This is a very particular museum. It has been recently opened to public and it has already gained a ‘must see’ label. I have heard enough enthusiastic comments on it to plan a visit as soon as possible. Just last week I hosted few Italian friends and it seemed a perfect excuse to finally go there. Due to heavy rain and cold weather it was an awesome idea to spend our afternoon. What this is all about? Porta Posnania (pl. Brama Poznania) is an innovative museum focused on the beginning of settlement in the area currently occupied by city of Poznan. Using the most recent electronic gadgets it takes you for a journey into deep past of the place. Basic on the artifacts found and using most recent scientific research the exhibition has an ambitious aim of familiarizing the visitors with the ancient history of Poland. The location and a building itself – a sharp modern concrete cube – is impressive. Not only it occupies space that it further reveals in front of your eyes but also participate in revitalization of long neglected area: Śródka. The cube located at the eastern bank of Warta river is connected with the oldest part of the city: Ostrów Tumski (a island where cathedral is located). The museum located on the island hosts few exhibition rooms where currently a modest display of photos takes place (pl. Śluza Katedralna). One of the photos’ authors is Erik an owner of a charming little cafe in the city center. Through a glass and stain covered bridge you enter the building and it really makes a great impression. If you are fan of modern architecture you will appreciate it. What to expect? Right at the entrance a large hall with all facilities welcomes you. After a ticket purchase you get a small electronic pocket guide with headphones with a short explanation on how to use it. Here, your adventure begins. What I like the most about these little devices was that after entering exhibition rooms it automatically gives you an overview. What my Italian friends did not like was lack of the italian language version (still, german, french and spanish seems handy). The interior of the museum is kept in black colors. There are no windows along the whole itinerary apart of the glass corridor that splits the building to two halves. I think it all helps to keep the visitors’ attention on information given. So far, so good. There are four basic parts of the exhibition focused on particular events chronologically. What is missing, I think, is a consistent narrative along the way. There are tens of designated sites where by clicking on your device you get more information about a particular artifact, building, event, etc. It is however not shown how to proceed. Picking the spots randomly you might find yourself in a chaos. Likes and dislikes Most of all this museum is like no other. Heavy usage of modern technologies makes the ancient history alive. A variety of multimedia including videos showing reconstructed workshops, settlement and fortification is impressive. Also, an itinerary dedicated for the kids and a room with child friendly objects is really nice. One of the best features in my opinion are displays showing important parallel events from all over the world. It was something that was always missing at the history lessons. Impressive illumination of particular elements was also eye catching. Although the whole experience is intriguing there are some things I did not like. Scattered narrative is one of the things that lowers the educational value of this place. You can go through the exhibition and still do not have a clue on the Poznan and Polish history. Perhaps the particular spots that contain important information should be highlighted. A distinction among basic facts, important elements of narrative and short anecdotes might be a good idea. This museum is a prove that even the most ancient history can be exhibited in an attractive way. I am pretty sure that being so modern is a huge advantage. It meets the tourists’ expectations, I think. Also a modern building in this very special place will hopefully melt in the area providing valuable meetings with art and culture. I will be looking at its activity and events organized throughout a year. A nearby area of Śródka has already experienced side effects of the recent construction of a bridge for pedestrians and the museum opening. There are at least three new coffee shops and restaurants along the street stretching from the museum towards Malta artificial lake. Few years ago it would be useless to open a cafe here but now it seemed a great idea. My favorite one is called Cafe La Ruina and I took my Italian friends there. Apart of brilliant interior design and board games to play they offer amazingly good home made cakes. The best conclusion of our itinerary! Disclosure: this post was kindly supported by City of Poznan, however, all opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.  

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Urbino is a wonder! True: Italy is full of wonders, all sorts of them. Architecture, local celebrations, history, art … Italy has it all. It is hard to stand out of the crowd but somehow Urbino is really fascinating and its character is very particular. For me three best things are: its size, Palazzo Ducale and vibrant social life after sunset. It is hilly which makes the city very attractive and it also makes panorama seen from city walls breathtaking. It is large enough to walk around the whole day but small enough not to use any sort of local transportation. And I know why Giorgia from Marche Holiday wanted me to see this city so badly! Here are few pictures from this city.   There is also a very particular spot in this city, useful for photographers. If you walk up to a place called Fortezza you will see a truly amazing view at the city. This hill is close to Palazzo Ducale, in fact it is located inside city walls which makes this view spectacular. Pictures from there show the city in its splendor. No wonder UNESCO enlisted in a World Heritage Site.   I went to Urbino only twice and it was not enough to know this city well. There is a house of Raffaello Sanzio (better known as Raphael) who was born in Urbino and spent his early years here, got very close to local aristocracy and returned to the city many times in his adult life. I should visit his nativity house next time I’m in Urbino. Further, there are few interesting churches to be visited and obviously a revisit in Palazzo Ducale is a must. I’ll share with you a story of my visit in Palazzo Ducale later this week.      

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I enjoy writing guest posts. Some people find it boring but for me this is always a chance to step back and think about my travel experiences from a different perspective. When I prepare another post published on NullnFull blog I treat it as another part of a series. So, I know that my readers have already known my story, my favorite destinations and activities. When I prepare a guest post I need to summarize my travels, think about it as a long term activity and decide which are the most important things to me to share. So, I was glad when Sonia asked me if we could exchange blog posts. And I picked up best things about Italy. Again. Strangely enough, every time I write about my love towards Italy there are new things coming. And so, although you’re used to my Italian stories I am pretty sure you’ll like this one too. Enjoy! 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!  

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Here are photos taken in Ravenna. I found this town truly fascinating. Despite the crowd of tourists it is still worthy to visit. I fully agree with the arguments by UNESCO: A unique collection of early Christian mosaics and monuments show great artistic skill, including a wonderful blend of Graeco-Roman tradition, Christian iconography and oriental and Western styles. There is no other place like this. You just need to see it one day for yourself! Ravenna is a beautiful city and it is located in Romagna. Emilia-Romagna is a region that is famous for its excellent food. Now it is your turn to verify it! You can visit Italy and try for yourself. Book today your stay in Emilia Romagna.  

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I was lucky. I visited London many times but the trip made three years ago was the best I have ever had. I went to the TATE Gallery with my cousin (cheers buddy!)  to see an interesting exhibition of the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. The exhibition was titled “Sunflower Seeds” and was placed in a Tate Modern Turbine Hall. If you missed information about it here is what was it about: the hall was filled with natural size sunflower seeds made of porcelain (one hundred million, to be precise). I know it sounds weird but have a look at the pictures and you might try to imagine it. When the exhibition was opened people were allowed to walk on it, lay, jump, throw, touch, and everything else you can come up with, except for take away the seeds out of the Hall. Later, out of healthy reasons, they forbade the walking part, constructed a little fence around and so by the time I visited the museum I could only watch and touch the close to the fence seeds (just like on this picture below). So, how was it? Modern art is often controversial and the majority of us does not understand the intentions of the author. When entering the Turbine Hall I was impressed instantly due to the quantity of these seeds. I knew some details before going to this exhibition and so I knew that each of the seeds was hand made. I think that the artist here did an amazing thing: he returned to the basics. Everybody understands basic concepts of quantity or even infinity, which was most striking while watching the seeds. In the case of this particular exhibition a short movie showed in a room nearby explained pretty much everything so nobody was left without the explanation what this modern work of art is about. All seeds were produced using the traditional technique of porcelain production. Each seed was taken in hand and painted. Watching millions of them is impressive enough. I think the the power of this exhibition lays in simplicity and universality. Each of us can understand what it means to watch million seeds and each of them is unique. There are no two exact copies of it. Just like humans: we are all unique. Watching people entering the Turbine Hall was fascinating. Each of them tried to do something with these seeds. I was impressed that each person- starting with small children up to the adults- got engaged with this exhibition. It was simple enough to get people involved and intriguing to catch their attention. I really enjoyed this exhibition very much. And I really hate these signs in museum saying: do-not-touch-works-of-art. Well, art in general is about touching. Good art should touch the core of human. Make us think and feel.  

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Best Places To Live, Best Retirement Heavens, The Healthiest Places to Live, The Best Climates In The World…you name it! It’s quite widespread to publish a ranking of the best places to live. Magazines and research institutions make an ongoing effort to decide what makes a perfect place perfect. While their lists are somehow interesting I am sure that each person has his/her own preferences that has nothing to do with the ‘average’ or ‘popular’ choices. Here is my own, personal and very biased list of places where I could live at least for a year. Having fun, of course. Ferrara (Italy) No surprises, my number one is Italian town Ferrara. You might have not known about it but Ferrara is a ‘World Capital Of Cycling‘. Yes, no mistakes here. In this town EVERYBODY has a bicycle and they use it every day. Stand for about 10 minutes on the main square and you will count at least a hundred people on a bike. What is even more important in contrast to Holland the major part of the year this city is blessed with good weather. Even in the middle of the winter the climate is so mild that you can cycle without a risk to freeze to death. No wind, no snow (usually, with some exceptions), no rain. Just a romantic fog. Ferrara is a UNESCO World Heritage site as the city center was constructed in the medieval times and has not been reconstructed since then. Numerous narrow streets make you feel like time stands still: red bricks, original grout, old wood, ancient stone, impressive arches- there is pretty much everything in this town.  And, quite obviously, the city center is small, everything is in a walking distance, easy to reach. This town has a rich and complex history with famous d’Este and Borgia families on the top of it. In the city center there is a medieval moated castle called Castello Estense, or simply castello by the residents. Medieval times are revived during annual Palio events. Palio of Ferrara is the most ancient palio in the world and was established earlier than famous Palio di Siena. Every September there is also Ferrara Balloons Festival and the view of the balloons over the city is spectacular. Every season in this town is lovely. OK maybe late November is not the best time to visit Ferrara but even the winter fog in December and January makes it nice looking and fascinating. With its warm and noise bars at every corner and gelateria this is just a perfect place to be. So definitely, Ferrara is my top choice.       Boston, MA (USA) It would be hard to find a bigger contrast between these two: Ferrara and Boston. They say that Boston is the most European like city in the US and I think this composition of American and European elements is perfect. I loved this city from the very first sight. It has more sited directly related to the American Revolution than any other city and so many catching eye sites! I totally agree with Henry James (one of my favorite authors) that Boston is simply elegant. It has so many charming places to walk around that one year would be not enough to appreciate all of them. This is a costal city which is a huge advantage making the climate mild. I remember the color of the sea in late September and under the full sun: this was something I would definitely call ‘navy blue‘. And that was the only time in my life I saw it. The rest is just plain blue. History is all over the place but it is so different than Ferrara. There is also federal architecture to see and beautiful gardens to sit in for a while, relax, enjoy the sun. Why would I like to live in Boston? Because it created an excellent balance between modern vibrant city and cozy mid-size town with rich history. It is easy to use public transportation, the airport is within a reasonable distance, other lovely sites of New England are in a reachable distance and if you become tired with the noise of metropolis you can easily escape. One last thing: ‘Boston, Massachusetts’ always reminds me one the M*A*S*H* episode when Charles tries to phone his sister Honoria and repeats it at least z dozen times, every time more and more irritated. Brilliant! Halifax, NS (Canada) Now, this city might shock you a bit on my list, however, I still believe this is the right choice. I won’t try to convince you that Halifax is the most beautiful city in the world but it definitely has something particular. For me this was a mix of immigration history, maritime character of the region and lovely modern spots to spend time with friends. Halifax, despite of being an important hub in the region, is not oversized. It keeps good proportions of old and new. Being a Canadian city might be a good enough reason to live there but Halifax is much more than that! It has a harbor, where huge ferry boats arrive, cozy cafes, elegant shops, bicycle roads, and most of all: landscape of Nova Scotia at your fingertips. Peggy’s Cove, Cape Breton, Lunenburg, Mahone Bay, whales watching, Prince Edward Island, and even Newfoundland is close enough to visit all these places while living in Halifax. As an Atlantic region is has a strong maritime character which means dozens of old romantic lighthouses. I could live in Halifax just to visit one lighthouse every weekend! The view of the rock washed by the waves, deep blue of the ocean, strong wind and the lighthouse in the middle moves me every time. At least once in a lifetime I would like to follow a trail of lighthouses in Canada or elsewhere. OK, two cities to go. Kiruna (Sweden) You might, and most of my Italian friends definitely would, ask: Why on earth anybody would like to live in Kiruna? There is bloody cold and bloody dark for the most part of the year. Yes, it is cold and it is dark, so my guess it: that’s why I...

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It is rather common to think about the Netherlands as a country determined by highly skilled management of water. A substantial part of this country lies below the sea level. For most of the tourists Holland means: good cheese, tulips and bicycles. I would like to convince you that Holland is not just flowers and water. It is also a country of modern architecture and advance engineer solutions. To see a real housing innovation you need to visit IJburg- an artificially constructed island on the east of Amsterdam. I went to this island twice and I was a witness of progress of this complex project. When I visited IJburg last time it was still under construction but I was able to admire impressive buildings. Walking the newly constructed streets of IJburg was a powerful experience to me. First of all this is a real island surrounded by the sea and swept by the strong north winds. Everywhere on this island you can smell this salty scent of the sea, beach, shells and sand. You can hear its noise and from most of the places you can see the sea itself. This is an impressive project not only from the engineering point of view but also in terms of sociology and mobility. The designers of this project planned to construct a variety of buildings, including social housing for the poorest and free space for the richest so they could build their dream houses there. The whole island is very spacious, the streets are wide, the generosity of this project is observable at every corner.  It is exceptionally well connected to the city center of Amsterdam with the tram and through the system of bridges. In about 15 minutes the tram arrives to the Central Station which makes this place really convenient to live in. Any problems? Yes, at least one that I am aware of. The island was artificially constructed which resulted in lack of the natural environment, in terms of flora and fauna. Surprisingly, when I went to IJburg for the first time the most visible absence of fauna were birds. Seriously! Many of the lamps, fences, bins and tram stops were covered with spiderwebs. The shortage of birds allowed to develop the spider population excessively. This was a guided tour with some of the sociologists and architects employed for this project and I remember that they were surprised with this problem. “You can plan everything in tiny details”- they said, “to be eventually surprised with something as small as spiders”. I would love to see IJburg again, someday. Credits: all pictures were found on flickr.com published on license Creative Commons.    

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