Tag Archives: Historic Travel

Italy Travel: The ‘Via Di Linari’ Pilgrimage Route

Emilia Romagna Tourism (March 13, 2023) – Walking along the Via di Linari, an ancient pilgrimage route towards Rome (alternative to the Via Francigena) which connects Fidenza to the Linari Abbey, a religious settlement that once stood on the mountain ridge between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.

It was established as a safer route to Tuscany compared to the Via Francigena, and it soon became an important road both for pilgrims on their way to Rome and as a trade route for the city of Parma. Like the  St Vicinio Way, the Linari Way was dotted with parish churches and hospitalia, places where travellers could find shelter from the elements and bandits.

Seaside Towns: A Tour Of Historic Whitby, England

MemorySeekers (December 2022) – Whitby is a seaside town in Yorkshire, northern England, split by the River Esk. On the East Cliff, overlooking the North Sea, the ruined Gothic Whitby Abbey was Bram Stoker’s inspiration for “Dracula”. Nearby is the Church of St. Mary, reached by 199 steps. The Captain Cook Memorial Museum, in the house where Cook once lived, displays paintings and maps. West of town is West Cliff Beach, lined with beach huts. 

West Yorkshire: Touring Brontë Sisters’ England

Emily Bronte, Anne Bronte, and Charlotte Bronte lived 180 years ago. We visit Bronte Country and walk in the footsteps of the Bronte Sisters, piecing together their tragic short lives as we visit places they lived or frequented. The Brontes wrote some of the most dramatic fiction right here in West Yorkshire and many of the places still exist.

On our walk, we will head to where it all started at the Bronte’s birthplace in Thornton. Visit the school that Charlotte Bronte immortalised as Lowood School in Jane Eyre. See Oakwell Hall which she based Fieldhead on in Shirley. Walk the wild Haworth Moors to Top Withens where Emily Bronte found inspiration for Wuthering Heights, and a whole lot more. All the time telling the story of how the 3 Bronte Sisters came to be the famous writers we all know today.

Travels: History Of The Orient Express & Istanbul

Gavin Stamp retraces the route of the old Orient Express, from London, via Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest, to Istanbul, in search of the treasures of ‘Old Europe’. Stamp’s adventures on and off the train are punctuated by his candid, entertaining reflections on life, the world, and the strange and wonderful people he meets.