TRAVEL AND LIFESTYLE DIARIES

This is my last entry of Modena (Italy), until of course my return which we do not know yet. One thing for sure, though, and that is, I love Italy... and I will come back! A typical street occurrence in a town or city in Italy. Locals just bring out their table on the street and eat and drink there together with family, friends and neighbours (and passersby as well!). Italy is a country that you can easily fall in love with. Seriously, it is a multifaceted country that has a lot to offer. Do you want art, culture, architecture, history? What about divine Italian gastronomy? Oh, and there is stunning nature as well! I have only been in the north and the farthest city in the south I have visited was Rome. I have ventured out to Frascati though, which is half an hour south of Rome and home to the locally famous wine of the same name and the once Papal vacation house Castel Gandolfo, now a museum. I have vowed however to visit all the beautiful places in Italy, one trip, one regi...

The ‘aperitivo’ culture is one of the things I love about northern Italy. The Italians in this part of the country take this seriously to heart and practice aperitivo after work hours. So I discovered aperitivo many years ago on a trip to Verona with Blondine, where we ended up one evening skipping dinner as we sipped on our second round of cocktails and wine. Little bits of delicious Italian goodness never seemed to stop coming to our table. We were somewhat puzzled, but of course, we never complained, afraid they would stop sending the delicious treats. But we really wondered -- Why are we getting free food? Haha. Suffice to say, our dinner plans were thwarted down the drain that night, but then that gave us an excuse to order another round. It was when we learned about Italy’s happiest hour(s) of the day. Well at least in northern Italy where aperitivo is a lifestyle set in stone. In Modena, I had a very early aperitivo and I am not apologising for it. Apertivo hours are us...

Ciao signori e signor, buona sera! Are you keen checking out beautiful UNESCO world heritage sites when travelling? In Italy, seeing these places is just like taking a little walk in the park. They are that, unbelievably, very common. One would not have expected less of the now-defunct Roman Empire, right? The oldest square of Modena, the Piazza Grande is a UNESCO site. Unfortunately, my favourite square in the city is Piazza XX Settembre located beside the delicious, colourful and lively Albinelli Market   (must visit). It certainly must have been the buzz around it that attracted me to this place. There was a market going on and the stalls were well-decorated and very inviting. It is also a much smaller square, as compared to Piazza Grande and Piazza Roma for example, and is, therefore, more intimate and cosy. To prove this fact, the market in the middle and the outdoor café terraces along the sidelines almost kiss each other. That’s intimate I guess =) Piazza Grand...