Tag: trip

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

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