The Seven Secrets of Bologna

by Anthony Kingsley | Dec 10, 2025 | City Break, Europe

A town or city will always have some secrets. Bologna boasts seven, although as some can be a little hard to access, I have included an additional secret.

They are little points to go and see, which will help you to uncover a little more of the city, but should be undertaken in addition to a guided tour of the historic centre.

A guided tour will help you to understand Bologna’s position as one of the most important cities of Italy, even if a little underrated by the tourism industry. At one point in its history, Bologna was second only to Rome amongst the Papal States. It has the oldest University in the world, so has always attracted thinkers, artists, even lawyers.

I took a morning tour of the historic centre with Bologna Tours, and then an afternoon tour with them of the Archiginnasio. Both are highly recommended.

On the following day, I undertook a trail to uncover the Seven Secrets of Bologna

The Seven Secrets of Bologna : a Guide

The hole in the wall, Little Venice?

This promises a hidden view of the Molina Canal through a hole in the wall on the bridge on the Via Pialle. I missed this secret first time round because opposite the hole in the wall, there is no wall, just an uninterrupted view of the canal in the other direction.

I realised my mistake when I got back to my hotel and was looking through my photos.

I returned the following day and retook the picture through the hole, as well as going to the other end of the “wrong view” for a view looking back.

It is a bit of a stretch of the imagination to call it “Little Venice” and Bologna certainly doesn’t need to borrow any marketing tricks from other cities.

Neptune’s Appendage

The Fountain of Neptune is one of the iconic sights in Bologna, adjacent to the Piazza Maggiore. It was commissioned by Cardinal Legate Borromeo to celebrate the election of his uncle as Pope Pius IV.

The bronze statue is nicknamed Neptune the Huge, partly because of its size. But the story goes that the Cardinal objected to the size of the statues genitals and insisted that they should be reduced.

The sculptor agreed… up to a point… and reduced the size of the offending appendage. If you walk to the rear of the statue on a slab opposite the Borse and look carefully at the statue again, you will see that the statue’s thumb takes on an entirely different perspective. Neptune the Huge indeed.

Bologna is more than just a University town, it has the oldest University in the World. Legend has it that you will succeed in your exams if you walk around the statue twice. However, one of the other secrets has a warning for students which we will uncover when we look at the Asinelli Tower ( secret no 7).

The Three Arrows

It is now time to walk to the Strada Maggiore where you will see three arrows embedded into the wooden ceiling of the portico. You will walk past the Asinelli Tower up to the Corte Isolani, which is a sort of covered gallery between the Strada Maggiore and the Piazza San Stefano. Bookmark the San Stefano Complex of churches, because you will definitely want to visit, but it is not part of the Seven Secrets of Bologna,

The story goes that someone ordered three assassins to kill a rival. Those assassins had their bows drawn and ready to shoot when the sight of a lovely lady undressing in one of the rooms opposite distracted their aim. As a result they shot into the roof of the portico where the arrows have remained ever since.

There is a rival story that the assassins were employed to kill a lady but were so taken by her beauty that they missed. I think I prefer the first version.

The ceiling is high and dark so it is not really possible to see where the arrows might now rest. Nor do we know whether the victim was eventually slain. So it remains a secret of sorts.

The Four Corners of the Podesta: the “wireless phone”

You now head back down the Strada Maggiore, not stopping at the Asinelli tower, which is no 7 on the list.

You are walking back to the Piazza Maggiore and the Palazzo del Podestà. This is a secret that you hear, rather than see. It also means that it is perhaps something that solo travellers cannot enjoy. I was not brave enough to ask a stranger to try with me.

In the middle of the covered walkway between the Strada Maggiore and the Piazza, there is a section in the centre with four corners. If you speak into one corner, the person in the opposite corner can hear what you are saying, the sound somehow carried through the brickwork. It is sometimes described as a “wireless phone,” although as you can see from the image below, we are never far from our phones.

It is said that this is how Lepers could confess to their sins without getting too close to the priest

Cannabis protects you

The city of Bologna derived much of its wealth from the production and processing of silk. It also had a strong industry in hemp, which was grown and processed in the plains around the city,

Apart from other uses, hemp from Bologna was woven into ropes which were used to supply the Venetian navy.

The portico at the beginning of the Via Independente has a number of surviving frescos with three inscriptions in Latin:

Panis Vita, Canabis Protectio, Vinum Laetitia

Bread is life, hemp is protection, wine is joy.

Hemp is protection probably means the money from hemp protects you, rather than referring to the medical benefits of cannabis. Personally I think all three panels should form the secret in the Seven Secrets of Bologna, but I don’t make the rules.

Panum Resis

Apparently in the University there is a desk with the inscription Panum Resis, or Knowledge is the Foundation. Again, I wasn’t brave enough to go inside the university to look for the desk, and I would imagine that the University would be fairly peeved with tourists wandering in looking at their desks.

It should also be noted that no one knows where this desk might be inside the University, and as they presumably have a lot of desks, finding it will be beyind most tourists.

The walk to the new University buildings is one of the longest on the Secrets trail, but it does take you past the historic Teatro Comunale di Bologna, the opera house, which will certainly be well worth a visit once the restoration work has been finished.

The Asinelli Tower

Your trail to uncover the Seven Secrets of Bologna has almost come to an end. You are standing in front of the Asinelli Tower, all 97 metres high. It is sometimes referred to as one of the Due Torri as it is immediately adjacent to another, leaning tower.

The secret is that there is broken vase hidden at the highest point, apparently to demonstrate the ability of the Bolognese to solve problems. How remains unclear.

A little like the previous secret, no one has ever found this broken vase. The tower is currently closed. for maintenance, and looking at the degree of lean in its neighbouring tower, that might be a good excuse for not climbing up to look for the vase.

Legend has it that if students climb the tower before an exam, they will fail. Yes, indeed, perhaps they should spend more time studying and less time climbing towers

As the last two secrets can not be found, I feel that I should add in another secret, the Demon of the Palazzo Salina. I have written about the devils and demons of Bologna elsewhere (here if you would like to read it (https://bit.ly/4aIDQND ) but will describe this little chap here as well.

Along the façade of the Palazzo Salina in the Piazza Santo Stefanu are a series of capricci busts of ladies, warriors, ancient gods, and a demon, possibly a satyr, grinning diabolically. The artists, Alfonso Lombardi and Nicolo da Volterra have left no explanation, so it remains a secret. The grinning demon is there perhaps to scare off other demons.

Part of the facade is shown at the head of this post. And below is a close up of the bust

Bologna is a city full of stories and secrets, of myths and legends. The Seven Secrets of Bologna only give the briefest of glimpses into the city. One could probably find seven tales in the Basilica di San Petronio, or in the Archiginassio, or in the 7 Churches of Santo Stefano Complex.

We could talk of Bolognese and Tortellini, of Gelato and Sangiovese wine.

Bologna has three nicknames, La Dotta, the Learned One, after its university, La Grassa, because the food is very good, and La Rossa after its red bricks.

It is perfect for a city break because you can uncover much of its heritage centre in a a couple of days, but still be left with enough to see and do to warrant a second visit.

It truly is a city for he curious traveller. It is also a good transport hub if you want to travel to other cities by rail Rimini, Ravenna, Parma, Modena and Padua are all close and Florence is easily reachable as is Rome.

Contact me if you would like to visit the city and its surroundings and I will help you to uncover its secrets

Thalassotherapy in Normandy

by Anthony Kingsley | Nov 2, 2025 | Europe, Wellness Travel

Introduction

For people looking for a quick wellness break, thalassotherapy in Normandy should be an obvious destination, but seems to be overlooked by travellers from the UK. Perhaps we are too eager to motor down to the warmer south so we roll off the ferry and hurry on our way without stopping to enjoy everything that Normandy has to offer.

Or perhaps it is that we do not really understand thalassotherapy and the benefits it can provide to our overall health and to specific complaints. Thalassotherapy and its related cousin Balneotherapy are no longer really understood here. I say “no longer,” because in times gone by, “Taking the waters,” was a well established cure for many an ache and pain. There are Thalassotherapy and Balneotherapy establishments all over the world, particularly in Europe where Baden-Baden and Hungary’s thermal bathing establishments are well known.

The purpose of this article is to look at Thalassotherapy in Normandy, what it is, why you should consider it, and, if you like the sound of what you are reading, to help you to book a stay there so that you make the most of your wellness break.

What is Thalassotherapy?

There is an old Music Hall song dating back to 1907 “Oh we do like to be beside the sea,” which extolls the pleasures of being by the seaside. There is something that makes us relax that little bit better beside the sea. Science suggests that it may be the salt and minerals in the water and in the air which we absorb by the sea, as well as the idea that, possibly sea air is less polluted than the air we normally breathe. There is also an element that most of us are on holiday when by the seaside so we are naturally more relaxed.

It is the salt and minerals that are the important feature here. Sea water contains a number of minerals that help our immune system to function better, such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. A well functioning immune system helps to improve sleep and helps the body regain energy and vitality. If this is coupled with good nutrition and sensible exercise we are onto a winner when it comes to wellness holidays.

Thalassotherapy is essentially therapies based around the sea and is products. It includes bathing or showering in sea water, although that water is likely to be heated. We relax more in warm water and perhaps absorb more effectively those all important minerals in warm water.

It’s not just the water that is beneficial. Mud enriched from minerals in the sea, seaweed and sea salt are used to help tone and beautify us.

A thalassotherapy break is not limited to just swimming in seawater. It will include steam and sauna, emotional showers, massage and other treatments as well as good relaxation and good food. It’s effectively a spa weekend on steroids.

Benefits of Thalassotherapy

The minerals contained in sea water and associated products can help with a variety of conditions and complaints.

The therapies can help

Relaxation and relieving of stress
Cleansing the skin
Ease aches and pains
Boost the immune system
Tone muscles
Improve sleep quality
Detox and weight loss

Thalassotherapy is not a miracle cure nor are the effects instant, other than, of course that general sense of wellbeing that we all have when we are relaxing.

The building blocks of good health go back centuries, and can be traced to many ancient civilisations. According to the father of medicine, ancient Greek Hippocrates, we need to focus on good food, good exercise and good rest. Many of our current ailments stem from the fact that our modern lifestyles find it hard to meet these three simple goals.

The most important benefit of Thalassotherapy in my opinion, and indeed the benefit of most wellness breaks and holidays, is that it gives us the time and opportunity to focus on those three qualities. A wellness break is a bit like an MOT for body and mind. Service yourself and you run better. Fail to do so and you will function less well, perhaps even leading to a breakdown.

Normandy

Normandy is close to the UK, with many different routes to get there. You can take the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen or to Le Havre, or from Newhaven to Dieppe. You can come through the Eurotunnel and then drive along the Norman coast or take the train from St Pancras International and change at Paris for Deauville, Lisieux, Cabourg or Caen.

Thalassotherapy in Normandy

Although Thalassotherapy is based on seawater, it is not essential for an establishment to be based on the coast. One of Normandy’s premier Thalassotherapy establishments is based in the city of Rouen in the Hotel Bourgtheroulde.

The swimming pool In the basement is perhaps the centrepiece of the spa in the hotel. It’s not just its impressive size and surroundings, it also boasts a counter-current swimming system. The spa has a sauna, hammam, jacuzzi and a fitness room.

Nearby Forges les Eaux also has several spa and wellness resorts.

But if we head back to the coast, the most well known thalassotherapy spa in the area is the Cures Marines in Trouville sur Mer. Its website proudly claims that it is “Thalasso Reinvented.” Leaving aside marketing-speak, that title demonstrates how bathing in seawater is becoming much more mainstream in wellness circles.

The hotel itself is part of the M Gallery group with 103 rooms in a mix of modern and Belle Epoques styles.

The spa has some 34 treatment cabins. Treatments might be preceded by a diagnosis of what you need to achieve your goals within the timescale you have available.

Trouville and neighbouring Deauville are fashionable seaside resorts, but popular all year round.

The Thalasso Deauville offers an equally extensive and worthwhile set of treatments. It partners with the Hotel Barrière Le Normandy group of hotels so you can either stay in one of the partner hotels or in accommodation of your choice. This gives you a good deal of flexibility both in terms of treatment but also cost.

Moving along the coast, we arrive at Cabourg, the Queen of the Fleurie coast. Writer Marcel Proust wrote some of his masterpiece A La Recherche du Temps Perdu in the Grand Hotel, and both hotel and town make the most of his renown. And they do it well. It is worth coming to Cabourg just for that Proust connection, its Belle Epoque architecture and its glorious beach.

It also excels in Thalassotherapy. The Thalazur Group offers sea treatments for health and beauty. They have 9 establishments in France, of which two are in Normandy. Apart from their establishment in Cabourg, they also have one in neighbouring Ouistreham, both beachfront properties.

Want to know more about Wellness in Normandy?

Just give me a call or send me an email and we can start to plan your wellness break, looking at your goals and how to achieve them.

Holiday Ideas for Next Year

by Anthony Kingsley | Sep 30, 2025 | Travel Trade

A travel agent or consultant is always looking for new holiday ideas, new places for a special holiday. But we can’t travel everywhere and try out everything, so we are very much dependent on the strength of our business relationships with suppliers from all over the world.

Although the world is seemingly becoming increasingly automated, its fascination with artificial intelligence threatening to remove human interaction from us altogether, the travel business, for now at least, is rooted in business relationships.

A strong relationship with suppliers helps travel agents to deliver a better service and experience to their clients. People still deliver a better service than automation. You just need to remember the frustration you felt when last dealing with a chat bot that is failing to answer your questions.

And that is why I invest a considerable amount of time and money going to trade shows, both here in the UK and abroad, to meet with suppliers and to develop those relationships.

One of my favourite trade events is Connections Luxury UK and Ireland, which this year was held for the first time outside London in Manchester. At first I thought the organisers were crazy holding the event outside London. Some 90 odd suppliers were coming mostly from abroad, surely London would make more sense. I am in London. Surely London would make more sense!

But no, Manchester was an inspired choice, giving a new energy to the event. It also helped that all of the venues for the two day and one evening event were within walking distance of each other.

The hotels we were staying in all first rate. I was fortunate enough to be allocated the Lowry Hotel, a new hotel with huge, comfortable rooms very close to all of the venues.

The room was well equipped for the business traveller with a table and chair together with a sofa/daybed, and a good selection of teas and coffees, and an iron.

Breakfast was good, with a choice between a la carte and full English or continental. The staff were attentive.

The format of the event is one to one meetings with suppliers over a 30 minute period. We can decide whether we want to talk to each supplier or to share what the organisers call an experience. Science shows that a shared experience is more memorable and this is a good way of developing business relationships.

In this article I am going to give a short overview of the meetings I had with suppliers and why I think they will add value to my clients, and indeed to my travel and writing business. In many cases, an overview is not enough, so I will add a link where appropriate to a separate post about that supplier.

Most of the suppliers I mention are hotels or groups of hotels. Two are tourist boards and a few are destination management companies or DMCs.

A destination management company will handle all of the ground arrangements in a particular destination on behalf of the travel agent or tour operator. They will usually be involved when we are booking multiple stops or activities in the destination. They will book the hotels and activities and then we have just the one contract with the DMC. Not only does it make the process much simpler, it also makes everything happen seamlessly with a (real) person on the ground to deal with any problems that may arise.

And a dmc will not just deal with problems. There may be times when you want to vary the trip. Perhaps you want to spend more time in a particular site, or you are not feeling up to that long hike. The dmc is well placed to vary the programme (where that is possible) immediately.

As I have built up strong relationships with my dmcs, I trust them to look after you perfectly.

And so, onto the suppliers, my suppliers.

India and Nepal

Platinum By Trans India

The headline on the Platinum by Trans website declares that Travel is not an activity but an emotion. Their activities as a destination management company covering the whole of India are designed to bring out your emotions.

One of their key selling points is their use of WhatsApp to provide guests with an immediate point of contact with them to help ensure that communication is immediate. It means that my DMC is keeping an eye on the holiday as it happens, making sure that guests are complexly satisfied with everything as we are going along.

I was particularly struck by their river cruises, especially the longer cruises where the creativity of the chef is tested to the limit. The chef must provide a variety of meals, using local ingredients because guests don’t want the same meal every day.

Vilasa India

Vilasa India may be relatively new as a DMC in India, but has a wealth of experience behind it. It is the passion project of the daughter of a family long established in the travel industry in India.

Owner Ruhina identified a gap at the luxury end of travel in India and has stepped into fill it. However, “luxury” is not defined simply by private jets and activities for the very wealthy, although Ruhina can serve this end of the market.

She too is very focused on the emotion of travel. She describes her business as “sight-feeling, not sight-seeing.” She sees her role in organising travel in India, Nepal and Bhutan to preserve, protect and promote her destination. This is a theme that runs

through so much of travel now. We should enjoy our travel but also take care to ensure that our children and grandchildren can do so as well.

Luxury is much more about the wealth of the experiences that she can provide. I was particularly struck by some of the activities that she can provide to make her tours engaging for children who can be easily bored. Vilasa can provide age appropriate “bingo” cards which children fill in as they go along. Children are given “India Explorer” badges and are made to feel like they are living an adventure by the children-trained staff.

The Baltics

Green Cove is a DMC owned and operated by a Spaniard who fell in love with the Baltic region. Javier’s business is very much about the connection we have together as humans to each other and the connection we have to the land. It may be a fragile bond at times, but it has the capacity for such strength.

The areas Green Cove work in are Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This range gives adventurous travellers a bit of everything, from urban sophistication to the wild, from fjord to village.

His operations are rooted in local communities, with an emphasis on making sure that your visit will uplift that community as well as providing you with opportunities for personal transformation.

Your visit may support two initiatives that Green Cove maintain. One is assisting in cleaning the oceans, particular of the modern curse of plastic. The other is “My Dream Day” offered to a child in Estonia with a severe illness. It is a reminder that travel is as much about the people who live in a destination and the difference we can make to their lives as it is about us and the sites and sounds and taste and feel that we have on those travels.

Italy

Sense Experience Resort

The Sense Experience is a new hotel situated in the bay of Follonica on the West coast of Tuscany. It is situated on the beach with a pine forest behind it, so it is very quiet, but close enough to nearby towns, especially if you want to take advantage of the bicycles that the hotel provides.

It is close to many Tuscan attractions, so it is an ideal base from which to explore the area and experience the food and wine of this famous region.

I have written about the Sense Experience resort in a little more detail here

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7378314493514391552/

Regina Isabella Resort and Spa

The island of Ischia, an hour’s boat ride from Naples is a popular resort. Several hoteliers have advised me not to come during July and August because it feels like all of Naples are there.

(Perhaps that means that July and August are good times to visit Naples!)

It is a volcanic island, so is blessed with many thermal springs and pools, even thermal areas in the sea.

It is here that you will find the Regina Isabella Resort, a jewel of a hotel built in the 1950s, extending the old Baths of Queen Isabella, and which quickly attracted the cream of the glitterati, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable and Maris Callas to name a few.

In more recent years, celebrities such as Matt Damon and Jude Law have stayed here. It is a natural haven for journalists, musicians and creatives.

The headline on its website declares that this hotel sums up the Italian art of living well, and it is certainly noted for its style and beauty.

The Roman poet Juvenal wrote “Mens sana in corpora sano,” a healthy mind in a healthy body, and the Reginella Isabella will certainly help you to achieve both in its well equipped medical spa, thermal waters and therapeutic mud.

Wellness holidays focused on thermal bathing are one of my specialisations. For more information on the how, where and why of thermal bathing, please drop me a line and I will get right back to you.

I want more information thermal bathing holidays

Portugal including Madeira

Martinahal Resorts

Many hotels will have a kids club or some arrangements to enable parents to have a bit of a break from their children… and a well run kids club will often mean that children are also far happier.

Martinhal Resorts takes the concept of looking after children on holiday to a new level. As soon as they are aware that you are bringing a child, their organisation of the child’s holiday swings into operation.

The car briging you from the aiport to the hotel will have a car seat of the right size already fitted. Your table in the restaurant will have a high chair waiting for you if you need it. The furniture in the hotel is rounded… no corners for children to hurt themselves on. Waiters are specially trained to keep an eye on children while you are eating… if you turn away for a second and the child has gone, fear no more, your guardian waiter has been watching over your table and knows where your child is.

There are so many activities for children that they will never get bored. There is even a story about how a pair of cuddly foxes came to stay at their resorts.

And of course adults will have an amazing time with good food, good wine and plenty of adult relaxation.

Showcasing the best holidays in Germany

by Anthony Kingsley | Sep 13, 2025 | City Break, Europe, Travel Trade

Introduction

A wet and windy Wednesday night coupled with a tube strike made me question whether I really wanted to attend a travel trade event put on by Germany.Travel to encourage us to take our holidays in Germany.

I’m glad that I made the effort. The event did make me want to travel to Germany again, and just as keen to promote it as a destination to my clients.

The evening began with some facts and figures. I was surprised to learn that Germany is the 4^th most popular destination for UK travellers. First, unsurprisingly, is Spain, followed by France and Greece.

Although Germany does have beaches in the North, these are obviously less appealing than those of the other three nations, although, as you will see later in this article, the Baltic sea beaches certainly have their charms.

51% of British visitors will stay in cities, and of that percentage, 55.9 will stay in the five most popular cities: Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Hamburg. Germany is of course a popular destination for city breaks and for Christmas markets, so, again no surprises.

We were advised that Germany doesn’t have a problem with overtourism, a complaint certainly from Spain, and one of the themes that Germany.Travel wants to promote is to stay longer. Staying longer and travelling less are key factors behind sustainable travel, and Germany has a number of sustainable travel initiatives.

Germany will encourage us to travel more and stay longer with a number of campaigns focusing on

Culinary
City life
Nature and wellness

There are of course many more reasons to consider taking holidays in Germany, but for the purpose of this article, I am focusing only on those suppliers who came over to the UK to give their presentations.

Introductions over, it is time to listen to some of the trade partners who have travelled to London to introduce their destinations to us. First up is the Black Forest.

The Black Forest

The Black Forest is a familiar destination for UK travellers, perhaps one of the most familiar for those not travelling to a city. It’s name dates back to Roman times, when it was so called because it was considered to be impenetrable and intimidating. Now it is a romantic destination: times change.

It is a well-known wellness destination with spas in towns such as Baden Baden, and of course a lot of outdoor activities. The cost of wellness activities has from time to time been funded by the German public health system, not just as a means of getting well, but also to prevent illness. The aim is a healthier population and a saving to the public purse.

Baden Baden is a well known Spa town, famous for its thermal bathing, its culture, architecture and state of the art opera house. Its name is doubled up to avoid confusion with another Baden, not because it’s so good that they named it twice!

The capital of the region is Freiburg, which is a livelier, younger town.

The Black Forest is known for two other things, firstly its cake, which fits in well with the desire to encourage travel to Germany through its culinary offerings.

Secondly, the Black Forest is probably where Cuckoo Clocks originated from, and not Switzerland as fans of the film The Third Man might have it. The first mention of Cuckoo clocks dates back to the mid 17^th Century, and the first to be made in the Black Forest was probably made by Franz Anton Kellerer. Clocks were made by farmers from the late 17^th century from logs collected from the forest in the winter months to supplement their income

Tranquility in Garmish-Partenkirchen.

Next up was Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which was originally two small towns. Hitler recommended that the two should merge to form one town when the 1936 Winter Olympics were being planned. Garmisch is the more modern of the two, a little livelier, and Partenkirchen quieter and more traditional, but it is still very much one town.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen is on the border with Austria, about an hour’s drive from Munich through wonderful countryside. Germany’s highest mountain is here, the Zugspitze, with a cable car to the summit, allowing you on a good day to see Italy, Austria and Switzerland as well as more of Germany.

This is a quiet region with quaint villages, houses with painted murals, old churches and a backdrop of mountains.

Contact me to help you create Holidays in Germany

Cologne

From the tranquility of the mountains on the Austrian border, we now move to one of the big 5 cities, the largest on the Rhine, Cologne, and its iconic cathedral by the Hohenzollern Bridge, and a hot spot for street art.

The official Cologne website sites describes Cologne as a feeling, and you will most probably feel that vibe at one of its markets including a nighttime flea market, vintage clothes, sustainability and of course organic food.

There are eclectic neighbourhoods such as the Nippes, where “dolce vita meets industrial heritage,” food, drink, and the creative arts mix attracting large crowds.

The City of Music: Leipzig

From Cologne, we head towards the city of Music, Leipzig, which has been on my want to visit list for some years. There used to be bi-annual Mahler festival in Leipzig, but it seems that, at least for this year, it is not happening, the last being held in 2023. There are plenty of other musical festivals and experiences to be had. One that caught my eye is the opportunity to conduct your own orchestra, which I think is a sort of VR exercise but is one open to those who are completely devoid of musical talent. It is something I will have to explore on the visit I am planning.

Town hall in Leipzig : holidays in Germany

The other big draw for me is the opportunity to visit Colditz Castle. The BBC series and Pat Reid’s books were a big part of my adolescence.

I had forgotten that the fall of the Berlin Wall was not the start of a unified Germany. That process began in Leipzig with the Peaceful Revolution in 1989 and is celebrated annually on the 9^th October.

Leipzig has a number of art galleries and museums. It is a green city, which also offers green kayaking on its lakes.

Visitors are often surprised to learn that Leipzig has the second oldest Christmas market in Germany, and a vibrant coffee culture.

Leipzig: City of Music, holidays in Germany

Lubeck & Travemunde

Lubeck on the Baltic coast was passionately presented as the place to be, a quite place where you can feel the difference. It is surrounded by two rivers so has the appearance of an island. It has 5 churches and 7 steeples. It is coupled with Travemunde which has a sandy beach. One of the more novel experiences is booking a bed on the beach for the night. These beds can be enclosed for privacy or in the event of bad weather, but offer the sound of the waves on the shore and the skies above. On waking you can burst into life with an early morning and very cold dip.

Lubeck can be a day trip from Hamburg, but is probably best experienced over two nights, but still part of a trip incorporating the big City.

There are of course many other choices for holidays in Germany, particularly for City breaks and for the Christmas markets, as well as sporting and musical events. The big cities such as Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt have much to offer and are all easily accessible from the UK.

I have a range of holiday experiences available for holidays in Germany, from cooking and wine tasting experiences, biking and hiking, photography walks and art talks. Give me a call and let’s get your holiday in Germany booked.

Staying in a Trulli in Puglia

by Anthony Kingsley | Nov 1, 2024 | City Break, Europe

One of the unique features of Puglia is the possibility of staying in Trulli, or a Masseria, the traditional buildings of Puglia, and which are not really found to any extent anywhere else.

The Trulli (singular (Trullo) are old buildings with a conical roof piled on top of each other and without mortar holding them together. In times long gone by, there would be a rent paid to a landlord for homes, but a house without a roof would not count as a home.

So the enterprising inhabitants built their homes with a roof they could quickly dissemble when they saw a rent collector coming, and then restack once the collector has his back turned on his way out.

But before we look at Trulli in more detail, let us first consider how and why one would go to Puglia.

New Travel Trends

We are told that we should be travelling out of season and to less popular destinations, partly to get a better travel experience, partly because travel costs may be lower, and partly to try and avoid some of the effects of over-tourism.

With this in mind, I decided to travel to Bari and Puglia as a solo traveller. I had been invited to stay in a trulli in Puglia during the October school half term, hence choosing the week at the end of October, but otherwise I was ticking most of the sustainable travel boxes.

I flew from Stansted with Ryan Air to Bari. I did look at the possibility of flying with a different airline to another Italian city, and taking the train, but the long travel time dissuaded me. So I was not completely sustainable in my travel choices.

Why Bari?

Bari is the 3rd largest city in South Italy, with an attractive old town, harbour and fishing port

It is also the final resting place for at least most of St Nicholas of Myra, otherwise known as Santa Claus. His bones were rescued from Myra in 1087 when Myra was overcome by the Muslim Turks, and brought to his home town of Bari.

Most of his bones now rest in the Basilica of St Nicolas, a large and imposing church overlooking the harbour, perhaps a fitting place for a saint whose patronage includes sailors as well as merchants, archers and repentant thieves

It seemed a good starting point to my stay in Puglia.

Bari Airport, or Bari Karol Wojtyla Airport to give it’s official name is a relatively small airport. Getting through passport control and collecting cases is relatively straightforward. I take the train from the Airport to Bari Centrale a ride of about 15 minutes.

I want to stay close to the train station as I don’t want to lug a heavy suitcase through some of Bari’s pedestrianised streets. Hotel options in the centre of town are a little limited. The perhaps unfortunately named Bra Hotel is someway out of my Budget. JR Hotels Oriente, a 4 Star hotel is more within that budget, but I decide to stay at an apartment, the Train Suites pretty much immediately opposite the station.

A day in Bari

The most attractive part of Bari to visit is the Old Town and around the harbour. It atkes about 15 minutes to walk from Train Station to the Old Town through the up market shopping /fashion district known as Murat. To my admittedly untrained eye and window shopping only, Italian fashion looks good and well priced.

But I was not here for fashion shopping and continued tthough to the old town, veering slightly right to take in the Petruzzelli Theatre.

Old Town

If you were coming to Bari on a city break, you will come for the Old Town. Narrow streets, largely pedestrianised, allow access to small shops and boutiques, coffee shops and restaurants, squares and churches.

There are a fair number of tourists, it’s busy but not overcrowded.

Tourists will gather around the ladies making little ears of pasta, Orecchiette. I read that it was the grandmothers, the nonnas, who sat outside fashioning these little ears into which local sauces would flow, but the ladies I saw were far too young to be grandmothers.

Bari really started to develop during the time of the Emperor Trajan, but there are now just a few pockets of Roman ruins left.

Day 2 Polignano a Mare

Polignano lies about 50 minutes train ride south of Bari. It is a popular destination, and makes a good secondary destination if you are coming to Bari on a short city break.

Like Bari, it has an attractive old town, popular with tourists and in particular coach parties on tours of Puglia.

Again, like Bari, its development can be traced back to the Emperor Trajan and a viaduct still remains across the bay.

It is perched across two sides of a cliff, and the cliffs themselves are used by Red Bull as part of their series of Cliff Diving competitions. The diving boards are placed at 27 and 21 metres above the sea and will be an impressive sight for those watching, possibly a slightly nervous one for those taking part.

You might think that the old town of Polignano a Mare is too similar to that of Bari, and therefore it is not worth a visit, but I would disagree.

The impression I got (which could be completely wrong) is that most of the people in the bars and restaurants of Bari were locals, while in Polignano it really did feel that they were tourists, albeit mostly Italian tourists, apart from a few groups of American tourists who were on a tight schedule.

So there is a very different feel between Bari and Polignano, perhaps more relaxed as people generally have more time to linger when they are tourists. The cliff top setting of the latter is impressive and is worth travelling to Polignano just to see that.

You do believe me that the cats here can write in English, don’t you?

If you would like to see more photos of Polignano a Mare please head over to my instagram page https://www.instagram.com/travellerstales61/. I have to head back to Bari, because tomorrow I am off to Locorondo and the Leonardo Trulli Resort, where I shall finally be staying in a Trulli in Puglia, which is what this post is about.

Leonardo Trulli Resort

I am staying at the Leonardo Trulli Resort for four nights. I get there by taking the train from Bari Centrale to Fasano, and am then picked up by car and taken to the resort.

If you are coming to Puglia and intend travelling around some of the villages, it is definitely worth hiring a car. It is perhaps possible to cycle, if you are quite fit, but public transport is quite difficult.

There are a number of villages and towns that you will want to visit, including Alberobello, the village of the trulli, and Ostuni, the White City, Martina Franca, and one of my favourites Locorotondo.

I will write a separate post to review the Leonardo Trulli resort, but for now, suffice it to say that the estate was restored by its owner Rosalba Cardone about 12 years ago. She has been continually improving the resort and is now able to offer 14 rooms in 6 trulli and 8 Masseria.

Each room has very thick walls which makes it cool in the summer. I would love to stay here when the weather is cold. I think it would feel so cosy to whack the heating up and feel cocooned in your trulli or masseria.

If youwant to stay in a Trulli in Puglia, you may naturally gravitate towards Alberobello, but you should bear in mind that Alberobello is popular with tourists, and that means less avalability and higher prices, not just for the accomodation but also anything that you may want to buy, either food wise or as a souvenir.

Many of the Trulli in Puglia will be self catering, but the Leonardo Trulli has a restaurant, the Artecibo, or perhaps more Food Experience than restaurant. Much of the food in the resort is grown on site. They produce their own red wine (red only for now), which is very good. The chef is excellent and you will eat very well, if perhaps a little too much.

The resort also has a pool with heated seawater and added magnesium. The bottom of the pool is black so the water in the pool appears black, which reflects the main building very well.

Locorotondo

One of the most attractive villages in Puglia, if not Italy is built around a round hill, hence the “round place.” The huge Mother Church of St George, built between 1785 and 1820, dominates the scene.

The houses are built in a Commerse style, with pointed roofs, similar to the Trulli but older, going back to the 1300s. They are regularly whitewashed with lime to keep them looking pristine. The village has a regular best balcony and wall pot competition which helps to keep the village looking attractive.

Nearby there is another very attractive church, perhaps more chapel than Church and also much older, the Church of St Nicholas of Myra, built in or around 1690. You can read a little more about this charming chapel here.

St Nicholas of Myra

In the corner of the church was a charming Nativity Scene painted on stones

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Why Bari?

A day in Bari

Old Town

Day 2 Polignano a Mare

Leonardo Trulli Resort

Locorotondo

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