In Europe, summer is synonymous with music festivals. And as far as such events go, one type stands out head and shoulders above the rest – the ones dedicated to electronic music. The genre agglutinates a heady culture which, added to the fervour of audiences and its clear-cut hedonistic calling – the aim is to dance and have fun – provides a winning combo for the dog days on the Old Continent to throng with must-visit electronic gatherings.

Mysteryland is one of these events, as well as a must-attend rendezvous for all dance lovers or anyone eager to revel in festivals radiating a special charm. Mysteryland offers both ingredients on the weekend of 26 and 27 August – a high-carat lineup and the privileged grounds of Floriade, a complex of gardens and lakes just twenty-five kilometres from Amsterdam and just five from Schiphol, one of the main airports in the capital of the Netherlands.

The best way to get to the Floriade gardens is by train, although the festival organisers offer a bus service from Hoofddorp station in the Haarlemmermeer municipality. This region is famed for its forests and also features the Cruquius Museum, its centrepiece being the largest steam engine in the world, and the legendary Stelling van Amsterdam, a line of wartime fortifications of great historical importance.

Returning to Mysteryland, as intimated earlier, one of its claims to fame is its stunning lineup of artists and groups. Even the most avid fans will be satiated by a clutch of nearly two hundred performances, as will those eager to learn more about dance culture. These two hundred concerts and DJ sessions, backed by powerful visuals and pyrotechnic shows, will be hosted at various venues scattered about the Floriade gardens. Take, for instance, the programme scheduled for the main stage, an all-star game of contemporary electronic music headed by Deadmau5, Alesso,Alok, Broederliefde, Charming Horses, Craig David, Armin van Buuren, Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Benny Rodrigues, Digital Farm Animals, Made in June, Oliver Heldensand Sam Feldt (live), among others.

And, apart from the two main stages, the festival also boasts a space for the legendary Dave Clarke – a not-to-be-missed appointment – as well as the prestigious Mad Decent label, with Ape Drums, Boaz van de Beatz, Boombox Cartel and Dillon Francis. It also has a spot for the Dutch producer couple, Jordy and Sander Huisman, and their MC, Yuki Kempees – together they make up Kris Kross Amsterdam.

Aside from the lineup, Mysteryland offers several options for accommodation. Most suited to all pockets is the campsite at the festival grounds. Access is included in the price of some of the camping packages which you can check out here. The camping area is open from 25 to 28 August and, if you go for it, you also get an extra musical billing, a number of performances in the campsite itself, where you can get into the festival pre-party and the Saturday after-party. The latter is only suitable for the more gung ho, assuming they haven’t already flaked out after a weekend of non-stop dancing. And, if you prefer the comfort of a hotel, Mysteryland also offers ticket packages and day entry plus hotel accommodation.

A couple of tips for ensuring your Mysteryland experience is unforgettable. The festival organisers urge everyone to wear bold outfits, so don’t be shy when it comes to choosing something outlandish – the more colourful, the better. And, listen up – don’t forget to bring along your earplugs – the concert performers and DJs will be blaring out liberally, so their use is officially recommended. In fact, if you forget them at home, you can get some earplugs at the information stands in the Floriade gardens.

Gear up to the rhythm of electronic music at Mysteryland – book your Vueling to Amsterdam here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez Pons

Movie tourism is a fun way to explore a city, discovering the places where some of our favorite scenes were filmed and where our favorite actors ever acted.
No one can deny the close relationship between Sicily and the cinema when 60 kilometers from Palermo, we come across a city like Corleone that makes the island a world tourist destination for curious and moviegoers.
Let us therefore take a tour around the locations of one of the most famous trilogies in movie history!

1.- Massimo Theatre

The Masimo Theatre in Palermo is located in Piazza Verdi and is the largest of the opera houses in Italy and the third largest in Europe, a neoclassical building dating from the nineteenth century.

On the front steps of this Opera House in Sicily, Coppola filmed the final scene of the film The Godfather III, one of the highlighted moments, in which Mary, Michael Corleone’s daughter, is killed by a gunman while the Intermezzo for Pietro Mascagni Cavaleria’s Opera Rusticana is played on the background .

2.- Villa Malfitano

This neo-Renaissance villa style is found in Via Dante Alighieri, 167 and is home to the Whitaker Foundation. The art collections compiled by the owner during his travels, like furniture, paintings, porcelain and Flemish tapestries from the sixteenth century garnish the rooms in the inside. Its beautiful garden is rated 5 hectares with curious plants from around the world, such as Tunisia, Sumatra, Australia, and some 150 different kinds of orchids. You can visit Villa Malfitano every morning from Monday to Saturday

Here took place the toast to Anthony‘s debut as opera singer. Anthony is the son of Michael Corleone.

3.- Castello degli Schiavi

Castello degli Schiavi, a Sicilian villa into decay already used in 1968 by Pier Paolo Pasolini to shoot some scenes for the movie The orgy is located  in Via Marina Fiumefreddo,  in the other end of the island. But surely, appearing in The Godfather I and II, has made the castle famous. Coppola used it for various scenes, especially is remembered for being Michael Corelone‘s death place.

4.- Corleone

Even if the name makes this famous family come to your mind, Corleone was not the real place for the film’s shooting. Want to know why? By the time of filming “The Godfather”,  a judge’s murderer was nearby so they had to find new location for filming scenes corresponding to Corleone. They finally took place in two small coastal towns: Savoca and Forza D’Agro.

Despite his fame, today Corleone is a key city in the fight against the Mafia. The proof of this is Laboratorio della Legalità, a museum center founded by organizations involved in fighting the mafia, and dedicated to Magistrate Paolo Borsellino, killed during the mafia’s massacres. At the time, this building provided shelter to Bernardo Provenzano, the head of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra until his arrest in 2006.

Do not leave Corleone without trying their famous cannoli, a Sicilian origin dessert prepared here as nowhere else! This is a tube-shaped pasta filled with sweet creamy made of ricotta . “Leave the gun, take the canoli” says Peter Clemenza in a movie scene.

5.- Other Sicilian movie sites

If you are interested in this type of film tourism, you can also get close to Chiusa Sclafani, the magical village that inspired Giuseppe Tornatore to create Giancaldo in Cinema Paradiso as well as Bagheria, Castelbuono, Cefalu, Palazzo Adriano  or Santa Flavia de Sicila.  Piazza Bellini in  Palermo was the scene of some sequences for Talented Mister Ripley.

Imagen de Michael Urso

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

You’ve spent the whole day traipsing about the city, tracking down the legacy of the Habsburgs in Vienna, soaking up its architectural gems, like Schönbrunn Palace, and visiting such splendid museums as the Albertina. The heat is oppressive – recall that it is not always cold in Vienna and in summer it bears its brighter side, as long as it doesn’t rain. You are also starting to become fatigued. Maybe it’s time to take a breather and chill out on your visit to Europe’s “musical capital”. You have heard a lot about the city’s magnificent cafés and the weighty tradition surrounding them, but what increasingly draws your attention is the sheer number of ice-cream parlours scattered about the Austrian capital. Time to check out whether Viennese ice-creams have anything on the popular Italian ice-creams. And, you are amazed to find that the Italian fare has found a stiff competitor in Vienna!

In a nutshell, this could be the experience of many tourists or other travellers passing through the city on discovering the Viennese penchant for this refreshing confectionery. You might wonder how ice-creams ever arrived here in the first place, and how they got to be so good. After doing a bit of research into the history of ice-cream, the first thing you realise is how muddled are the references when it comes to establishing a place and time when that creamy delight first appeared on the scene. However, it transpires that it first came to light in Mesopotamia around 4,000 BC in the form of boiled rice mixed with spices and milk, all wrapped in snow. This is one of the diverse forms the original recipe seems to have acquired. It was the Italians who spread it across Europe, while the French started adding some fresh ingredients to the blend. What all the sources consulted coincide in is that ice-cream reached Vienna in the 19th century, brought here by northern Italians, and that the city played an important role in applying new techniques to ice-cream making. It would not be amiss to conclude that the Viennese flair for crafting confectionery, added to the skills of the Italians when making ice-cream, inevitably led to such a successful final outcome.

So, if you’re planning to escape to Vienna, be sure to add to your to-do list the task of venturing into the heart of its myriad ice-cream parlours and trying out their refreshing delicacies. The city is said to have the largest concentration of ice-cream parlours in Europe. Among the most popular venues are Eissalon am Schwedenplatz (located in the Schwedenplatz), Zanoni & Zanoni,which is at Lugeck 7, and the Gelateria Hoher Markt,on Hoher Markt. Another well-known chain of parlours is Paolo Bortolotti, which has three venues on Mariahilferstrasse. And if, in addition to getting tasty ice-cream, you would like it served up in an ambience charged with design, then Eis Greissler is your spot. When it comes to choice, there are even vegan ice-creams to be had – the place to go is Veganista, located in the Seventh District.

Incidentally, for those of you who are fans of Empress Elisabeth – better known asSissi,whose presence is one of the leading draws on any visit to Vienna – one snippet of her lifestyle claims that, as part of her unusual and limited diet, she regarded violet ice-cream as one of her few favourite foods. So, you might want to try that original flavour.

Venture on a getaway to Vienna to savour their tempting ice-creams. Book your Vueling here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Up to Sardinia, the second largest island in the Mediterranean, comes all kinds of tourism attracted by its fantastic contrasts. Big claims are its magnificent landscapes, crystal clear waters and beaches – that nothing have to envy to the beaches of the Caribbean-, considered to be one of the most beautiful in the world. But up to Sardinia becomes also a tourism seeking to discover their valuable cultural legacy.

Ancestral traditions and rural ambiences that intermingle with modern cities and, in many areas, a luxurious tourism with big purchasing power. The fact that till not long ago, the island was a slightly exploited turísticamente, it does that the Sardinians still preserve predisposition is good towards the tourism. They always prove to be kind and ready to help and to advise.

Olbia is located in the North of the island. Olbia means ‘happy town’ and is not for less!. Here you will find that, for some, are the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean. It will cost you to choose between all of them, with its crystal clear waters and fine white sand. The beaches of Porto Istana, Lido del Sole, Li Cuncheddi, Bados, Il Pelikano happening by the 55 kilometres from the Coast Emerald in a postcard landscapes. And for the more daring, remember that it is an excellent area to practice the exciting kite surfing!

The Coast Emerald is a holiday place of jet set. The area of the gulf in which it places Olbia finds full luxurious yachts, and it is frequented by celebrities of all kinds that culture and history come attracted by the fascinating nature miscellany. And the fact is that Olbia preserves historical buildings and architectural value as the Town hall, the Romanesque iglésia of San Simplicio, the ruins cistenses or the Carthaginian wall.

The city of Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia, is located on seven hills (Sant’Elia, Bonaria, Monte Urpinu, Castello, Monte Claro, Tuvixeddu San Michele), in the gulf south of Sardinia and surrounded by marshes. Cagliari, and the entire island of Cerdagne in general, retains important vestiges of the Phoenician and Roman civilizations, and a true medieval air. You ll marvel at their culture, and the taste of marinera capital.

The oldest district of the town is the Castello, in which are the main points of interest. Perched high on a hill, you can easily access, either from the elevator of the market of Santa Chiara, from which it is located near to the Torre di San Pancrazio or climbing the staircase of St Remy that comes out of the piazza Constituzione. This square is a very lively place at night, with performances and lively local.In the district of la Marina, more mediterranean atmosphere, with plenty of typical taverns to eat. And let’s not forget the beaches! The most popular is the of Poetto, and one of the most beautiful of all the Mediterranean, as well as the marshes where you can see a host of migratory birds such as flamingos.

Finally, mention her excellent gastronomy. As in the rest of the Mediterranean, Sardinia is an island rich in healthy products from land and sea. Starting with its typical bread, the pane pane Carasau – of thin mass and crunchy, which many times is served drizzled with olive oil or to which you add tomato, fried egg or cheese. If you want to apply for a rich incoming, choose between the octopus, tuna, soup of fish, squid, shrimp, a dish of pasta or the rich rice that so well prepared. To choose a wine, keep in mind that the best come from the area of Alghero or Oristan.

Imagen de Max.oppo

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