a family picnic or for having an aperitif at Vetro, an old greenhouse converted into a bar-restaurant. They have a fine open-air terrace with garden tables and lights inside flower pots, a great ambience for relaxing at the end of the day. It is part of Kilowatt, a coworking facility and idea accelerator based on social, cultural and environmental values which is self-managed under the auspices of the public programme Incredibol, hosted by the Bologna City Council.

Bologna also boasts numerous museums which are highly interesting and attractive for children. Located on the Via dell’Archiginnasio, in the historic centre, is the Archaeological Museum of Bologna which provides insight into the history of the city. A bit further on is the palace of the Archiginnasio, once the main building of what is the oldest university in the West, founded in 1088. There you can visit the Anatomical Theatre, where anatomy classes used to be given. Bologna is designated a UNESCO Creative City of Music, a prestigious title awarded for the wealth of current musical offerings and the excellence of the city’s past, as embodied in the International Museum and Library of Music, with a carefully curated collection of over eighty ancient musical instruments. If what you’re really sold on is art, be sure to visit the Bologna Museum of Modern Art (MAMBO) which hosts a great variety of children’s workshops and other activities.

To claim the icing on the cake to your tour of Bologna, take bus 87 to the Gelato Museum, located on the premises of the famous Carpigiani company, a former manufacturer of machinery and equipment used to make famous Italian “gelato”, the creamiest and most flavourful ice-cream in the world. This edifying museum is dedicated to the study and analysis of the history of craft ice-cream. They also hold a workshop geared to families, which includes a guided tour of the museum and an ice-cream-making workshop based on the original recipe. Enjoy the experience!

Fire up and make your escape to Bologna – book your Vueling here.

Text by Mar Domènech

Christmas means decoration, gifts, ornaments, rituals, celebrations and much more. But, it is also a season when we probably have some extra leisure time. If you use it this year to visit A Coruña, you can get involved in a number of activities scheduled up to the moment the Three Wise Men arrive. Here, then, are our Christmas tips, and an introduction to two restaurants with Michelin stars not far from the city.

Atlantic Christmas

The María Pita Christmas Village opens to the public in early December and offers children’s activities, magic, games, music and gifts. Toddlers and infants will have a whale of a time here with the plethora of activities tailored to their needs. Children, the main focus of Christmas cheer, will be treated to a new edition of Nadaliño, a show featuring games and educational activities hosted in Palexco.

The A Coruña Science Museums have also scheduled a special programme for the season which entails learning while having fun. As ever, the festivities come to a close with the Grand Cavalcade of the Kings (Three Wise Men), a parade through the city’s streets, full of surprises, on the magical night of 5 January.

But, not everything has been devised for children. We adults can also enjoy these festivities. So, if you’re coming to A Coruña, be aware that there are numerous concerts on offer, as well as the premiere of several musicals and an Afro-American Gospel Music Festival.

Lastly, in the afternoon of the 31st, the customary San Silvestre Coruñesa race starts in the Plaza de María Pita and finishes at the Obelisco, for those who want to see the old year out in good shape and shed some of the calories acquired during the long holiday week.

Gastro-Visit

While you’re here, we recommend a getaway to two restaurants in the area with a Michelin star:

As Garzas
O Porto de Barizo, Barizo, 15113 Malpica de Bergantiños, A Coruña
Chef: Fernando Agrasar

Located in the heart of the Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), opposite the Sisargas islands, the restaurant is housed in the hotel of the same name, a building with large windows that seem to lean out over the cliff edge. The dining-room is a relaxing, modern space with a formidable fireplace and just eleven tables set around it. The cuisine at As Garzas bears a sea flavour – that of the Atlantic in pristine state. Their chef, Fernando Agrasar, asserts that the cuisine is not avant-garde but creative. Sans impositions or any pointless elaborateness.

Key to the menu is the Galician fish and seafood, crafted into veritable pleasure bites. While liable to seasonal variation, grouper and  sea bass always take pride of place. The rices, too, especially their lobster rice. Apart from an impressive seasonal menu, As Garzas also offers a carefully curated menu for “those reluctant to make a choice”. There are 12 to 14 dishes in all (bearing in mind that two of them are desserts), which vary in terms of the season and market, with innovation as the restaurant’s hallmark.

Retiro da Costiña
Av. de Santiago, 12. 15840 Santa Comba, A Coruña
Chef: Manuel Costiña

Set in a stately manor halfway between Santiago de Compostela and the Costa da Morte, each area in the Retiro is meticulously designed for enjoying each occasion. For appetizers, a wine cellar with a star-studded ceiling, while lunch and dinner are hosted in a spacious, stone-walled dining-room. And, for after-dinner, an elegant salon with a fireplace.

Retiro offers market cuisine with the most appetising dishes in season. No kidding – Galicia rules! So, it requires no effort to find such marvels as razor clams from Fisterra, grouper from Aguiño, hake from O Celeiro or oysters from O Freixo. Aside from the delicious menu, Manuel offers two tasting menus, one of which is carefully paired by the sommelier. And, there’s more – the wine cellar! In addition to a striking wine list, they have another featuring liqueurs, each with over 800 items. Enological gems such as 40- or 50-year-old Macallan whisky.

There you have it – what’s in store for you if you visit A Coruña over Christmas. Check out our flights here.

Text by Turismo de A Coruña

Images by Turismo de A Coruña, Retiro, As Garzas

1. Victoria Square – the Heart of the City

The city’s main historic buildings are located in this square, notably Council House with its clock tower – known as Big Brum –the Birmingham Town Hall and Birmingham Cathedral. Cultural events are held in the square, including the Frankfurt Christmas Market, laid out in the purest German Christmas-market style.

2. In Search of the Industrial Past

Birmingham was the main driving force behind the United Kingdom’s industrial revolution, which earned it acclaim as “the factory of the world”, or the “city of a thousand businesses”. Dating from that period is the city’s extensive network of canals. An enjoyable way of discovering them is to go for a ride on one of the colourful barges that ply the canals and take in the industrial heritage that has survived the test of time. It has also become a major leisure area, with pubs and restaurants to relax in before pressing on with your city tour.

One way of finding out how workers lived in the 19th century is to visit Back to Backs, a court of back-to-back houses which has been restored. Tours are organised to the precinct with its workshops, enabling you to get a better idea of that period.

3. Art and Museums – the pre-Raphaelites and Much More

The Birmingham Museum & Gallery Art (BMAG) boasts the world’s largest collection of pre-Raphaelites, with over 2,000 works on display. It also houses sections on archaeology, social history and the art of other periods. Enthusiasts of the contemporary avant-garde and the latest art trends should head to the Ikon Gallery, housed in an 1877 neo-Gothic building designed by John Henry Chamberlain.

4. More Than Just Books in The Library of Birmingham

Well worth visiting, if only for the stunning building housing this library on Centenary Square. This, the largest library in the United Kingdom, is also famed for having over 40,000 objects related to the life and work of William Shakespeare. You can also visit the Parker Collection of children’s books, that of the British politician, Benjamin Stone, with some magnificent photographs, one of the country’s largest collections of music for silent films, and a host of other exhibits.

5. Cadbury – More Than a Chocolate Factory

South of Birmingham lies Bournville, one of the city’s most beautiful districts. Among its chief landmarks, there is one coveted by all children – the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. Inside you will discover the history of one of the most important chocolate factories in the world. A must if you’re travelling with children.

6. The Jewellery Quarter – Jewels for Everyone!

Most of Birmingham’s jewellery production is centred in the Jewellery Quarter, where over 100 jewellers and experts in the sector are to be found. The district dates back to the 18th century and is the site of the only Georgian square in the city. Highly recommended is a tour of the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, an erstwhile factory and workshop converted into a museum where you can see how jewels are made, among other things.

7. Bullring Shopping Centre – the Temple of Shopping

Apart from being one of Birmingham’s architectural gems, it is an essential destination for shopping lovers. It houses no fewer than 160 stores where you can indulge in one of the United Kingdom’s favourite pastimes – shopping. Before you leave, make sure you take a selfie alongside the popular bull statue in the interior.

8. Sarehole Mill – A Place Which Inspired J.R.R. Tolkien

Some five kilometres from the city centre lies Sarehole Mill, one of the last two surviving water mills in the Birmingham area.J.R.R. Tolkienfans have good reason to make a pilgrimage to this spot, as just a few yards from the mill stands Tolkien’s old house. Both the water mill and its surrounding area was a source of inspiration for some of the scenes in Lord of the Rings.

Now you have the keys to discovering Birmingham; all that’s left is to pick up your Vueling here and see it all for yourself.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Tony Hisgett, David Merrett, ozz13x, Fotorus, Tim Parkinson, Elliott Brown