I turned 45 in June. I have this tradition – when possible – of not being in Belgium for my birthday. From Sweden in 2013 to the Châteaux of the Loire Valley in 2014, Lake Orta in 2015, Rome in 2016, London in 2018, North Carolina and Virginia in 2019, England in 2022, and Rotterdam…
Tag: Piedmont
Italy welcomes more than 185 million visitors as tourism surges 7.1% in record year 2025
Italy’s tourism industry reached another historic milestone in 2025, with more than 185 million arrivals recorded across the country as international demand for Italian culture, cities, beaches and cuisine continued to grow strongly. New figures from the Italian Interior Ministry’s ‘Alloggiati Web’ system show that total arrivals increased by 7.1% compared with 2024, rising from…
Leo Express and Arenaways plan direct train between Prague and Venice
The Czech railway company Leo Express, in cooperation with the Italian carrier Arenaways, is planning a new direct rail connection between Prague in Czechia and Venice in Italy.
SICILY | Catania
March 2025. We’re embarking on a train trip to Sicily. We fly from Brussels Airport to Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport with ITA Airways. Then we take an Intercity Notte sleeper train by Trenitalia from Roma Termini Railway Station across Italy to Syracuse. Yes, the train is loaded on a ferry to cross the…
OVERTOURISM | Alternatives for Venice, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Santorini, Paris, Dubrovnik, London and Rome?
Overtourism was an issue in 2024 and still is in 2025. An increasing number of cities, grappling with the less appealing aspects of mass tourism, are implementing measures to curb the influx of visitors. One strategy is not to go to these hotspots, but to find alternatives. And if we all do that, those alternatives…
ITALY | Turin to host EuroPride 2027
Turin (Torino) in the north of Italy will host EuroPride in 2027. The annual general meeting of European Pride Organisers Association (EPOA) in Porto in Portugal appointed Turin on Saturday.
History of Trieste at Diego de Henriquez War for Peace Museum / Museo de la Guerra per Pace
October 2022. As we wanted to test Trenitalia‘s Frecciarossa 1000 service from Paris to Milan, we planned a rail trip around it. From Antwerp to Paris with Thalys, the ‘Red Arrow’ to Milan and once in Italy continuing to Trieste and Bologna. The return trip took us to Basel in Switzerland to enjoy SBB‘s panoramic…
ITALY | Turin hosts 2022 Eurovision Song Contest
The Italian city of Turin has won the race to become the host city of the 66th Eurovision Song Contest. Seventeen cities had posted a bid to host Eurovision. The Grand Final will be held in PalaOlimpico on Saturday 14 May with Semi-Finals on 10 and 12 May.