Travel Around The Clock

Ragusa Ibla, located in the southeastern tip of Sicily is considered the capital of Sicilian Baroque . The ancient historical center, in a dominant position on a hill, welcomes the visitor with over fifty churches and numerous noble palaces, in which the rich Baroque architecture in local limestone takes the form of scrolls, columns and capitals, statues and decorations of various kind. Ragusa Ibla The origins of Ragusa Ibla date back to a very ancient era; its name can be traced back to an archaic Greek colony (Hybla Heraya), but the current historic centre was built in the 18th century, after the devastating earthquake that struck Eastern Sicily in 1693. In fact, the other cities of the Val di Noto also date back to this period, and they are all characterised by a late Baroque style. Ragusa was then rebuilt in two distinct sites: Ragusa Superiore, the modern city, on the plain, and  Ragusa Ibla that was rebuilt in Baroque style on the ruins of the ancient Sicilian city, and...

Volubilis, Morocco In a fertile plain at the foot of the Atlas Mountains , not far from the imperial cities of Fez and Meknes is the best known and best preserved archaeological site in Morocco : the ancient Roman city of Volubilis . Volubilis, Morocco Volubilis, Morocco Founded by Carthaginian merchants, the site, not yet fully brought to light (it is estimated that 2/3 of the Roman outpost are still buried under mounds of earth) is so fascinating and precious especially for a reconstruction of the extension of the Roman empire in the land of Africa that Unesco has included it among the heritages of humanity. The most impressive ruins at first glance are undoubtedly the Basilica and the Capitol (dedicated to the Capitoline triad Jupiter, Juno and Minerva) with the columns that hover towards the sky, sometimes surmounted by large and overflowing stork nests, the Arch of Triumph erected in honor of Caracalla and his mother in 217 AD. C. and the Decumano maximo, ov...

The road of the thousand Kasbahs in Morocco is a long route in the south of the country dotted with hundreds of kasbahs, the ancient fortified Berber castles, that retraces the route marked by the caravans that from Morocco went to Sudan and Mali; it starts from Marrakesh and passes through Ouarzazate to Zagora or to the village of M'Hamid, the last oasis before the infinite expanse of sand and dunes of the Sahara. Kasbah is a word that comes from the Arabic qasaba which means citadel. In southern Morocco the kasbahs are usually castles belonging to a single family and mostly located in the High Atlas, in the oasis and along the Draa, Dades and Ziz rivers. They were built starting from the 17th century, although some of them are no more than 100 years old. All are built with the "pisé" technique (straw and small pebbles cemented with mud) or in raw earth and decorated with Berber motifs. The route of the Thousand Kasbahs, Morocco Kasbah, Morocco Foll...

Meknès is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and the second stop on our train trip around the country . Its name derives from a Berber tribe, the Miknasa, and it was the capital of the country under the emperor Mpulay Ismail ibn Sharif between the 17th and 18th centuries. Graffiti in the Medina of Meknes Surrounded by a green and historically rich territory, the city is smaller and less famous than Fez , Rabat and Marrakech, but it has the advantage of not being crowded by the flow of tourists hence it has a more authentic feel. Immediately outside the ancient walls of the Medina there is a square reminiscent of the Jaama el Fna of Marrakech: it's Place el-Hedim. Vendors, storytellers, games, shows and attractions take place here all day long: it is a busy and vibrant place, you can enjoy the coming and going of people comfortably seated in one of the restaurants and bars overlooking the square. But, as in all crowded places, keep an eye on your wallet and be ...