Tag Archives: Travel

Italian Road Trips: Aosta Valley & Western Liguria

ITALY MAGAZINE (Aug 20, 2020) …you will reach Issogne Castle, in the lower Aosta Valley, one of the most famous manors of the region, noteworthy for its fountain in the form of a pomegranate tree and its decorated portico, a rare example of medieval Alpine painting, featuring a frescoed cycle of scenes of daily life from the late Middle Ages. 

Aosta Valley

Castles, snow-capped mountains, Roman history and food: a road trip in Aosta Valley, Italy’s smallest region, offers this, plus plenty of fun for the keen driver, who will enjoy the mountain roads with their hairpin bends, climbs and tunnels. 

The three-day itinerary we present here starts at Bard Fort, a fortified complex built in the 19th century by the House of Savoy on a rocky prominence above Bard; today, it houses a cultural center and, in the summer, the main courtyard hosts musical and theatrical performances.

Western Liguria

The westernmost part of Liguria is ideal for those looking for a mix of sea and mountains, as a road trip here alternates stretches along the coast with detours into forests, mountains and inland villages. The same variety will be found on the table, with seafood dishes, such as the famous prawns of Sanremo and brandacujùn, a dish typical of Ligurian cuisine made with potatoes and stockfish, and ingredients of the interior, including vegetables, cheeses and goat meat.

This three-day itinerary (about 80 kilometers) starts from the beaches of Ospedaletti and Bordighera (which is only 20 kilometers from France – you can indeed see the French coast from there), two picturesque villages of the Riviera dei Fiori (Coast of Flowers); since Bordighera is built where the Maritime Alps plunge into the sea, it benefits from the Foehn effect which creates a special microclimate that has warmer winters.

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Travel & Wildlife: “The Future of Koalas” in Australia (NatGeo Video)

The destructive wildfires that swept through Australia destroyed the habitats for many of the island’s animals. Zoologist Jack Randall explores the efforts being made to rescue and care for the Koalas that were impacted by the wildfires.

Travel Video: “A Northern Light”, Boundary Waters Canoe Area (Patagonia)

Encompassing over 1,000,000 acres, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is in peril from a proposed toxic copper mine on the park’s boundary. Patagonia ambassador Nathaniel Riverhorse Nakadate paddles through the BWCAW to give voice to a silent, pristine place. A film by Riverhorse Nakadate and Tony Czech.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, is a 1,090,000-acre wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in northeastern part of the US state of Minnesota under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service. 

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Top New Travel Videos: “Summer In Switzerland” By Jan Knüsel (2020)

Filmed and Edited by: Jan Knüsel

Summer 2020 didn’t turn out as expected. All my Japan trips had to be cancelled. This was at the same time the perfect opportunity to travel across Switzerland and to get to know my beautiful home country a little bit better. In this short film you see Appenzell, the Aletsch Arena (Riederalp, Bettmeralp), St. Moritz, Vals, Lavertezzo, Ascona, Locarno, Zermatt, the Matterhorn, Chexbres, Montreux, Chillon Castle, Lake of Brienz, Iseltwald, Lauterbrunnen and Jungfraujoch.

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Top New Travel Videos: “Barcelona In 24 Hours”

Barcelona is one of the world’s main tourist destinations, as well as Europe’s cultural, financial, and transport hub. With a rich history and great location, there’s a lot to explore. In this video, we created an itinerary, ideal for a one-day visit to Barcelona, Spain. And at the end of this video, we also included some great tips to organize yourself before you go.

Travels With A Curator: “Grasse” In The South Of France (The Frick Video)

In this week’s episode of “Travels with a Curator,” journey to Grasse on the French Riviera with Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon as he explores the birthplace of Jean-Honoré Fragonard and the Villa-Musée Fragonard. Once a private residence owned by Fragonard’s cousin, Alexandre Maubert, the villa was home to the Frick’s beloved “Progress of Love” series for about 100 years before the paintings were sold and eventually acquired by Henry Clay Frick in the early 20th century.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard was a French painter and printmaker whose late Rococo manner was distinguished by remarkable facility, exuberance, and hedonism. One of the most prolific artists active in the last decades of the Ancien Régime, Fragonard produced more than 550 paintings, of which only five are dated.