DAY TRIP: One day one city, Bologna

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Bologna is the main town of Emilia Romagna, known for its porticos which are 40km long.

If you’re in Milan, Florence or Rome, it’s really easy to get to Bologna thanks to high-speed trains ( Trenitalia or Italo) and the Central Station is right in the city centre, you don’t even need a bus to get to the main street!

Since this is a day trip, you will see the main places and buildings only, but I’m sure that you will love this city!

Let’s start with Via dell’Indipendenza which is really close to the station; this street is known for the numerous shops but also for the Bologna Cathedal, Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro, completed in the
18th century is built in a Baroque style and has a lot of stunning paintings and statues in the inside.
If we keep walking on this road we’ll see the most important fountain,
The Fountain of Neptune, Fontana di Nettuno, designed by the architect Tommaso Laurenti and executed by Giambologna is known for the giant bronze figure of Neptune.

Right next to the fountain, there is Piazza Maggiore, the main square of Bologna which hosts buildings including Palazzo del Podestà, an edifice built in 1200, is now a civic building.
But the masterpiece in this square is the Basilica of San Petronio, dedicated to the patron saint of the city is famous for its unfinished facade.

Near the Basilica, there’s the symbol of Bologna, the two towers, le due torri, Torre degli Asinelli and Torre Garisenda.
It’s possible to go on top of Torre degli Asinelli and have a stunning view of the city, but don’t forget to book your tickets! (Tickets).

Last but not least, there’s a tiny window in Via Piella. If you look through the window you can see a water course dating from around 20th century. This spot is called “The little Venice“.

This is where the itinerary ends, of course there’s a lot more to see in Bologna but this is a day trip that shows only the symbols of the city!

Alessia

DAY TRIP: One day one city, Milan

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Today, we’re talking about my hometown, Milan.

Some people hate Milan and some people love it, and even if this is my city, I’m stuck in the middle.
We’re talking about things that I love today, the good side of the city, the side that people pay to see, but if you want to know something about the “bad side”, just leave a comment down below, I’d be happy to write about it.

So, if you’re planning to come to Milan, my advice is to avoid underground because you’ll miss a lot of the city, if you are tired or don’t want to walk, take a tram so you can still see the city!
Let’s start from the navigli. They were a system of navigable canals and they’re now one of the main places of Milan’s night life.
Even if they’re known for the night life, bars are opened all day so if you are around in the morning, you can stop in a bar and have a coffee or an icecream.
I always go there in the morning or in the afternoon because it’s quite but busy at the same time, it just gives me relax.

Then you can walk to the darsena which is the meeting point between two canals but also the beginning of porta ticinese, a street full of vintage shops, art gallery and temporary stores.
At the end of the street you’ll find the colonne di San Lorenzo, another place known fot the night life; It’s located in front of the Basilica di San Lorenzo, built in early christian style, is one of the oldest churches in Milan.

After that, you’ll get to via torino, just a street full of shops, but it will take directly to the Duomo, the cathedral church of the city, probably the most known monument of Milan; it is built in a gothic style and it’s covered by more than 3000 statues.
It is possible to get into the cathedral for free and you can go to the top of the Duomo by paying a ticket.
Next to the Duomo, there’s the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, designed and built by the architect Giuseppe Mengoni, it’s today one of the landmark of Milan. It’s mainly known for the luxury shops as Gucci or Prada.

This gallery connects the Duomo with the Scala Theatre, that has been rebuild due to a fire in 1776, today hosts the Accademia d’Arti e Mestieri dello Spettacolo (Academy for the Performing Arts).
Then, walking through Via Verdi, you’ll get to Via Brera, which hosts one of the most famous academy of fine arts.
Here you can see the Pinacoteca, a gallery with paintings like “The Kiss” by Francesco Hayez.

Near Brera, there is Via dei fori chiari, a beautiful alley full of typical restaurants and shops, that will bring you to Lanza, where you can see the Piccolo Teatro Strehler, a modern concert hall.
From the theatre you can see the Castello Sforzesco, another symbol of Milan. This castle was built in the 15th century by the Duke of Milan and today it hosts museums, art collections and also the famous “Pietà Rondanini” by Michelangelo.

Right outside the castle there’s a big park called Parco Sempione, which connects the castle to Arco della Pace, a triumphal arch built in a neoclassical style.
The area near this arch is full of locals and bars where is possible to have an aperitivo, typical in Milan!

This is where the itinerary ends, it shows the main monuments only because it’s made for a day trip, but if you want a three days (or more) itinerary in Milan, just let me know in the comments!

Alessia


3 days in Berlin

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Hi everyone,
Today we’re talking about Berlin!

During the last black friday Ryanair did huge discounts, and since I’m a travel addicted I had to take a look, and I found A/R flight from Milan BYG to Berlin SXF from 10€, so I bought them for me and my friend since it was her birthday in a week ( perfect birthday present!).

It was a short stay but we enjoyed Berlin as much as we could.
We arrived in Berlin late in the morning and we immediatly took the train to the city centre so we could leave our bag at our hotel, which was in the Mitte district.
After lunch we went straight to Der Brandenburger Tor, one of the emblem of the city, and then we walked to the Reichstag, another iconic building with its famous glass dome. You can actually visit the dome and see a beautiful view of the city, but sadly we forgot to book our tickets and we couldn’t find them there the same day.
Near the Reichstag you’ll see the Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe), a maze made of stelae and it’s possible to walk among these stelae. This building wants to recreate a sense of disorientation.
Our first day ended with the Topographie des Terrors, an history museum with documents on display that meant to show the horrors of Nazi, since it was the central institutions of Nazi persecution and terror. Outside this exhibition you can even see a part of the Berliner Mauer (Berlin wall).

On our second day we went to Alexander Platz to see the two iconic symbols of Berlin, the Urania Weltzeituhr (the World Clock) and the Berliner Fernsehturm (Berlin TV Tower) and it’s possible to go on top of the tower. We met Marienkirche, a beautiful Evangelical church while we were walking to the Dome, the stunning neo-baroque cathedral.
Before lunch we wanted to see the Museumsinsel, a museum complex.
In the afternoon we went to see the East Side Gallery, an open-air gallery.
Here you can see an huge part of the Berlin Wall, placed in the original site and now covered with 105 paintings.
Going back to our hotel we also saw Checkpoint Charlie, the crossing point between East Berlin and West Berlin during the Cold War.

Third and last day.
We wanted to see Bebelplatz, in Unter den Linden boulevard,
This square is known because in May 1933 Nazi burned around 20.000 books, including some masterpieces from Albert Einstein, Karl Marx and other important authors.

This was a little summary from my trip in Berlin; I really loved that city and to be honest, I was not expecting to like it that much.

Alessia

My experience as an au pair in London!

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I spent the last 9 months in a city near London working as an au pair, and let me say a thing, this has been the best experience so far!

Let’s start from the beginning, september 2017.
I read a few articles about being an au pair and living abroad so I decided to look for an agency to get more information, so I found Cultural Care Au Pair, which is a program directed by EF Education First. The only destination is America and they give you all the support that you need when you’re abroad since they have a local staff in every big american city.
I went to their office here in Milan and I had an inteview with the local staff and I really liked it, so i decided to start my application.
During the making off my application, the EF staff helped me so much giving me advice and tips, so after a month I finished it. I’ve been looking for “the host family” from october to may, and I’ve been in contact with almost 30 families, but sadly, none was the right match.
I had my final exams so I had no time for any interview, so I decided to quit the EF program and try to find an host family with AuPairWorld which is a bit different because it’s an online agency.
Anyway, it took me a few days to find the perfect match.
My host family was in located in Essex, so it’s almost 1 hour far from Central London but it was really well connected.
I had to look after two beautiful girls, my day routine was:
– 7.30am wake up
– 7.45am wake the girls up and make sure that they get dressed, then we used to have breakfast together. After breakfast I had to make sure that the girls were ready for school.
– 8.45am school start. During the morning I had to do light housework and walk the dog.
-3.15pm school’s over so I had to pick up the girls and make them a snack before homework. Normally they had clubs so we had to walk there and wait for one hour.
6.00pm my day is over!

I was really lucky because my host family was amazing and during my stay we built up a beautiful friendship.

During my stay I had a personal growth and I became more selfconfident. I also met amazing people, we’re still in contact via social media and I’m planning to go to Spain to meet my spanish friend!

This experience was the best thing that happened to me, it’s something that everyone has to make, it gives you the opportunity to save money, to explore a different state and to get into a different culture and lifestyle.

If you have any question or dubrt, just ask me, I’d love to help you!

Alessia