Via dell' Amore (Cinque Terre, Italy)

As many others I prefer not to be surrounded by too many other tourists when I'm out and about doing touristy things. Silly, I know. But sometimes it just doesn't matter how touristy a place is, it's just too beautiful and stunning to pass up. Cinque Terre (a group of five gorgeous villages in the Liguria area)was exactly such a place to me. Never have I seen this many tourists packed together, but also never could I have cared less. Here is a sneak peek of one of the trails between the villages. More to follow! 

Locandina (Sicily, Italy)

Italian food is an all-time favorite in my household and visiting Italy essentially involves a lot of eating, tasting, trying old and new dishes. Sicily particularly has offered me all my heart could desire in the food department. Arabic flavors mixed with well-known Mediterranean ingredients, all local produce and delicious wines.. You can't go wrong there. Needless to say, picking out where to eat is always one of my favorite activities on the road. The next restaurant we stumbled upon by pure accident and what a lovely surprise it was.

Locandina is a true gem in the breath-taking old city of Ragusa (Ragusa Ibla). My Greek travel companion even had to admit their prize-winning olive oil was much better than Greek olive oil. That is quite a bold statement there! Munching on our bread and divine olive-oil on the terrace of this beautifully pristine restaurant, a palazzo nonetheless, we tried to decide what wine to drink from the amazing diverse wine-list, ranging in price from very reasonable to very expensive. After dinner, the waiter even gave us a little tour around the restaurant and wine cellar. There, we discovered a hidden nook for a dinner-for-two surrounded by their most precious bottles. Can it get more romantic than that? And if you're wondering, their menu has a similar wide variety of mouth-watering options. You can opt for their straight-forward but inventive pizza's or go for their more refined regional dishes. Great atmosphere, wide choice of high quality food & drinks plus warm and friendly service makes Locandina a winner in my book.

And to show you a bit of the beauty of the city, a few pretty views:

A weekend in Tuscany (Chianti region, Italy)

Here are a few photos of a distant trip to Tuscany in Italy. Living in Switzerland allowed for such wonderful weekend trips. I have to say that is what I miss most about living in Europe: being able to get up and go and within hours find myself in a new country, new language, new culture, new food... and come back a few days later feeling completely refreshed. You can't find that kind of experience and culture anywhere in North America.  

On this particular trip a few friends and I decided to drive from Geneva to Italy for a long weekend. We arrived in a small village in the Chianti region after a long drive from Geneva. Our host's (a lovely Swiss-German friend) family own a lovely villa and 'auberge' in Tuscany. The house was converted from old stables into a lovely modern-eco friendly residence including its very own swimming pool and tennis courts. The rooms looked onto the beautiful Tuscan valley. The best part was the beautiful kitchen which included a brick stove oven (where many pizzas were made). 

In the morning we drove to the village market where we feasted on fresh Italian delicacies. We gathered food for our weekend and went back to the Villa where we made fresh baked breads and pizza while drinking local Chianti wine literally from the backyard. 

The nightly grand Italian feast

In the mornings we would go for walks through the scenic valley and stop in at various vineyards. I literally stumbled upon the most beautiful houses (my dream summer home is just below).  

I hope these photos have inspired you to take your own culinary trip to Tuscany. 

On the way back you can always stop in Florence. I have been to Florence several times and the first time around fell absolutely in love with it (mind you I was 16 at the time). But I was convinced that I belonged in Florence and needed to shape my life in order to end up there. The entire city of Florence is a walking museum and oozes beauty and culture from every corner and every street. The Gelato shops aren't bad either. 

An evening stroll (Sicily, Italy)

Now that the soil starts to give us this lovely spring scent and colorful flowers are starting to pop up all over, I'm starting to dream of summer evening strolls once more. For those of you who love walks as much as I do, as much as feeling the lingering heat of the day and smelling the promise of amazing restaurants you're passing by, here a few images captured at the enchanting island of Sicily. And yes, the last picture shows an incredible teeny tiny bar hidden inside a little gateway. Anyone up for a drink?

Summer Inspiration II (Sicily, Italy)

Number two of Kim's post on Sicily, enjoy!

Today I'll be sharing a bit more of sunny Sicily. My favorite part of the island was by far the Southeast, where the pretty baroque towns of Ragusa, Modica, Noto and Syracuse are to be found. On the East coast Catania, Acireale and Taormina are popular tourist destinations. Rightly so, they're gorgeous towns close to the impressive volcano Etna and with some beautiful spots for swimming nearby. I'd also suggest not to miss out on beautiful drives around central Sicily and the Unesco World Heritage-listed Valley of the Temples in the South.

Summer Inspiration I (Sicily, Italy)

Enjoy this post by resident blogger Kim!

A lot of us are still living in chilly wintery conditions and although I am enjoying Mediterranean weather conditions nowadays, February can be very grey, cold and wet. So while heavy rains are pouring down on us here, I thought it might be a good time to share a little taste of summer with you all. Not as popular as other destinations in Italy, Sicily is a rough gem to be discovered. During high season (outside the main tourist attractions) I encountered only an agreeable amount of other tourists and many available small & charming hotels. To me, Sicily has everything to offer for a lovely get-away: beautiful nature, delightful baroque towns, impressive historic sights, pleasant beaches and simply scrumptious food.