Category: Tour

Sometimes we need a European to open the doors of a fifteenth century family castle in Italy, and an American to keep its traditions alive. We take Civitella Ranieri , an international residence for writers, musicians and visual artists located on an idyllic Umbrian hill near a medieval town outside Perugia. It was founded by a European with Italian origins. An American foundation supports it. And an Italian-American bostoniana manages it today. But Civitella would not exist if it were not for the incredible landscape and the majestic Italian property that inspire it.

Sometimes it takes a European to open the doors of a 15th-century family castle in Italy and an American to maintain the traditions within it.

Take the Civitella Ranieri, a residency for international writers, musicians and visual artists situated on an idyllic Umbrian hilltop near a medieval town outside of Perugia. A European with Italian heritage founded it. An American foundation funds it. And, an Italo-American Bostonian now runs it. But it wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for both the breathtaking landscape and majestic property of Italy that inspire it.

It all started with Ursula Corning, a cousin of the Marchese Ruggero Ranieri di Sorbello family, who was born in Switzerland, educated in the United Kingdom, and spent most of her life in New York. As a young girl, she spent summers at her family’s castle in Italy.

In 1968, after retiring as a physical therapist at New York’s Columbia-Presbyterian hospital, she rented the castle from her cousin indefinitely, and invited friends who were artists, writers, and musicians. She promised them good food and wine in exchange for stimulating conversations about great books, art and music. Her invitation to the family castle was a hot ticket among artistic circles for the following 35 years in which she hosted her informal salotto.

Her guests relished the Umbrian countryside, the serenity of working in a quiet community, and the lively dinner conversation, where ideas were exchanged and opinions expressed. Before she died in 2002, Corning set up an American foundation to ensure that visual artists, musicians and writers would continue to spend time at the castle long after she was gone. Operating since 1995, the castle has hosted over 800 fellows and Director’s guests.

Each of the castle’s majestic fireplaces has a saying in Latin inscribed on its mantelpiece. One reads as if its engraver knew what Corning, and its current executive director Dana Prescott, would represent for its future: “A small spark often kindles a great blaze.”

Since 2007, Dana Prescott, 65, has been hunting down the sorts of guests that Corning would have invited herself. A painter and a poet, Prescott runs Civitella like a canvas to which she constantly adds color. Whether in choosing the palette of pastel roses in the garden or bridging a dialogue between a Syrian playwright and an Iraqi performance artist over dinner, Prescott is the modern-day Corning of Civitella.

She finds the best of the best as fellowship recipients. Some show up famous, and some go on to be discovered. All share the same experience of taking time off from their already established careers. There are never more than 15 guests per six-week session, and all go through a rigorous application process to win their stay.

A browse through the castle’s library reveals the caliber of successful alumni of authors, poets, musicians and painters whose published works make up its collection. Now, even Prescott’s own recently-published anthology of poems is among them, “Feathers From The Angel’s Wings: Poems Inspired by the Paintings of Piero della Francesca.”

The Lonely Planet travel experts have released the second edition of the guide ” The City Book “: 424 pages full of useful tips to explore the best destinations in the world. The destinations were included in different categories, classified according to who had the most competitive offer.

History, architecture, entertainment, food, adventure: for each section the winning city was elected, in a series of indications that will make it easier for readers to choose their next trip. Below, some of the destinations recommended by the guide, reported by the Daily Mail :

Best for the story

According to the guide, Charleston, in South Carolina, is perfect for history buffs. Founded in 1670, many of its historic neighborhoods retain colonial elegance. It is no less worthy Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire, a crossroads of oriental and western cultures.

Best for architecture

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Five favorites from Lonely Planet: Barcelona, ​​Chicago, Rome, Istanbul and Mumbai.

Best for families

Thanks to the museums and the numerous parks, Chicago gets the gold medal of the category. Even Singapore is a hospitable place for adults in the company of children. In the ranking appears Venice, an attraction for the little ones, given its absence of cars.

Better for coffee

The Italian espresso in Rome appears in the ranking, but does not get the highest step of the podium. To win – and it is not exactly a surprise – is Addis Abada, in Ethiopia, followed by Melbourne.

Best for adventure

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As the movie Into The Wild teaches well, Alaska is the best destination for an adventurous journey. If you are looking for an alternative, Lonely Planet also promotes Kathmandu, Hobart and La Paz.

Better for nightlife

It is not Ibiza that wins the gold medal as a city that offers the best nightlife. For the younger ones, and not only, who want to enjoy themselves in the small hours, the guide advises Belgrade or, alternatively, Berlin, New Orleans, Dublin and Rio de Janeiro.

The 2016 ranking was already difficult to accept, but this year the Italian restaurants reviewed by users of TripAdvisor went even worse: no local tricolor, in fact, has appeared in the top 10 positions of Travelers’ Choice section restaurants, the ranking that the public travel web portal every October based on the millions of reviews that are uploaded by consumers. And the scepter, in 2017, went to the Black Swan , a club nestled in the English countryside of Yorkshire , and that actually is nothing but a pub.

It is the first time that the Black Swan (which means “black swan”) appears on the list, although the managers have opened the business already in 2006. The pub – which hangs the sign at the entrance “Here the muddy boots are welcome “- has therefore undermined the Spaniard Martín Berasategui , leading the ranking in the last two years.

“A tantalizing journey in the flavors” reads the motivation of the first position, which is nothing but a review written by an anonymous user. “This restaurant is a real treat, the flavors, the combinations of ingredients and the mastery of the menu are spectacular” continues the quote.

The Black Swan, moreover, is not any pub, so as to have already obtained a Michelin star and to charge its customers a good 95 pounds (or more than 100 euros) for a tasting menu. The local chef and son of the owners, Tommy Banks, is the youngest Michelin-starred chef in Britain.

“I’m honored for the recognition of TripAdvisor,” the BBC commented . “And the thing that makes it even more special is that it was our customers who gave it to us”, the chef concluded. The platform, in fact, has compiled the ranking by monitoring in the last 12 months millions of comments published on the site by users.

The United Kingdom also won the second position in the ranking, thanks to a refined establishment with the French name (Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons), while France gets the last step of the podium and the fourth place (respectively with the Maison Lameloise and L’Auberge de l’Ill). Then there are twice Spain, New York, South Africa, Peru and Thailand to complete the top ten.

To find the first Italian restaurant you have to wait for the 14th place, where you will find the restaurant Don Alfonso 1890 of Sant’Agata sui Due Golfi (Naples), which however loses 9 positions compared to 2016. With the hope that in 2018 it will be better.

It has the most famous chin of Instagram. She is Michelle Liu, an English travel blogger who, wherever she is, immortalizes her chin forward and her mouth open. Michelle, 21, has renounced the sexy photos and, on her Instagram profile, has posted many shots that portray her in this strange pose from unique angles and breathtaking views in the background.

United States, Poland, China, Holland or France: the blogger, accustomed since she was a child to travel, reproduced the same photo throughout the world and for this, with over 32,000 followers on Instagram, certainly does not go unnoticed.

“My chin really amused my friends especially when I was in middle school, high school and university, so I decided to share it with the world,” said the blogger in an interview with Mic. Michelle admitted that for some time she felt observed and uneasy by the looks of others. Photographing her chin helped her to worry less about what people think of her physical appearance.

Michel Liu dubbed his shots “Chinfies”, a sort of selfie of his chin (“chin” in English), the part of the body that was inspired by the name of his Instagram profile “chinventures” . With his irony, the travel blogger has asked some of the people to “join” his pose and the posted shots are small unique souvenirs.

If you are thinking of moving to Puglia, know that there is a country that will not only welcome you willingly, but that will pay you up to 2 thousand euros to go there to live. Nicola Gatta, mayor of Candela, has announced that he is willing to give an economic bonus to curb the demographic decline that is affecting the town that governs and intends to keep its promise.

“I want to bring the population back to 8,000 units in the 1990s, when Candela was called the ‘Little Naples’ for its streets full of tourists and screaming sellers,” the first citizen told CNN . Today, moreover, there are only 2700 residents. “I work every day with passion and dedication to bring back Candela to its former glory”, the mayor continued.

The country of Puglia now appears much quieter than in the past, much less visited and often abandoned by the younger ones looking for better job opportunities. Furthermore, several houses are uninhabited. A bit like a mirror of Italy, now Candela is populated mainly by elderly people. Gatta wants to reverse the route, opening the municipal fund to new residents.

The mayor’s right hand, Stefano Bascianelli , explains how the initiative promoted by the Municipality works: “We will give 800 euros for singles, 1200 for couples, from 1500 to 1800 euros for families consisting of three members and 2000 euros for families of 4 or 5 people “. The offer also includes the possible exemption of taxes on waste and for public kindergartens.

To receive payment, however, those wishing to move to Candela will have to meet three requests: take residence there, rent a house and have a job with a salary of at least 7500 euros a year. “We do not want people thinking of living behind the commune,” emphasizes Bascianelli. “The new residents will have to work and have an economic income”.

The initiative of the first citizen of Puglia has already had its first effects: 6 families of Northern Italy have already moved to Candela and have started to spend the bonus granted to them. Some have opened a newsagent, while those who – like the janitor of a local school – will use them to allow the rest of the family to move to Puglia. In short, the municipality has kept its promise and has begun to take the first steps to bring back Candela an attractive center.

Not everyone can afford to travel on a private jet, but if the life of Gianluca Vacchi attracts you and get on a jet is still one of your dreams of the drawer, no problem: a Russian company will help you organize a fake flight , immersed in the most absolute luxury. It is called Private Jet Studio , is a Moscow-based company and has created a truly unique business, leasing an exclusive aircraft to allow its customers to take pictures (dedicated to Instagram) that will make friends and relatives die of envy.

The plane in question – the Gulfstream 65, which judging by the shots is second to none – in fact never gets up from the ground and is not intended to bring its customers anywhere, yet there are many to book a visit inside to make the followers believe they can afford a trip in extreme luxury.

The price list of the Private Jet Studio , moreover, is completely inexpensive: a two-hour photoshoot with a professional photographer, for example, costs about 200 euros (14,000 rubles), mind if you renounce the photographer and choose selfies, the cost drops to 160. Adding another 200 euros, however, you can also have a cameraman to shoot a memorable video.

Of course, to shake the company’s accounts on social photo you would not say precisely that the “passengers” remain firmly on the ground, so that the interior photos of Gulfstream 65 are juxtaposed with those of the international skies. Yet it is all fiction.

“This is the largest, fastest and most expensive aviation business,” said a Private Jet Studio spokesperson. “The luxurious interiors of the aircraft are made of natural materials of the highest quality, with us we can organize unusual and unforgettable photographic services”. And if you tell them, you have to trust them.