Fez, also known as the mazy city of Morocco is one of the country’s most ancient and best-preserved cities, conserving its authenticity and exoticism with a an architecture that has remained practically untouched for centuries. What is perhaps most striking in this North African city is the fact that its less touristy and crowded, especially if you compare it to its neighbour, Marrakech. For this reason, it has a special charm that allows oneself to submerge into the culture of the citizens, without feeling suffocated by the sellers and merchants that often bother travellers in other Moroccan cities.

1.- Medina Fes el-Bali

The highlight of our trip to Fez is precisely in the maze that is made up by more than a hundred districts ofFes el-Bali, that are full of narrow streets with thousands of turning points and dead ends. UNESCO has protected it since 1967, as it is considered the oldest part of the city, which concentrates some of the most important monuments.

In the past, according to the law, each district was obliged to have a mosque, a religious school, a bakery, fountain and hammam. The Mausoleum of Moulay Idris and the Al Karaouine, together with the Koranic schools Attarine and Bou Inania boast an exquisite architecture that deserves to be seen. The latter, Bou Inania can be visited by non-Muslims, with an exception of the prayer rooms.

The Medina Fes el- Jdid or New Medina was raised by the Merindia dynasty in the twelfth century, outside the old town. It is full of mansions with Andalusian patios, gardens, mosques and new souks, but mostly what makes it interesting is the swanky Royal Palace of golden gates, every so often cleaned with a curious mixture of lemon juice, salt and vinegar. The Mellah or Jewish quarter, which stands in the heart of Fes el- Jdid, close to the palace also offers a large market thanks to the Grand Rue, Boulevard Bou Ksissat, contrasting with the of the facades and balconies of traditional Muslim architecture, where privacy reigns.

3.- La Ville Nouvelle

In order to complete our tour of Fez, we must not forget to visit the Ville Nouvelle, the newest part of the city that was built following the French protectionism during the twentieth century. Most urbanites enjoy this area reserved for the more affluent locals, with their walk through the Avenue Hassan II and the Boulevard Mohammed V. There’s an entire collection of glamorous bars with terraces, restaurants, ice cream parlours and bakeries. Boutiques fill the streets of movement and make the Ville Nouvelle an ideal place for the classic mint tea with typical pastries that help regain strength after an afternoon of shopping.

Picture by NaSz451

Text by Blanca Frontera

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.

Krakow is the most touristic and historic city in Poland. In fact, the historic centre was declared UNESCO World Heritage Site because even the city was destroyed by the German army during the World War II, since the reconstruction of the historic quarter -known as Stare Miaso – started in 1950, trying to reconstruct it as close as possible to what it was originally.

The hearth of the city is Rynek Glówny, one of the biggest squares in Europe, always cheerful because of the street musicians and the tourists. By night, the gas lamps still light this place, projecting shadows on the walls of the buildings surrounding the square, from 14th and 15th century, giving this location an atmosphere both gloomy and romantic.

Nowadays, Krakow is a great destination for tourists but still remains all its past in order to have a promising future.

The old Jewish ghetto

It was not located in the current Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, but a bit further, in the Podgórze district. From the original, only parts of the wall remain, some of the streets and a memorial square to the heroes of the ghetto (Plac Bohaterów Getta) with big metal chairs that represent their stolen belongings when they arrived to the ghetto.

Krakow’s ghetto was founded in 1941 and as the Nazi genocide intensified, it began to be overpopulated and people died of hunger or diseases or, even worst, they were killed in the streets.

Aguila pharmacy

Nevertheless, stores were allowed to remain operative. Tadeusz Pankiewicz, the owner of the pharmacy Aquila (Apteka pod Orlem), had a significant role for the Jewish. The pharmacy was a valuable meeting point to smuggle with food, medicines and other valuable objects.

Because of that, Tadeusz Pankiewicz received a honourable mention from the state of Israel. In 2004, Roman Polanski and Steven Spielberg managed the restoration of the pharmacy, which is now part of the city History Museum, showing the murder of Jewish in the ghetto and what an important role the pharmacy had. Polanski, who escaped from the ghetto when he was a child, dedicated his Oscar award for The Pianist to Pankiewicz.

Schindler factory

Another awarded movie made a factory near the ghetto very famous. The history of Oscar Schindler’s factory – which is now also a museum – appeared in the known movie by Steven Spielberg.

The exhibition at this factory, titled “Nazi occupation (1939-1945)” includes an exhibition, reconstructions, images, objects from that period and sounds that make the visit a vivid experience, experiencing what Polish experienced during the Nazi occupation.

Krakow Jewish neighbourhood

The Jewish neighbourhood Kazimierz, formed by one of the biggest Jewish communities in Europe before the World War II, is nowadays a charming and bohemian neighbourhood, with cheerful streets, odd stores and craft workshops, also with a great variety of restaurants serving Hebrew cuisine.

Here you can visit the Old Synagogue (the oldest in Poland), the Remuh Synagogue, next to the Jewish cemetery, or the spectacular Catholic churches of Saint Catherine or the c he Crypt at Skałka. As a curiosity, you should know that this is the place where Spielberg filmed his movie Schindler's List.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

About 60 kilometres away of Krakow there is the sadly famous concentration camps Auschwitz I – first to be built - and Auschwitz II (or Birkenau), built after as an extermination camp.

You can get here easily by train or bus, leaving from the central station for trains and buses at Kraków Główny, it takes about one hour and a half to get there.

The shameful significance of this place is because it is the largest concentration camp built during the Nazi regime and the largest extermination in history, over one million people where killed here. Nowadays, it remains as a memorial to prevent this atrocities to happen again and to not forget the atrocities that took place here.

Cracovia by FotoCavallo |  Auschwitz by Gigatel Cyf Ltd. | Fábrica de Schindler by Noa Cafri | Barrio judio de Cracovia by Jakub Hałun

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

In effect, Dublin is an integral part of U2’s makeup. Just a few months back they released Songs of Innocence, which Bono describes as the most personal album they have ever recorded. This, the thirteenth studio production of the Irish band, is a journey to their beginnings, to their infancy and youth. It is a period of dreams waiting to come true, with The Ramones or The Clash as the soundtrack, and Dublin as the eternal, vital backdrop. Now is undoubtedly the best time ever to visit the Irish capital – even more so if we are grooved by the beat of these innocent songs – and stroll along the streets that have witnessed the evolution of one of the foremost bands in the history of rock.

Mount Temple Comprehensive School
This was where it all started. Larry Mullen Jr. put up a sign on the school noticeboard looking for musicians to form a rock group. The call was heeded by Bono, The Edge and his brother, Dick Evans (who would be replaced soon after by Adam Clayton). Thus was Feedback born, later becoming The Hype and, finally, U2. Malahide Road.

Bonavox
Paul David Hewson did not become Bono until his childhood friend, Derek “Guggi” Rowan, happened to give him that nickname. It comes from Bonavox (or “good voice”), the name of a business dealing in… hearing aids! Whether you are music lovers or merely wish to check your aural capacity, the fact is the shop is still open at 9 North Earl Street.

The Projects Arts Centre
In their early years, U2 used to perform in one of the auditoriums here. And, it was at one of these concerts that they met Paul McGuinness, the group’s manager until 2013 and a crucial figure in the quartet’s career. The Project Arts Centre now operates as an art exhibition gallery, and also hosts some of the city’s major festivals, including the Dublin Writers’ Festival, Dublin Theatre Festival, Dublin Fringe Festival and Dublin Dance Festival. 39 East Essex Street.

Windmill Lane Studios        
Understandably also known as the “U2 Studios”, as it was here they recorded their first EP,Three(1979) and the subsequent albums, Boy (1980), October (1981), War (1983), The Unforgettable Fire (1984) and The Joshua Tree (1987). The studios are located at 4 Windmill Lane, a street full of graffiti originally linked to the group; so much so that it is known as the U2 Graffiti Wall. It now features all kinds of street art. 4 Windmill Lane, Dublin 2.

Grand Canal Docks  
Dublin’s dockside is one of the city’s enclaves most closely related to U2 iconography. The setting, highly representative of the spirit of Dublin, has been used by the quartet throughout their career as a backdrop for their record covers (October), videos (Gloria) and photographic sessions (like one they had in 2000 with the Dutch photographer, Anton Corbijn. Hanover Quay.

The Clarence Hotel
In 1992, Bono and The Edge purchased The Clarence. Built in 1852, the originally 2-star hotel was revamped under their supervision, becoming one of the city’s most luxurious hotels. And, as the Irish singer asserts, “For The Edge to have somewhere to stay until later”, they turned the basement into The Kitchen, a disco which the leading lights of electronic music have made their port of call. 6-8 Wellington Quay.

Fitzwilliam Place
Bono once forgot Ali’s birthday. His wife was so upset she was on the verge of throwing him out. The singer made his apologies in the form of a song – The Sweetest Thing. Originally released as a B-side on the single, Where the Streets Have No Name, it later became the first single on the compilation album, The Best of 1980-1990. Recorded on 20 September 1998, the video moves along this central street of Dublin. The videos Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own and Pride (In the Name of Love) are also set in Dublin. Fitzwilliam Place.

Hanover Quay
After leaving Windmill Lane Studios, U2 set up their studios in Hanover Quay. Located in the harbour area, the complex comprises two buildings – one acts as a rehearsal space; the other, a recording studio and editing room. It was there that U2 developed their discs, Pop (1997), All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000), How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (2004) and No Line On The Horizon (2009). Interestingly enough, the Kilsaran Concrete cement factory located opposite the studios had a bench installed in their foyer for followers of the group to wait in comfort for their idols to appear. 18 Hanover Quay, Dublin 2.

Finnegan’s of Dalkey
Celebrated for its culinary offerings, Finnegan’s of Dalkey is Bono’s favourite pub. He is so fond of it that, whenever he gets a visit from a celebrity friend (Michelle Obama, Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Salman Rushdie…), he takes them to this typical Irish pub for a pint of Guinness. It was opened by Dan Finnegan, one of whose seven sons, Peter Finnegan, emigrated to Valencia where, in the central Plaza de la Reina, he opened a twin Finnegan’s Of Dublin pub. 2 Sorrento Road.

St. Stephen’s Green
In 2000, Bono and The Edge were awarded the title, “Freeman of the City of Dublin”. Among the privileges that go with this honour, they were authorised to graze sheep on St. Stephen’s Green – no mean feat! The day after receiving the award, the singer and guitarist made an appearance in this popular park in the city centre flanked by two sheep, which they christened “My Little Lamb” and “Michael Jackson”. St. Stephen’s Green.

Wall Of Fame
The Wall Of Fame, a tribute to the leading names in Irish music, stands at 20 Temple Lane Street, one of the liveliest and most crowded streets in Dublin. The wall displays photos of Van Morrison, Sinéad O’Connor, Thin Lizzy, Rory Gallagher, The Undertones, Bob Geldof, Boyzone… However, one shot which stands out above all of them and effectively steals the limelight shows the very young U2 band members on the beach at Sandymount Strand, another of their favourite spots. And, while you’re there, make sure you drop in at the historic Temple Bar with their live music every night and some delicious oysters. 20 Temple Lane South.

The Little Museum Of Dublin
Opposite St. Stephen’s Green and hard by Grafton Street stands The Little Museum Of Dublin, an art gallery which showcases Dublin’s modern history. Prominent among their permanent exhibitions is “U2 Made In Dublin”. Ranging from original posters from their earliest concerts, to a Trabant from the Zoo TV Tour era, this is one of the largest and best collections of objects related to the band, all of them gifted by the quartet’s fans. 15 St Stephen’s Green.

The company, Dublin Differently, offers guided tours of the most celebrated settings in the city, retracing U2’s career, from their studios to The Clarence Hotel. So, make haste! Come and discover a bit more about one of the best rock bands of all time. Check out our flights to Dublin here.

Text by Oriol Rodríguez for ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Matt McGee, Phil Romans, William Murphy, dronepicr