Author name: David Jones

The most enchanting of the Cycladic islands is known worldwide for its white hilltop villages dotted with blue churches and its unparalleled sunsets; but there is so much more.  If you are thinking of visiting the Greek Islands, then look no further for five reasons to visit Santorini. The Sunsets of Santorini are out of this world!  The iconic sunset vistas of Santorini are famous worldwide.  Why?  Well, the unique setting of the volcanic isle mean that when the sun sets, it literally sinks into the caldera bathing the whitewashed houses in waves of colour.  Wherever you are on the island the sunset is wonderful, time stops at that magical hour and those waiting for the spectacle stop holding their breath.  The most northerly town of Oia is the popular sunset spot, below the town at the castle.  You will have to share that magical moment with the throngs of other visitors jostling for the view and that perfect photo.  The town of Imerovigli is in the middle of the caldera ridge, from here you can watch the sun setting into the ocean directly in front of you with far fewer crowds.  The ultimate view is from the Akrotiri lighthouse, although not easy to get to, with a blanket and a bottle of wine it is the perfect place to watch the majestic sunset of Santorini. Santorini is a top honeymoon destination thanks to the picturesque views and beautiful sunsets. The dramatic scenery of jagged volcanic cliffs against the azure blue water and the white houses speckled with blue domes are like something out of a fairy-tale.  For that special stay, Santorini has luxury hotels and suites on the caldera with breath-taking sunset views.  If you prefer something more intimate away from the crowds try the hidden gem of Pyrgos, a traditional hilltop town surrounded by vineyards that boasts 360 panoramic views of the whole island.  The medieval alleys, untouched by tourism are home to wine bars and tavernas, galleries, and boutiques making it the perfect place to explore hand in hand without the crowds.   Why not spend a dreamy day out sailing on a private yacht?  Swim in hot springs and watch the sunset onboard from the middle of the caldera.  There are so many romantic things to do together like horse riding on the beach, have a photo shoot or spend the day lazing in a hammock on Eros beach.  One thing is for certain; you will be spoilt for choice for restaurants with a magical setting.

The happiest street in the world, the street where the four seasons of the year live together at the same time, the only street on Earth that I wish would never end, rich in sounds, abundant of breezes, beautiful of meetings, ancient of blood: Rambla de Barcelona. – Federico García Lorca Nowhere speaks to the vibrant atmosphere of Barcelona more evocatively than La Rambla, a bustling mile-long boulevard that cuts its way through the very centre of the Catalan capital. From lovers to locals, acrobats to human statues, street-sellers to florists, butchers to musicians, jugglers, artists and much more, La Rambla pulses with the sheer variety of humanity in all its guises at all hours of the day and night.  You might sometimes hear La Rambla getting a bad rap, and some of the complaints are certainly justified – many of the restaurants and bars here are tourist traps, whilst unwary visitors are easy pickings for scammers and pickpockets. But with a modicum of common sense you’re unlikely to encounter any problems on La Rambla, and no visit to Barcelona would be complete without a stroll along its length. Here are 9 things you should know about La Rambla before you make the journey! La Rambla began life as a sewer The name La Rambla derives from the Arabic word “ramla,” which means a sandy or muddy area. The famous street that we know today was once a seasonal riverbed that snaked its way down to the sea along the perimeter of Barcelona’s old town, and in the middle ages served as an open sewer that sluiced floodwaters from the hills as well as less desirable substances away from the Gothic city centre. In the 15th century the city authorities decided to divert the course of the sewer and pave over its meandering course. The ensuing street quickly became an important thoroughfare thanks to its strategic location dividing the historic city centre from Barcelona’s suburbs, the ‘city outside the walls’ that is now known as the Raval neighbourhood. Various churches, monasteries and markets sprang up along its route, and as Barcelona rapidly expanded in the 18th and 19th centuries La Rambla developed into the city’s principal artery.  La Rambla is actually five separate roads joined together You might hear some people referring to La Rambla alternatively as ‘Las Ramblas,’ and for good reason. The street is actually divided into five separate sections: from its northern boundary at Placa Catalunya, these are respectively Rambla de Canaletes, Rambla dels Ocells, Rambla de Sant Josep, Rambla dels Capuxtins and Rambla de Santa Monica. Las Ramblas is the Catalan plural for La Rambla, a reference to the five stretches that make up the nearly mile-long route. 

Famed for its iconic trulli dwellings – distinctive circular whitewashed houses topped with  narrow conical roofs – the Valle d’Itria is one of the most beautiful regions in Puglia. Situated on a high limestone plateau known as the Murgia and located midway between the Ionian and Adriatic seas, the Valle d’Itria offers an idyllic landscape of pristine whitewashed hilltowns, flower-strewn meadows, almond orchards and olive groves separated by dry-stone walls, all glinting majestically in the region’s seemingly perpetual sunshine.   Whether your idea of a relaxing holiday involves pedalling for miles along country lanes, uncovering masterful artworks in little-visited churches or sampling the delicious traditional delicacies of one of Italy’s richest culinary regions, the Valle d’Itria forms an obligatory stop on any Puglia itinerary. Read on for our guide to the towns you need to visit!   Alberobello The Shire comes to Puglia. Lined with thousands of beehive-shaped trulli houses, the streets of tiny Alberobello are truly an extraordinary sight. Indeed, the first time you visit Alberobello you could be easily forgiven for thinking that you’ve walked onto the set of the latest Lord of the Rings adaptation, for who could live here but hobbits? In reality, the trullo is a highly distinctive local form of vernacular architecture that emerged on the Murgia plateau in the 1400s.  Originally the huts were entirely constructed according to the dry stone technique – that is, a complex interleaving of stones with no mortar binding them – although the majority of the trulli in Alberobello now feature whitewashed walls, with only the conical roofs remaining unrendered as they taper to a narrow point marked with a white tip. Various theories have been advanced to explain the development of the distinctive architectural style. One of the most plausible suggests that the trulli began life as something of a tax dodge, the dry stone technique allowing for quick dismantling of the entire structure when the authorities came calling in this once isolated area.  Most of the trulli in Alberobello date from the 18th and 19th centuries, and there are two main trulli zones in town: Rione Monti, where most of the buildings have been converted into souvenir shops, bars and restaurants, and Rione Aia Piccola, in which the trulli have retained their domestic function – it’s against the municipal code to convert these to commercial use.  Spectacular though it undoubtedly is, Alberobello does unfortunately feel at times like it has been overrun by a level of tourism it is ill-equipped for, especially in the summer months, so it’s best to visit out of season if you can. What’s more, prices tend to be higher here than in neighbouring towns and there’s also less to do, so we recommend that you choose one of the other destinations on this list as your base in the Valle d’Itria.  

With masterpieces spanning every era and genre of art from magical medieval altarpieces to the avant-garde 20th-century experiments of the post-impressionists, few museums in the world can match the artistic riches of London’s National Gallery. The venerable Trafalgar Square institution is particularly strong on Italian Renaissance painting, and boasts works from the hands of practically every major artist from the 15th and 16th centuries. This week on our blog we’re rounding up some of our favourites; although you could easily spend days in the National Gallery getting to grips with the Renaissance, from Leonardo to Michelalngelo and Botticelli, we think these are a good starting point! Leonardo da Vinci – The Virgin on the Rocks Leonardo da Vinci is for good reason considered to be the Renaissance man par excellence, equally at home in the arts as he was in the sciences, happily mixing technological innovation with deep learning and a profound humanist spirit. London’s National Gallery is fortunate to be in possession of one of the artist’s most famous works, and one of the few large paintings by Leonardo’s hand to have survived to the present day. This is the Virgin on the Rocks, one of two versions of the subject that the artist would paint (the other is now in the Louvre in Paris). The panel was originally intended as part of an altarpiece for the Milanese church of San Francesco Grande, commissioned by a confraternity dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. The composition features Mary surrounded by an infant Christ, John the Baptist and an angel, all apparently engaged in a profoundly spiritual but silent union: the baby Jesus raises his fingers in benediction as John the Baptist clasps his hands in awed prayer. Mary has one hand around the Baptist’s shoulder, whilst the other extends outwards from the picture plane in a virtuoso demonstration of perspective. The angel, meanwhile, captured in profile, is one of the most beautiful figures in all of art.  The tender, silent moment unfolds in a strange rocky landscape filled with minutely detailed plants, flowers and geological formations – evidence of the young Leonardo’s profound interest in the natural world. The landscape is suffused with a strange light that seems to make it extend infinitely backwards in space – this is thanks to the use of a technique known as aerial perspective, an innovation of Leonardo that would be widely adopted by Renaissance artists in the decades to come. Another revolutionary technique known as sfumato – in which colours are very gradually blended together to subtly blur contours – adds to the enigmatic nature of the scene.