A visit to the Colosseum, a stroll through the Vatican Museums or enjoying long walks along the Tiber riverbanks are some of the must-do activities on a Rome getaway. And, if you’re also keen on Italian food, you can taste all kinds of pizzas and pasta, and go crazy on the huge variety of Italian desserts, in any of the countless osterias and trattorias the city has to offer.

While best known for its millennial history and exquisite culinary tradition, Rome is also renowned for being one of the best places in Europe to eat ice-cream. The idea that ice-cream is only for the hot weather is now rather outmoded. Indeed, thousands of tourists and locals flock to Italian ice-cream parlours all year around, eager to enjoy the unique flavour of genuine Italian gelato.One, two or up to three flavours, and the irresistible touch of a panna (cream) topping, suffice to yield an unforgettable experience.

Finding a good ice-cream in the city is quite straightforward, but the choice is overwhelming and there is also the likelihood of being scammed. To play it safe, we recommend the following five essential ice-cream parlours in the big, beautiful and eternal Rome.

1. Giolitti
A classic among classics, this centrally located and famous ice-cream parlour is responsible for Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck having eaten ice-cream in the film, Roman Holiday. Open to the public since the year 1900, this spot is easy to find as it is always crammed with customers. Their ice-creams are made using 100% natural ingredients, and it shows. Via Uffici del Vicario, 40

2. Old Bridge
The English name of this establishment is no more than an excuse to try one of the most traditional ice-creams in Rome. No frills and additive-free, the ice-cream at Old Bridge is well known. You are likely to emerge from the parlour holding a three-flavour cone topped with a good dollop of homemade cream. Viale dei Bastioni Di Michelangelo, 5

3. Otaleg
At Otaleg you can see them making ice-cream using craft methods in their open-plan workshop. The sophisticated decor makes for the perfect all-enveloping environment where you can enjoy both classic flavours and more daring offerings, like a cheese and pepper ice-cream. As well, be sure to try their melon and raspberry ice-cream before leaving. Viale dei Colli Portuensi, 594

4. Gelateria della Palma
This ice-cream parlour is backed by more than thirty years of exquisite labour. With its menu of over 150 flavours and their loyalty to top-quality fresh ingredients, the Gelateria della Palma never fails to please. What’s more, apart from ice-cream, we also recommend you try their cassata (a traditional Sicilian cake of ricotta, sponge, marzipan, glace fruit and castor sugar), chocolates and famous tiramisu. Via della Maddalena, 19-23

5. Da Quinto
Next to the Piazza Navona, Da Quinto has been operating since 1915 and is one of the best known ice-cream parlours in town. The walls of the establishment are plastered with photos of famous people who have been there. One of their specialities is chocolate and orange ice-cream. Simply delightful! Via di Tor Millina, 15

Book your Vueling to Rome and get ready to try their magnificent ice-creams.

Text by Aleix Palau

Genzano is a charming town built on one of Rome’s hills. Every year it hosts the Infiorata di Genzano, when its main street, the Via Italo Belardi, is carpeted by 2,000 square metres of enormous tapestries adorned with flowers. This artwork uses up nearly 500,000 petals, flowers and seeds meticulously placed to form intricate pictures inspired by religious themes. It is a collaborative venture involving many of Genzano’s inhabitants. Just as painters have their palette, for the Infiorata, different types of flowers are selected according to each colour – carnations are used for reds, broom for yellows.

For the three-day duration of the festival, the town’s shopkeepers set up their marquees from where they sell the region’s typical food products, such as olive oil or pane casereccio, a famous crunchy bread and one of the most emblematic of local gastronomic products. TheInfiorataremains on the streets until the so-called Spallamento, the moment when the music bands and the town’s children walk over the infiorata, until the whole carpet is trampled underfoot.

The Origin of the Flower Carpets

These colourful flower carpets are laid down in many other towns around the world. Notable examples are the Temps de Flors in Girona and the Alfombras de Sal in Lanzarote. Their origins go back to theCorpus Christicelebrations of the 13th century, when flowers were thrown during the Holy Week procession in Rome, a tradition that then spread to many other Catholic countries. Other towns in Italy also have their own infiorata, but the one in Genzano is the oldest and most famous, dating back to 1778.

The Historical Towns of Castelli Romani

Genzano is one of thirteen historical towns that make up the so-called Castelli Romani (Roman castles), which roughly correspond to the area of Colli Albani (Albanian hills) south-east of Rome. For centuries it has been a favourite spot for well-heeled Romans seeking a more temperate climate, to escape from the often suffocating heat of Rome and also to get away from the city bustle and dense traffic. The towns in the Castelli Romani Regional Park stand out for their medieval and Renaissance buildings and for their excellent wine, the so-called white Frascati. You can taste this wine, accompanied by olives, cheese andporchetta– a roast pork dish with herbs – at the local taverns or fraschette.

Genzano – A Charming Setting

Genzano, like other towns in the Castelli Romani, is set on the external slope of the Lake Nemicrater. Indeed, the volcanic origin of the soil is what endows the grapes used in the wine-making with their excellent quality. Its historic centre has a large number of historical and art vestiges for a town of its comparatively small size, including the Collegiata della Santissima Trinità (Collegiate Church of the Holy Trinity), the Annunziata, the Church of the Cappuccini, and the Sforza Cesarini and Villa degli Antonini palaces. Lake Nemi’s claim to fame is that two of the largest and most luxurious vessels from antiquity were found in the crater – both had belonged to Caligula. For 2,000 years they rested at the bottom of the lake before eventually being salvaged in perfect condition, on account of the mud found caked around them. You will delight in the natural surroundings of the Genzano area, which is ideal for cycling. A bike tour will take you along scenic routes featuring lakes, craters and forests.

If you don’t want to miss this year’s Infiorata di Genzano, prepare your trip to this picturesque Italian town for 13, 14 and 15 June 2015. You will enjoy a spectacular event that draws thousands of visitors. Check out our flights here.

Text by Scanner FM

Images by Fabio | Claudio Vaccaro | supermiagolator | supermiagolator | Malega | Deblu68 | Valerio_D

Fuerteventura’s cuisine is as contrasted as their landscapes. A cuisine based on simple but very tasty products with a culinary tradition that goes back centuries. It has taken advantage like no other the agricultural and livestock resources and has preserved the traditions for processing. It is the case of "gofio amasado", the diet of the ancient inhabitants of the island that has been developed with flour from grain toast from long ago.

The typical dishes are the papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes)-a variety smaller than the common boiled with salt until the skin is wrinkled-, and served with a spicy sauce called Mojo. The word comes from the Portuguese molho, which means just gravy. There are generally two types of mojo: green prepared with green pepper and that is usually accompanies fish and the red mojo, with paprika that gives meat flavor.

The Majorero Cheese is elaborated in Fuerteventura, one of the most popular cheeses everywhere because of its very aromatic milk fat that majorera goats produce roaming freely around the fields.

Between the products of the land stands out the majorero tomato, grown with care in a fertile land with volcanic stones, which give an intense flavor and a great consistency and color.

But its flagship product comes from the sea. The fish is prepared in Fuerteventura in every conceivable ways: fried, roasted, sauteed or cooked and in classic recipes such as the Sancorcho, that you definitely have to try if you visit the island.

The commitment to sustainable fisheries has been successful and has allowed the proliferation of many species. Some typical are the amberjack, the dentex, the red fula , the “morena” or red pomfret, that you'll find really fresh in their restaurants.

To have a good meal in Fuerteventura, you should get away from the tourist areas and into the island. In small towns of the interior, it is still possible to find places to try truly traditional food.

To have a good meal in Fuerteventura, you should get away from the tourist areas and into the island. In small towns of the interior, it is still possible to find places to try truly traditional food.

Casa Isaítas
Calle Guize 7, Pájara
www.casaisaitas.com

Great majorera cuisine based in fresh and seasonal products. Try the local cheese, salads with products from the garden, the grilled cheese with green mojo, goat meat with sauce or a version of a dish, as it is the Ropa Vieja, but vegetarian to please everyone. To have between stone walls or in its interior and enjoy the best majorero environment.

Restaurante la Playita
Muelle Chico, La Oliva

From the sea to the stove. This area is rich in fish and at the Playita Restaurant they prepare them great. Try "la cabrita", deeply fried with good oil and from wich you can eat everything from the head and bones. And with stunning views to the sea as it is practically on the sand of the beach.

Casa Santa María
Plaza de Santa María, Betancuria

A farmhouse from the XVII century now restored and converted into a restaurant that has been awarded as the most beautiful of the island. In the historical center of Betancuria you will find this cuisine that blends traditional and experimental. Try the house specialty, the roasted kid.

Casa del Queso
Betancuria

There is also an ideal place for a quick stop and to try some of the specialties of the island in Betacuria. The Cheese House is a small venue that is located off Betancuria on the way to Pajara where you can taste the cheeses that are made in the village. If you're interested, they will explain the features of each, and if you want to take a piece home, they will vacuum pack it for you.

Picture mojo verde by Abhay Kumar | Mojo rojo by Fernando Carmona Gonzalez | Sancorcho by Canario1

A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.

This piece of land bathed by the Mediterranean harbors is one of the most beautiful places of Greece. Its spectacular beaches combine with cultural attractions, where modernity and comfort have learned to respect the tradition of one of the oldest cultures of mankind.

The capital has the same name as the island: Corfu and stands out as the largest Greek medieval city and one of the most beautiful in the Mediterranean. Let's get lost in nooks and crannies ...

Spianada

One of the must see places of Corfu is certainly Spianada Square, one of the largest in Greece in extent and meeting place for visitors and tourists.

The most prominent building in the square is the Ribbon, whose beautiful arcades provides a good shadow to take shelter from the sun. In northern Spianada stands the Palacio de San Miguel and San Jorge, which dates from the early British occupation (1814-1824) and in the east we found a Venetian fortification of the fifteenth century.

In the same square, we also find the New Fortification, the council (s XVII), the Ionian Academy and the Ionian Parliament. The Reading Company, the oldest cultural foundation of modern Greece and Ancient Prefecture, Kapodistrias old building that now houses the offices of the Ionian University.

The Corfu neighborhoods: Kampielo, Mouragia, Mantouki and Ombriaki

Getting into the bowels of the capital, we find a maze of cobbled streets. We are in the neighborhood Kampielo, the oldest and one of the Corfu that retain the charm. Following the route, we arrive at Mouragia neighborhood, an authentic coastal beauty surrounded by walls, where each photograph becomes a spectacular postcard. Down to the sea, we stumbled upon the Mantouki, in inmeiaciones the new port and the old Jewish quarter, known as the Ombriaki.

Arriving to Corfu town, find the square Soroko, landmark of modern island life and a good stop on the way to regain strength.

The art in Corfu

As we would expect, an archipelago full of history, the island of Corfu hosts three museums. The Archaeological Museum, which contains remains of excavations in situ; the Byzantine and post-Byzantine Museum of Art; and the Asian Art Museum.

The Corfu beaches

No doubt about it! We are in a privileged place to enjoy the sun and the beach. In this little slice of Mediterranean paradise, we found some spectacular beaches.

Maybe the beaches of Corfu do not enjoy the popularity of its neighbors, but we are among the best in the Mediterranean.

On the east coast, the most beautiful are Kerasia, Kouloura, Nisaki, Barbati, Dasia, and the tourist resort of Komeno, Agios Ioannis, Peristeron, Benitses... While in the north, we highlight Achavari, Sidari and Peroulades. But if we have to choose one, our favorite is Arilas, perhaps one of the most beautiful on the island, with fine sand and an assortment of small islands that give it its quaint touch.

Also nice are Paleokastrina, Ermones, Mirtiotisa and Glyfada, that has become a massive resort.

After this stop on your journey to Ithaca, we are confident that Ulysses scored on its agenda as a must to return to.

By Nadia Polo

Corfu by Bogdan Giuşcă | Corfu by Dr K | Fortaleza Frourio in Kerkyra by Tasoskessaris | Monasterios de Pondikonisi y Vlajerna en la isla de Pontikonisi by StefanosKozanis | Talon de Aquiles by Tasoskessaris | Palacio Achilleion by Thomas Schoch

Why not take a trip to Corfu? Have a look at our flights here!