Category Archives: Uncategorized

ATHENS Athens (pop 3.8 million) Athens (Ancient Greek: Athênai) is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world’s oldest cities, with its recorded history spanning over 3,400 years and its earliest human presence starting somewhere between the 11th and 7th millennium BC. … Continue reading →

Greece – Epirus – March 31-April 1 2019. This part of Greece stretches across the entire north of the country. I entered the Epirus region from Albania at noon on March 31, with 2 weeks remaining on my Schengen visa. … Continue reading →

Officially the Republic of Malta consists of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea 80 km south of Sicily, 284 km east of Tunisia and 333 km north of Libya. With a population of about 475,000 over an area of 316 km2, Malta is the world’s tenth smallest and fifth most densely-populated country. Its capital is Valletta, which is the smallest … Continue reading →

FORTIFICATIONS of MALTA. Consist of a number of walled cities, citadels, forts, towers, batteries, redoubts, entrenchments and pillboxes. The fortifications were built over thousands of years, from around 1450 BC to the mid-20th century, and they are a result of the Maltese islands’ strategic position and natural harbours, which have … Continue reading →

L’œuvre architecturale d’Henry van de Velde (08/04/2008) Henry Clemens Van de Velde (1863–1957) was a Belgian (born in Antwerp) painter, architect and interior designer. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar he could be considered as one of the main … Continue reading →

Arguably Scotland’s most beautiful and enigmatic church, Rosslyn Chapel only reached fame with Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code and the subsequent Hollywood film. Since 2003, the number of tourists has ballooned (190,000 in 2017) and this has made possible … Continue reading →

UNESCO has added 17 projects by 20th-century French architect Le Corbusier to its list of internationally significant architecture sites, including the Unité d’Habitation housing in Marseille – arguably the most influential Brutalist building of all time. They are spread across seven countries built over 50 years … Continue reading →

THE PO PLAIN. Completely flat it extends from Bergamo in the north to Mantua in the southeast. MANTUA (pop 49,000). Actually in Milan Province, it is just north of Parma. The city was taken over by the wealthy horse-breeding Gonzaga family in … Continue reading →

SAN MARINO. Of the world’s 196 independent countries, San Marino is the fifth smallest, and the most curious. A sole survivor of Italy’s once powerful city-state network, the landlocked micronation clung on well after the more powerful kingdoms of Genoa … Continue reading →

ABRUZZO & MOLISE PROVINCES Bisected by the rugged Apennines mountains, these two provinces are rarely on the tourist radar. A major national park-building effort in the 1990s created an almost unbroken string of 4 parks. Amidst them are many picturesque … Continue reading →