Amid Italy’s abundance of churches and chapels, mansions and museums, and the marble and bronze sculptures accumulating over the centuries, sometimes you need a break. And when you’re in Milan, the best place to go for a breath of fresh mountain air is Lake Como, a 146 km² Y-shaped body of water overlooked by the snow-capped Rhaetian Alps. Nestling on the verdant hillsides around the lake shore are a number of appealing towns such as the exquisite Bellagio, atop a hill in the crux of the “Y”, and the town of Como itself, the largest in the region. The lake, also known as Lario, is one of the prettiest places in all of Lombardy. The glacial, pre-alpine lake, as much as 400 meters deep, is ringed by mountains up to 2,700 metres tall, where you get magnificent views of the lake below. The area is rich in history and tradition, and is a favourite spot for recreation and relaxation. Splendid 17^th C. lakeshore villas, many with lush gardens, abound, as do rural Romanesque churches.

If you have time on the way to the lake or back to Milan, a journey taking about an hour by car, you should explore the green landscapes of the Brianza zone, dotted with villages and castles on the banks of the Adda and Lambro rivers.

A Trip on the Lake

There are numerous options for moving around on the lake. We recommend crossing it by ferry or hydrofoils. The Navigazione Lago di Como company operates services all year round from the dock on the northern extreme of the Piazza Cavour. You can also choose a Venetian-style vaporetto to get around the lake, stopping at the several charming towns on the shore, such as Cernobbio, Tremezzo, Cadenabia, and Menaggio. Visit a café for capuccino and a brioche, or a restaurant for a plate of good fresh pasta for lunch –served at midday in Italy– while drinking in the natural grandeur of the lake and surrounding landscape.

A Stroll through Como

There’s plenty to see in the elegant and prosperous town of Como, with a population of some 90,000. City walls built in the 12^th C. still stand around the old quarter. For several centuries the city’s main industry has been the weaving of silk items, and you can buy silk scarves and neckties at discount prices. Blankets of flowers in the spring and summer make the lakeshore town even more picturesque. The tourist office will help you plan a walking or cycling tour of Como, which is sure to include the Duomo, with its magnificent marble front. Inside it you’ll find architectural elements and decoration in Baroque, Romanesque, and Renaissance styles. A few hundred metres south of the city walls, behind the Viale Innocenzo XI, is the beautifully preserved 11^th C. Romanesque Basilica di Sant’Abbondio, with 14^th C. frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Christ. Another must-see is the 6^th C. Basilica di San Fedele, with three naves and three apses, a lovely 16^th C. rose window, and frescoes.

A Place to Eat

Much to be recommended is the Ristorante Sociale, next to the city’s theatre. A favourite with locals as well as visitors, its exposed brick walls are adorned with allegorical frescoes you can admire while dining, along with the curious baroque fireplace. A dish you should sample is the excellentrisottowith chicory. The average cost per person is 25-30 euros.

Come to Como! Check out our fares to Milan here!

Text:  Isabel y Luis Comunicación

Photos: Italia Agenzia Nazionale del Turismo

By Michael Schuermann from Easy Hiker

The French Riviera is best understood not as a region or an area but as a single town, a thin coastal strip of settlements never more than a kilometre deep that is stretched out over a distance of 50 miles, like an extruded French version of Los Angeles.

With two hours in Nice, the capital of the French Riviera, you can even play the game “which is which” – with Monaco standing in for Beverly Hills, Cannes rivalling Hollywood in movie star glamour and Menton probably coming closest to the more charming LA neigbourhoods such as Santa Monica or Venice.

And Nice, the largest town on the Côte d’Azur, would undoubtedly be the equivalent of downtown L.A.

If you are an American, you would probably find nothing strange about visiting the French Riviera without going to see its “capital” at least once. I have a friend who lived in LA for five years and had never once been to the downtown area. For Europeans like me, that is a strange, strange thought.

So we did go to Nice for a day-trip, and so should you if you can.

There are more glamorous towns along the coast, cuter ones too, but few that put all the things that make the French Riviera so great into a single, tight package: urbanity, openness, glamour, beaches. Nice has got it all.

Start at the train station, cross the road and head straight down the Avenue Durante to the beach promenade, ……

… the Promenade des Anglais, probably the most famous street along the Côte d’Azur. Take a brief turn to the right for a look at the Hotel Negresco and its famous pink cupola, rumoured to have been modelled after, ahem, les gazongas of the architect’s mistress (oh, the Belle Epoque!)…

… and the equally splendid Hotel Maison de la Mediterranee before turning back along the coast in the direction of the Old Town.

Key sites include the magnificent Opera on Rue Saint Francois de Paule …

… the Cours Saleya with its daily markets of flowers and antiques …

… and the atmospheric Place du Palais with the Palais Rusca, one of the town’s most famous landmarks.

Once you have explored the Old Town a little, it should be just about the right time for lunch. We suggest you go into one of the many shops that serve a local specialty called Socca, aromatic pancakes made from chickpea flour baked in a wood-fired oven. Served with nothing but a pinch of salt and pepper, it’s simply delicious.

If you have had any doubt as to whether Nice is an Italian town or not: Place Garibaldi with its colonnades and a statue of Italy’s national hero – who was actually born in Nice (when the town was still a part of Italy) –will provide you with all the evidence you need.

Walk from here to the Place Massena, another of the city’s main squares …

… and finally down Avenue Jean Medecin, the city’s main shopping street, back to the train station.

There are many sites for which you will not find the time within a two hour visit, such as the famous orthodox church (you will get a tempting glimpse when you depart or arrive by train), but you can always come back, of course. We know that we certainly will.

By Michael Schuermann from Easy Hiker

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

It never fails to surprise that the main – and intensely photographed – claim to Pisa’s fame should be a leaning tower with an inclination presaging a long overdue fall. It is not the only tilting building in the city, but it is the most famous one. That’s what comes from daring to site architectural creations of some considerable height on marshy ground. However Pisa is worth a lot more, so take your time to discover all the other facets of this beautiful Tuscan city.

1. Piazza dei Miracoli – The Stellar Landmark

A World Heritage Site, it has the honour of hosting the city’s most visited landmark, as well as being one of the most immortalised in Italy – the Leaning Tower. That is what draws tourists to the square, but there are other architectural gems here, too. Apart from the tower, there is the Duomo with its spectacular central body in bronze, and the pulpit, masterfully carved by Giovanni Pisano from 1302 to 1310; the Baptistry, built from the Romanesque period to the 14th century, its standout feature being the pulpit by Nicola Pisano, regarded as a forerunner of the Renaissance, and the Camposanto with its 600 tombstones, prominent being the frescoes decorating the gallery walls.

2. Pisa’s Other Piazzas

Pisa has other piazzas apart from the Miracoli and more monuments to see than those in the celebrated square. A case in point is the Piazza dei Cavalieri (Knights’ Square) with its magnificent palaces, notably the Palazzo del Popolo e degli Anziani (Palace of the People and the Elders), the Palazzo dell'Orologio (Clock Palace) and the stunning Church of Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri. For many, though, the greatest attraction is the university atmosphere that pervades the square. The same atmosphere can be had in the Piazza Dante Alighieri, where the standout landmark is the Sapienza, a building housing the Law Faculty and Library of Pisa University.

3. Pisa’s Other Leaning Buildings

Building on marshy ground like in Pisa has its drawbacks, as constructions are likely to become unstable. Thus, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is not the only building affected by this phenomenon. Others which reveal their walls to be tilted include the Duomo and the Baptistry and the campaniles of the Chiesa di San Nicola and Chiesa di San Michele degli Scalzi.

4. Keith Haring’s Mega Graffiti

The only graffiti Keith Haring executed in 1989 as a permanent mural, marking a departure from his custom of producing temporary works, one of the essential traits of graffiti. It is located on the south wall of the Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate and covers a surface of 180 square metres. Entitled Tuttomondo, it is a tribute to peace and harmony in the world and is immediately recognisable from his unmistakeable style of simplified human figures.

5. Strolling Along the Arno Riverbank

The river Arno passes through Pisa on the last leg of its journey before flowing into the sea, having left behind the irresistible Florence and much of Tuscany. On its passage through Pisa, the Arno is flanked by splendid palaces, so be sure to wander along the lungarni as the streets bordering the river are known.

6. Upbeat University Atmosphere

Pisa has one of Italy’s most prestigious universities, which accounts for the atmosphere one breathes throughout the city, filled as it is with students. This is also the reason for the host of café terraces and venues where you can stop to refuel on a tour of the city. Apart from sightseeing breathers, it is also the ideal spot for those who like to go out in the evening.

Now that you have the essential pointers for visiting Pisa, all that’s left is to book your Vueling and enjoy it!

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by bvi4092

Milan is celebrated as having one of the highest economic development rates among Italy’s cities. It is also famed for being one of the international hubs of fashion and design. When considering a trip to this incredible city, we inevitably think of attending one of its great fashion shows, roaming through its boundless Furniture Fair or delighting in window shopping its fabulous stores and splashing out on the amazing apparel, if we can afford it.

Some head for Milan to soak up its cultural assets by visiting its most emblematic monuments, notably the Duomo or the Castello Sforzesco, relishing the artworks housed in the Pinacoteca di Brera, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana and the Museo del Novecento, or venturing into the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. There, the art lover is greeted by one of the icons of art history, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Then again, others prefer to don their finery to attend an opera performance in the iconic Teatro alla Scala.

The Carnevale Ambrosiano

No less celebrated is one of Milan’s more spirited, entertaining facets – its Carnival. When the subject of Italy’s carnivals comes up, it is common to talk about the two most popular instances in the land. First, the Venice Carnival, with its magnificent face masks and spectacular period costumes, which unfolds against the magical backdrop of that unique city. The other is the Viareggio Carnival, where festival-goers never fail to be amazed by the mechanical ingenuity of the floats that file past during the parade.

The Carnevale Ambrosiano, as Milan’s carnival is known, offers a peculiarity which makes it stand out from the rest – its duration. Carnival usually ends on Carnival Tuesday, also known as Mardi Gras, which then gives way to Ash Wednesday, marking the start of Lent. In the case of Milan, it extends four more days, lasting until the Saturday, known locally as Sabato Grasso. And, it’s not merely because of some whim, as the reason for its duration is related to a long-standing legend. It is said that the bishop, St Ambrose, the patron saint of Milan, who happened to be on a long pilgrimage in foreign lands, requested an extension of Carnival until his return to the city, as he wished to celebrate the start of Lent with all his people.

Like any noteworthy carnival, the Milan Carnival prizes itself on its parades and street festivities, characterised by a fanfare of colour, music and festive atmosphere. On the Saturday, the crowning event is a grand parade which ends in one of the city’s most emblematic spots, the Piazza del Duomo.

One of the standout aspects of this Carnival is the traditional costume known as the Meneghino. Just as the figure of the harlequin is traditional in Bergamo, or Pantaleon in Venice, the Milan Carnival has its own popular figure, drawn from the Italian Commedia dell'arte. TheMeneghinocan be spotted by his three-cornered hat.

Among the traditional confectionery loved by the Milanese are the chiacchiere and bugie, simple fried pastries made of flour and coated in castor sugar which are ideal for topping up your strength between one street party and the next.

Don your mask and come to Milan to delight in its Carnival!

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by gnuckx