One of the greatest emotions I experienced during # wildborneo was at Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a small reserve a few miles from the center of Kuching , Sarawak , which since 1975 has been giving shelter to injured or orphaned orangutans engaging them in a rehabilitation program that re-educates the animals to wild life. …
Coimbra, an historic town with a young soul
Coimbra is a city of art and history, site of an ancient and prestigious university and with many beauties to show to visitors. First of all the location, nestled on a hill and bathed by the river Mondego. There are two Coimbra, the upper town linked to its glorious past and tradition, and the lower town, …
The beauty of Cornwall
Considered one of the most beautiful counties in England, this thin strip of land stretching out to the Atlantic coast is the largest and most picturesque part of the island, with breathtaking views of rugged cliffs, green headlands, bays and charming small villages .Cornwall, as the rest of England, is a notoriously quite expensive destination, …
Alfama,like a kasbah
The oldest district of Lisbon owes its name to the Arabs: Alfama derives from a deformation of the Arabic word alhaman and refers to the fountains and pools of the lake Alcacarias. Not only its name gives its origin away but also its appereance, a maze of narrow alleys overlooked by buildings close to one another as …
Almost time for #wildborneo!
Here we are, the countdown for holidays has finally started! I’ll soon be leaving for one of those trips with a capital T, the kind of trip you get on a plane, you spend about ten hours watching movies, listening to music, reading and eating and then you find yourself on the other side of the …
Lisbon: white marbles and subtle melancholy
“There are no flowers that are equal to the colours of Lisbon under the sun “ Fernando Pessoa Lisbon is a surprisingly varied city, thanks to its past and the many reconstructions that helped to make a collection of different styles. Lisbon is medieval, Baroque, Manueline, eighteenth-century, modern and futuristic, many pieces of a mosaic put …
Bali, the island of Gods
Bali is called the Island of the Gods but arriving in Denpasar, its chaotic main city, or in nearby Kuta, the famous surfer’s beach, you get the impression to have arrived in a noisy hell made of bars, pubs and clubs, rahter than in the idyllic and mystic place its nickname promises. But for those who want …
The light of Provence
When I think of Provence lavender fields come to my mind, huge spots of purple mixed with grass green. Provence has a special light, warm and welcoming, and it was perhaps this light that inspired many impressionist painters who produced here their most famous paintings. From Cezanne to Van Gogh’s, many talents were bewitched by the magic …
In Portugal until the end of the world
Spectacular bays, white beaches, steep cliffs plunging into the sea, this is the business card of Algarve, the southernmost region of Portugal, a paradise where even the sun wants to stay forever. When I think of Algarve I picture in my mind the strong contrast between the golden sand and the blue sea, an imagine …
Castel Toblino: when reality meets fairy tales
(Leggi questo post in italiano)This post could begin like this: Once upon a time there was an enchanted castle nestled in the mountains overlooking a beautiful lake….And I could go on adding to the story a beautiful princess trapped in the tower and saved by her prince charming. But it would be too mushy and I’m …