By Panenka www.panenka.org

Sporting Eleven

1 Milanello Since 1963, the day to day of rossonero team happens in this wooded environment, located just 50 km. from the city,
2 Giuseppe Meazza San Siro Named as the district by Milan supporters or Giuseppe Meaza, a former neroazzurro, by the Inter supporters.
3 Ippodromo di San Siro The annex hippodrome does have the name of San Siro. Spectacular night races.
4 La Pinetina En Appiano Gentile Angelo Moratti (Massimo’s father) and HH invented the Inter sports city.
5 Mediolanum Forum The Milan Olimpia, three times European Champion and managed by Scariolo, has its home in Assago.
6 Velodromo Vigorelli The most famous velodrome in Italy where Coppi, Anquetil or Moser broke the hour record.
7 Arena Civica Gianni Brera Of Roman inspiration, dates from 1807 and since 2002 is named after the renowned journalist.
8 Orologio Inter Milan was born in 1908, at the Orologio restaurant, typical place to hang out when leaving the Scala.
9 Giro d’Italia Every year, the magnificent shadow of Duomo greets the Giro’s maglia rosa (pink jersey) in the final stage of the race.
10 La Gazzetta dello Sport At Via Solferino 28 they are writting up sports journalism’s most famous pink pages.
11 Fiaschetteria Toscana AC Milan has its first headquarters in this extinct patisserie located at via Berchet crossing with via Foscolo.

Touristic Eleven

A Santa Maria delle Grazie Leonardo’s Last Supper is situated on two of the walls of this domenican church.
B Triennale di Milano Newest of Design and Modern Art, in the Palazzo dell’Arte in Sempione Park,
C Pizzeria Biagio One of the best places to enjoy the gentle art of Italian pizza. Always reservation needed.
D I navigli It’s not Venice, but Milan also can enjoy channels. They arrive to Lake Como.
E Bar Magenta There is nothing more Lombard than appetizer before dinner. We recommend: sbagliato Negroni.
F Discoteca Hollywood It is more likely to meet any Milan or Inter player here than on the lawn of Meazza
G La Scala The Maracana for opera. Lover or not of bel canto, one of those things you have to do once in your life.
H Il DuomoThis Gothic cathedral boasts of having the largest windows in the world is surrounded by downtown Milan
I Luini The most suitable bakery for tasting panzerotti, the Italian version of empanadillas.
J La Bruschetta Osteria From the outside it does not draw your attention and hides the best of traditional Italian food.
K Idroscalo Because there is no beach. Milanese people go for a swim to this artificial lake of the city when weather is good.

Do you fancy going to Milán? Check out our flights!

By Panenka www.panenka.org

Ilustration by Pep Boatella / @pepboatella

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!

What do cities like Cannes, Berlin,Venice, San Sebastián or Locarno have in common? Well, they all host long-standing film festivals and, for a number of days and at different spots in town, all feature both screenings and parallel events as a tribute to the seventh art. Visiting these cities during a festival reveals a different side to them. Instead of the conventional tourist escapade, it involves experiencing the city from a cultural viewpoint like any of its residents. To the above-mentioned cities we should add Rotterdam, famous for having one of the largest maritime harbours in the world. It is also an industrial centre and a capital of football, with three teams in the Dutch top-flight Eredivisie – Feyenoord, Sparta and Excelsior. Over and above that, however, Rotterdam is privileged to host a highly potent film festival which turns the city into one of the leading world cinema hubs for a period of twelve days.

This time around, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (its official name) will take place from 25 January to 5 February 2017, and the programme is dedicated to art house films, both European and international, and the leading figures of independent cinema. This year is dedicated to a retrospective of Jan Němec, one of the paramount filmmakers in Czech cinema, who died a few months ago. A tribute to his figure will involve screening his best known films, as well as a posthumous film, The Wolf from Royal Vineyard Street. The official festival lineup will feature the latest movies by Jim Jarmusch, Paterson and Gimme Danger, in addition to the long-awaited film, Jackie, by Pablo Larraín, starring Natalie Portman.

The focal point of the festival will be De Doelen, a venue with an eventful history in downtown Rotterdam. Its location gives you plenty of time to stroll around and discover the city between screenings. De Doelen was built in 1966 and is both a convention centre and the primary venue of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. The other cinemas providing screenings are also in the city centre, in such charming theatres as Oude Luxor and the Pathé Schouwburgplein. They are relatively near some museums which are well worth visiting, including the Maritime Museum, devoted to the importance of maritime culture and various aspects of sailing. Apart from the exhibition space, it features a canal in the surrounding area offering all types of parallel activities. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is Rotterdam’s stellar art museum with an amazing collection, a dream come true for any painting enthusiast. Its exhibits include works by Salvador Dalí, Tintoretto, Hubert van Eyck, Willem Heda and Pieter Bruegel, among others, but it doesn’t stop there – the museum also covers other art disciplines (industrial design, installations, graffiti) and itinerant exhibitions that are refreshed each month. By the way – the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum is just a stone’s throw away from Museumpark, one of the city’s lungs and most beautiful parks.

Apart from the aforementioned films and cycles, the International Film Festival Rotterdam also hosts a number of out-of-the-ordinary special screenings. One of the most prominent is a whole, day-long session dedicated to children. This year it falls on Sunday 29 January and features a selection of films which the little ones can enjoy in the company of their parents. Other events worth mentioning include two short marathons to be hosted on 4 February. Lasting six hours each, they will be held in the Kino Rotterdam, a cinema where you can also have dinner or a drink, if you wish. Check out the rest of the festival events here.

Be sure to discover Rotterdam through the prism of its cinema festival – book your Vueling here.

Text by Xavi Sánchez for Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

No question about it – there is one time in the year when Santa Cruz de Tenerife comes alive, and that is at Carnival time. It is world famous, extremely popular and one of the biggest on earth, rivalling Carnival in Rio de Janeiro (it’s twin city) and Venice. Tourists, sightseers and fun lovers who head for this spot in the Canary Island archipelago end up hopelessly drawn in by the beat, the dazzle and the colour of this splendid fiesta. Lasting for a month, it features a host of activities showcasing mainly music and fancy dress.

This time around, the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife lasts from 1 February to 5 March. As in previous years, thousands of people in fancy dress roam the streets, eager to fall under the spell of Carnival magic. The festivities are hosted by over a hundred groups of around fifty people each, compering murgas (ensembles singing to satirical lyrics), comparsas (dancing carnival troupes), fancy dress groups, rondallas (street bands) and musical troupes – quite a feat! Take note of the following rundown of the highlights of the Tenerife Carnival for your requisite getaway.

The Carnival Queen

One of the loveliest moments in the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival is the Gran Gala, at which the Carnival Queen is elected. Beholding the spectacular costumes studded with rhinestones, glittering ornaments and elegant feathers is a magical experience. Amazingly, those costumes can weigh up to between 150 and 200 kilos and have to be transported on wheels. A stunning, must-see extravaganza!

The Opening Horse Parade

As its name suggests, this event marks the start of Carnival and what better way to get the ball rolling? In style, with a spectacular horse parade at which all the Carnival troupes march past, including the queens and maids of honour, who ride in carriages escorted by the troupes. Four hours of rhythmic percussion and Latin beat which extend well into the night.

Carnival Saturday

Another date to jot down on your Carnival agenda is Carnival Saturday, when the streets of the city again become inundated with music and dance. Most of the activity is centred around the Plaza de la Candelaria, the Plaza del Príncipe and the Plaza de Europa.

The Gran Coso Apoteosis

This celebration, the veritable closing ceremony of Carnival in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is possibly one of the most exciting moments in the festivities. It is the day all the carnival troupes, carriages, floats and queens parade along the Avenida de Anaga, marking the grand finale of Carnival proceedings.

Ash Wednesday

Like any Carnival worth its salt, the arrival of Lent is heralded by the “burial of the sardine”. The event takes place in the main city streets, suitably draped in mourning, with balconies sporting black ribbons. A giant sardine is paraded through the streets, before being ceremoniously burned at the end of its itinerary. The Tinerfeños or inhabitants of Tenerife bid farewell to Carnival by staging their sorrow in the form of a lament, although they also mark the occasion in comical satire and by lampooning the Church. So, don’t be surprised if, while wandering through the streets, you come across people dressed up mostly as priests, bishops or monks carrying sexual props of all kinds.

Book your Vueling to Tenerife, don your fancy dress and get into festive mood as you attend one of the most popular Carnivals in the world.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Image by Philippe Teuwen