Travel Around The Clock

Strassoldo The village of Strassoldo , located in the province of Udine, in Friuli Venezia Giulia , is today one of the most fascinating examples of a perfectly preserved medieval village. We do not know exactly when its foundation dates back, but its name appears for the first time in some documents from the end of 1100. Mill, Strassoldo Over a thousand years ago, the prestigious family of the Strassoldo counts decided to build an imposing castle along the ancient Via Iulia Augusta, in a strategic position. Originally, the fortress had two watchtowers which were located at two different levels. Later on, when the castle was heavily damaged by enemy attacks, the Strassoldo family dispersed for a certain period of time. After returning to their land, the counts decided to start an impressive renovation work and divided the original fortress into two separate castles, each built around one of the towers that had once characterized the manor. This is how the Castello di Sopra (Upper Castl...

  Grado, Island of the Sun Grado is a small lagoon town in Friuli Venezia Giulia in the province of Gorizia. Connected to the mainland by a thin strip of land, it is a famous tourist and spa resort also known as the Island of the Sun. It is seen as a miniature Venice, full of narrow streets and houses close to each other; one of those towns to calmly explore in a day. Founded in Roman times as a merchant port of Aquileia , Grado owes its name to the typical Roman steps that facilitated the disembarkation of passengers and goods from ships. Always a center of large commercial activities, its castrum was built in the 4th century, where the inland populations who escaped the onslaught of the barbarians found refuge.  The Patriarch himself moved its headquarters from Venice to the lagoon city which he embellished with buildings of worship and with the construction of the Duomo. The return of the Patriarchate to Venice in 1451 meant the beginning of difficult years for the island...

The surroundings of Gorizia , in Friuli Venezia Giulia , offer an enchanting and relaxing landscape of rolling hills dotted with wineries and cellars where the best Italian white wines in the world and full-bodied reds are produced: it is the Collio , which has its main center in Cormons .  Vineyards in the Collio Goriziano This area, geographically delimited by the Isonzo river and its tributary Iudrio, covers 150 square km divided between the province of Gorizia and Slovenia. Here, the location between mountains and sea creates a unique microclimate, in terms of ventilation and temperature range, that works perfectly with the characteristic terrain of the Collio (called ponca ), made up of stratified marl and sandstone, ideal for growing grapes.  This is white wine land where the local  Ribolla Gialla , Malvasia Istriana ,  Friulano  and Picolit grow side by side with the international Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to create whites that are amon...

The Collio Goriziano is famous for its excellent wines, certainly among the best Italian white wines produced both from indigenous and international vine varieties. Thanks to its unique microclimate and to the specific soil (called ponca or ponka), made of layers of marl and sandstone and rich in mineral salts and micro-elements, this area is particularly suited to the cultivation of the vine.  And walking through the green rolling hills covered in beautiful vineyards is a pure pleasure! Vigne Alte trail The " Sentiero delle Vigne Alte " is a splendid panoramic trail near Cormons winding for 3 km through shady woodlands, olive groves and the vineyards of some of the most interesting wine producers of the Collio Goriziano; a real naturalistic jewel, an easy walk that can be done on foot, by mountain bike or even on horseback. View from the Vigne Alte Trail Vineyards Collio Goriziano The best time to walk the trail is spring or autumn, when the chromatic shades of nature giv...

Cividale del Friuli, Natisone river Cividale del Friuli, located in the territory of the Natisone valleys, close to the Slovenian border, is one of the most interesting and magical villages to visit in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia . Founded in the I century BC by Julius Caesar, it later became the first capital of the Lombard duchy in Italy and then Civitas Austriae with the Franks. Eventually, it saw the hegemony of the Patriarchate and then the Venetian dominion. This historical and cultural mix makes it a real jewel and walking along its streets is like taking a journey through time. Its most famous attraction is without any doubt, the Longobard temple , a World Heritage Site since 2011. It is a unique structure, a stone chapel built in the 1700s and used until 1893 as an oratory of the Monastery of Santa Maria in Valle.  The first glance is breathtaking: a tall and narrow chapel, topped by a stone arch decorated with openwork tracery and the large statues of saints and martyrs...

I fell in love with Sarlat the second I got my eyes on it, I’ve stood in awe at the beauty of the many castles of the Dordogne Valley more than once, and I’ve tasted the best French food at the local markets, but it’s the hidden gems of the Dordogne that genuinely took my heart and made me decide to move here. From scenic villages of medieval stone houses built against rocky walls to hidden churches lost in the lushest and most untouched countryside, going off the beaten path in the Dordogne truly pays off. This is what makes the Dordogne so interesting, so enchanting...so much a place to deeply fall in love with. And, since I moved here 6 years ago, I’ve had the time to discover plenty of hidden gems on the way, especially over our hikes through this astonishing countryside.  So I have created this list of my personal favourite places that often fall off the radar of the visitor.  Cheylard Chapel  in St Genies Cheylard chapel, Saint Geniès The Cheylard Chapel, on its...