Posts Tagged ‘Europe’
Medieval sights, sounds & tastes in Abbadia di San Salvatore, Tuscany
I’ve already written about the pretty medieval town in Tuscany: Abbadia di San Salvatore. You can read my previous post about the town here. My family and I discovered it last year when my youngest son began track & field camp there last year. This summer, he was back again, and this time his stay…
Read MorePrague’s Wallenstein Garden
Prague’s beautiful Wallenstein Garden (Valdštejnská zahrada) has always been one of my favorite hideouts in Rome. This beautiful Baroque garden, tucked neatly behind a high wall, was created alongside construction of the Wallenstein Palace, built from 1623-1629. The pavilion, with its impressive views behind it up to the striking Prague Castle, is often the site…
Read MoreOvid’s birthplace: Sulmona, Abruzzo
Sulmona is a small town in the region of Abruzzo. It is located near one of Abruzzo’s three national parks: the National Park of the Majella. The town dates back to before the Roman Empire, but it was the era of the Roman Empire in which Sulmona boasted its most famous resident: Publio Ovidio Nasone,…
Read MoreViews from the top of the Stubnerkogel, Bad Gastein, Austria
I’ve already written about hiking up the Graukogel – another of the panoramic peaks of beautiful Bad Gastein, Austria – an idyllic Alpine town in Austria’s Salzburg province. Stubnerkogel (1943 meters above sea level) is the other peak easily reached from Bad Gastein’s center. There are great views from the top – and views out to…
Read MorePicture-perfect, lakeside Hallstatt, Austria
If you visit this idyllic, little village in the Salzammergut region of Upper Austria, you’ll be forgiven for wanting to chase all the tourists out and have this beautiful spot all to yourself. That must be how the fewer than 950 locals feel each summer as the hordes invade this pretty Austrian town on the…
Read MoreThe medieval town of Radicòfani, Tuscany
Tuscany is a pretty gorgeous region, with so much to see and do. I have the chance to get up to one pretty corner of Tuscany each summer when my son attends a track and field camp in the pretty medieval town of Abbadia di San Salvatore. It’s a great chance to visit the rolling…
Read MoreAdmiring Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czech Republic
The Hluboká nad Vltavou is a very pretty castle in southern Bohemia. The town itself is situated on the Vltava River, very close to the Czech city of České Budějovice. This castle was built from the medieval Froburg castle, perched above the Vltava river. It once belonged to the Přemyslid king Ottokar II of Bohemia. Later it passed…
Read MoreA sleepy Austrian spa town where WWI began: Bad Ischl
On a trip last summer through Austria, while driving through Upper Austria (Oberösterreich) when we passed near Bad Ischl and decided to stop and stretch our legs. Bad Ischl was well-known among court society in the past centuries. the saltwater springs located here were discovered back in the 16th century, but it only became a…
Read MoreMedieval architecture and beer in Freistadt, Austria
Freistadt is located in the Austrian Region of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich), the is the largest town of the Mühlviertel region. This used to be one of the last border fortresses on the route leading to Bohemia. Today, it’s just a few kilometers from the border of the Czech Republic. Freistadt has impressive medieval architecture, including…
Read MoreA spring day in seaside Sperlonga, Italy
During the Easter weekend, my kids and I had a perfect day in the beautiful beach town of Sperlonga, Italy. I’ve already written about this pretty little beach town on teh Tirrenian Sea, half-way between Rome and Naples. See my earlier post about the resort town once the favorite of Emperors. But my day-long escape…
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