Travel Around The Clock

Italy is our native country and, although we have decided to live abroad, it is a country that we deeply love, extraordinarily rich in art, history, natural beauty and food and wine traditions.  Being an expat is not always easy, but it has the advantage that every time we return to visit our families, we always find the time to explore the country like tourists and to discover the little gems, often off the beaten path, which make this country so unique. A part of Italy, we particularly love is the Tuscia, an area once inhabited by the Etruscans, in northern Lazio. Here the charming villages, with their picturesque stone houses and narrow alleys, have preserved a good part of their medieval-Renaissance physiognomy.   One of these is the medieval hamlet of Farnese, a tiny village, counting not even 1700 inhabitants, beautifully perched on a tuffaceous cliff.  Its name derives from the Farnia tree known around Europe as peduncolate oak and depicted on the city coat o...

Corsica is one of our favorite spots in the Mediterranean. For its sun, its clear waters, its breathtaking views.... ....and because, to us, it is the perfect blend of Italian and French culture. It is extremely touristy but it still retains a very wild character along with a strong traditional identity. And while August tends to be overcrowded, September is quieter and surely a better time to visit. This is why we decided to head there for an early autumn escape. We had already been there a few times traveling all around the island so this time we decided to concentrate on the northern part and more specifically in the Balagne and Cap Corse. The Balagne is an area of the Haute-Corse, bordered by the Ostriconi river on the east side and extending  up to the Genoese town of Calvi on the west side. We used Santa Reparata di Balagna, just 5 minutes inland from the popular holiday resort of Ile Rousse, as a base for our wanderings in this fertile areas scattered with ...