Here is my recent guest post about Italy. Courtesy of Megan from MappingMegan. I enjoyed writing it very much so hopefully you’ll enjoy reading it. Visit Megan’s website for details. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

The post My Guest Post: Living Through Four Seasons in Italy appeared first on Null & Full.

Lago di Como is one of the dream destinations. The lake has been filmed many times and because of its beauty it fascinates tourists. Como Lake and three other big lakes in northern Italy: Maggiore, Garda and d’Iseo, are unique places of stunning views and architectural delight. Lago di Como has a weird shape of upside-down letter Y and is surrounded by hills. On its northern shore you may actually see very high peaks of the Alps, that are often covered with snow. In the middle of warm Italian summer this view is intriguing. For the Italians Lago di Como recalls school times and their compulsory reading I Promessi Sposi, written by Manzoni. The main plot of this epic love story of Lucia and Renzo is placed on the lake. But Lago di Como was not only in the area of interestes of the classic authors (Hemingway, Twain, Dostoevsky, to name a few). Popular culture seams to adore this place! Clandestine marriage of Amidala and Anakin Skywalker was shot in one of the lake’s villa, just as the Ocean’s Twelve concluding scene, and some of the scenes of the Casino Royale with James Bond. The current trend among rich and famous to buy a villa on a lake rises interest and prices. Como- the town on southwest shore of the lake- is comfortably connected with Milan. You just take the train on Cadorna Railway Station and after about 40 minutes you’re in the center of this town. The proximity of Milan is also one of the reasons of its popularity. People tend to become tired with the noise and rush of large city and uses the opportunity to relax during the weekend. Many Italians go to Como. Some of them just take a walk around the city, others buy some exclusive products made of silk. Eating ice creams is one of most common way to spend Saturday or Sunday afternoons, both for the large Italian families and for the tourists. During the summer time the town is crowded and the most pleasant moment to see it and enjoy it is late evening. You might find it difficult to believe however Lago di Como is one of the deepest lakes in Europe (more than 400m deep!). What’s more the bottom of the lake is more than 200 metres below the sea-level! The color of water is outstanding. Together with snowed peaks it is one of the most beautiful views in Europe. The lake area is also famous of its production of silk and growing of mulberry trees. The production of silk is dated back in 14th century and it is still a popular business here. The guidebook says that over 80% of the European silk production comes from Como. There are couple of museums focused on history and production process of silk, however, I cannot recommend any of them. What I can definitely recommend is a visit in the cathedral. The Duomo together with Broletto (constructed originally as a residence fot the local authorities in the 13th century) creates beautiful space in the city centre. The magnificent facade cut out of marble expresses the rich history of this town, its golden years, exceptional wealth and love for art of the famous aristocratic families. The way the Duomo is constructed and filled with sculptures shows also the development of architectural thought in northern Italy. While some other churches were reconstructed many times and the final effect is simply awful this is not the case of the duomo in Como. The extensions made throughout history are well planed and implemented. This is a beautifully proportional building with great facade and excellent interior. To fully appreciate Como– the town I mean, not the whole lake- you should go to Brunate. If you take a cable railway called funicolare, and go to the top you can admire a nice view over the town and a bit of the lake. Brunate with its lighthouse (yes, there is actually a lighthouse dedicated to Alessandro Volta, Il Faro Voltiano) you can enter and enjoy the view. Credits: all photos were downloaded from Flickr on license of Creative Commons. Authors: Axel V, bric72’s, Nando Scafroglia. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

The post Escape from Milano to Lago di Como appeared first on Null & Full.

The nice thing to do in Milan is to go somewhere by tram. The city center is covered with the electric net which feeds old and modern trams. Take a ride. Just for a change. To make it really nice and kind of ‘old school’ or ‘vintage’ impression take the old wooden tram which makes a terrible noise. These trams have funny additional step that magically appears when the door is open. Be careful and hold on: these trams may sometimes shake you off. While moving around by subway is efficient and comfortable a ride by tram is pleasant and shows you the city. So, if you have an opportunity to do so, you can’t miss it. The only tricky part is to buy a ticket. It should cost you around 1,30 EUR and I think that in the city center you can even do it in English or by using one of the ticket machines BUT it would be cool to buy it from one of these old guys in a little stand at the corner full of newspapers, souvenirs and AC Milan or Inter scarfs. These guys are often dressed in hundred layers of coats and jackets (at least in winter time) with old fashion hat make the impression that they have been selling tickets and smoking cigarettes for at least 120 years. Continuously. They look like they would know the whole history of the city, remember all of the most disturbing events and if you would just ask them to tell you the story they would have spend two weeks on sharing their memories. Most of the time they are real locals with strong accent and lovely smile. I spend hours on watching their work: you would be astonished with the speed of selling things! Unless you will meet them during a lunch brake: if so, you should choose a ticket machine. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

The post Old school trams in Milan appeared first on Null & Full.

Milan is known for its love for fashion. Now, being a student often means that your lifestyle is dramatically limited by the budget you have. Mine was and so I missed my opportunity to witness the ‘big world’ at my doorstep. But having an invitation for the Milan Fashion Week is not the only way to see fashion. I would suggest you to walk the main streets like Via Dante, Corso Magenta, or Foro Buonaparte to see ordinary people that are really well dressed. You need to do it during a lunch brake (12:00-14:30) because that’s the time when all lawyers and people working in important financial institutions walk out of their offices. You won’t see the weird and spectacular dresses by the top fashion designers but what you will see are men and women dressed in suites, beautiful shoes, lovely sunglasses and caring good looking bags. Their walk from the office to the bar or trattoria or restaurant is always followed by the exquisite smell of perfumes. Looking at them while they are walking, talking and laughing loudly is a pure pleasure. You have this particular impression that they look like they were born in these clothes and that their style is natural. They don’t pretend anybody: they just are real Italians enjoying their life. P.S. If you really need to see the top fashion people you need to go to the streets Via Monte Napoleone, Via Gesu, Via Santo Spirito, and Via della Spiga. You might actually see there crowds of models and fashion people smoking cigarettes and hysterically laughing just before of just after the most exciting day of their life. Have you ever thought about visiting Italy? Here is an alternative way on how to visit Italy and get really close to the Italian way of life. I created a project ‘I love Ferrara‘ so you could join me and experience how beautiful and tasty Ferrara is. If you wish to immerse in Italy book your holiday now!  

The post Fashion in Milan appeared first on Null & Full.