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48 hours in Alberobello guide

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Ah so excited to write this guide for you! I’ve dreamt of visiting Alberobello since I can remember! I am so happy I finally made it! This little town in Apulia’s region was love at first sight. I hope this little guide will inspire you to visit this fairytale destination.

Where is Alberobello?

Alberobello is a small village in the Itria Valley in Puglia, Southern Italy. This small town is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its unusual districts of trulli, the characteristic white-washed, conical-roofed houses of the area.

How to get there?

The best airports for Alberobello are Bari and Brindisi, both served by budget airlines from the United Kingdom. From Bari airport you can simply catch a shuttle bus to Bari railway station then take a little train run by FSE (Ferrovie Sud Est) to Alberobello. The journey take about 2 hours. Alternatively you can also rent a car and drive there.

Where to stay?

During my stay in Alberobello I was very lucky to stay in the most glorious place – La Linea dell’Orizzonte which means ” Beyond the Horizon”. It’s a B&B resort located few minutes drive from the main square in Alberobello. I fall in love from the moment I got to this property. It was surrounded by fields and trees. What a wonderful smell and sounds of the nature! I truly loved it. We also got there right before the golden hour so it was just so magical and peaceful! I also got to meet the wonderful owners, who made us feel home. I just loved how warm and loving were people in this region! We were greeted with the most dreamy aperitif by their gorgeous pool. It was a perfect way to start our Alberobello adventure!

Best thing about this B&B? You will get to stay in Trullo! I was so excited as it was honestly my dream experience! When we got the keys to our trullo I couldn’t believe my eyes. I absolutely loved the traditional decor! It was so cosy!

La Linea dell’Orizzonte also has its private wellness center, called “La rosa dei venti” that includes a Finnish sauna and a Turkish bath, a tropical and nebulized emotional shower, a hydromassage pool and a relax area with herbal tea.

I only stayed here for a night but I can truly recommend it. Each unit is fitted with patio, a fully-equipped kitchen and a private bathroom. I think it’s a perfect place for both couples and families with children. There is a great children playground and a lovely pool. If you’re not planning to rent a car, the property offers a bike rental. We’ve done it and it was super fun to explore the area on the bikes ( and a great morning work out too!). PS Their Italian breakfasts are lovely! We actually decided to do a little picnic style breakfast under the olive trees and it was just perfect!

What to do in Alberobello?

Alberobello is a small town. In my opinion one day is more than enough to explore it. What I loved the most was getting lost between the lovely alleys and admire the gorgeous trulli. It felt like being in a fairytale. It was so magical exploring Alberobello without crazy crowds. I highly recommend strolling in the morning as it less crowded and less hot. The heat in the afternoon is insane! What you can also do here is shop! There are many pretty local boutiques where you can find everything from clothing, accessories to local wine and pasta. I highly recommend getting some orrechiete- a typical pasta from this region. Here’s some Alberobello snaps! Look how pretty are these streets!

Alberobello is also very special to visit at night, that’s way I think staying here over the night is a great idea as you can sleep in a trullo and explore the town with the colourful city lights. These views are truly unforgettable! Such a magical experience!

Where to eat?

Alberobello is full of little restaurants and cafes, however I was looking something more particular. I was looking for a place with a terrace so I could enjoy the views. I was so happy when I found Ristorante il Pinnacolo, located inside traditional trullo with a prettiest little terrace. As it was a very hot day, we decided to have seafood- Octopus Salad, White Fish Carpaccio. We’ve also shared the famous Orecchiete with cime di rapa- traditional pasta with broccoli rabe and it was so tasty! The views from here are wonderful! I highly recommend this place! PS. It’s super affordable too.

Where to drink?

You may want to write the name of place down- Senso Unico. I discovered this place by total accident as I had to wait for my bus back to Naples on my own in the rain. I saw this place and it seemed so cosy that I didn’t hesitate and got a table for one. I sat down and ordered a glass of local red wine. When it arrived to the table I was shocked! The glass was HUGE and the price of it was 1.50 euros! I was already so happy with the place but it got even better! Around 10pm I was the only person sitting there and I noticed they are slowly starting to close down. I had a little chat with a waiter and I asked him where could I go as I have 1.5 hours more until my bus arrived. He informed the owner and he kindly kept the place opened and stayed with me! I was shocked! We had such a lovely chat! He told me he needs to make sure I am getting on the bus safely. Honestly never experienced such a kindness before! Gotta love people in Southern Italy! I will never ever forget that! If you ever visit this place, please give the owner a massive hug from me! I will come back for sure!

I hope you enjoyed this little guide and I hope you’re ready to explore this magical little town soon!

Kisses,

The Blonde Flamingo

5 reasons you should visit Trentino this winter

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Hi everyone!

I have spent the last couple of days in the region of Trentino in Northern Italy and I must say- I have absolutely loved it. You know I am usually a tropical flamingo and you see me running around the palm trees in bikinis and swimming in the ocean all year long but after 6 years break ( I still can’t believe its been this long!)  from a proper winter and snow, I have honestly started to miss it and crave it, so when the invite from Trentino Tourism Board came through my email I just couldn’t be more excited. I felt like someone is literally reading my mind! Also, I have never visited Italy in the winter so it seemed like a completely new experience for me and something new to write about.  In this article I would like to give you 5 reasons why you should visit Trentino this winter.

Perfect skiing conditions

One of the reasons we’ve visited Trentino was kicking off the skiing season! Trentino’s two biggest ski areas serve up hundreds of kilometres of pistes. As i have mentioned earlier- I had 6 years break from snowboarding so I was feeling a bit insecure but after getting the snowboard zipped in I felt like my love to it is back. The slopes where perfect- we were spread into two groups- beginners and advanced and they were perfect pistes for both. One of the reason I disliked winter trips in the past was the cold, but ohh, we had the most incredible sunny days on the slopes and honestly I didn’t feel the cold at all! The conditions where just perfect. Nothing gets more magical than snowboarding with this view! We even managed to witness the most beautiful pinky sunset!

Photos by Giacomo Podetti

Delicious food

I have never tried the food from the Northern Italy before and I must say- I loved it. It’s completely different from the food in the South but equally delicious. The cuisine of Trentino-Alto Adige is a tasty blend of Mediterranean flavors, mountain cooking and German and Austrian influences. There’s lots of meat, polenta (yumm!) , canederli (flour and bread dumplings, which can be eaten in broth or with butter and flavored with speck, or cheese) tortel di patate (potato pancakes)  -we actually make them in Poland too so I was super happy! There’s also lots of yummy hams ( speck was my favourite!) cheeses ( will never forget the Ricotta I had there, OH WOW) and wild mushrooms. Dessert wise you should try Torta con le mele – traditional apple cake from this region. We even attended cooking class at beautiful Agritur Solasna where we’ve learnt how to make it! That was the first cake I’ve ever made haha so you can probably imagine how fun it was!

Italian wine!

Let’s also not forget about the Italian wine- heaven. In this region it was absolutely incredible and I ended up drinking wine with every single meal, haha. There was also one drink I have tried for the first time, which is famous in this region- Bombardino ( by the way- how hilarious is this name) but it is actually a BOMB- brandy, eggnog, espresso and lots of whipped cream. It actually got me pretty tipsy haha but it was a perfect drink to warm up with after all day in a snow!

Image source : Google

Wellness and Spa paradise

In Trentino “wellness” is not a trend. Wellness is so much more than just relaxation. It’s a lifestyle. There’s numerous therapeutic springs spread all over the region which makes it also a perfect area for a relaxing wellness and spa vacation. We’ve stayed at Albergo Dimaro which is a  family and wellness hotel. What’s better than a dip in the pool, Finish Sauna or Turkish bath after all day skiing?

Image source : Google

Fairytale landscapes  

Trentino is known for its magical mountain scenery. The Dolomites dominate the landscape here and are dotted with mountain villages and wide streams and lakes. One of the highlights from this trip apart from beautiful views over Dolomites while snowboarding was a visit to Val di Rabbi – one of the most beautiful Trentino’s valleys. We went for a stroll and got to the Ragaiolo waterfall, which was absolutely magical and a beautiful Ponte Tibetano- a 100-metre-long rope bridge, 60 metres above the ground! Of course, it is not the best if you are afraid of heights, but crossing on the bridge is safe, and the view of the waterfalls from up there is incredible and so Insta-perfect!

Have you added Trentino to your bucket list yet?

The Blonde Flamingo

 

Post in partnership with Visit Trentino

Italian roadtrip with Hertz Europe

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I have always been dreaming of Italian roadtrip- yup, I’ve probably watched way too many movies, haha! This year I’ve teamed up my friends with Hertz Europe and decided to make it happen! What an incredible experience that was! But let me start from the beginning…

We’ve started our trip off in Naples- the capital of Italian region Campania located in the southern Italy, at the foot of Mount Vesuvius. We spent the entire day strolling the beautiful streets with a little stop for an ice cream at Bilancione (omg if you ever go please trust me and order Ricotta & Pera ice cream!) We’ve also had a real, Italian espresso at Gran Caffe Gambrinus and watched the magical sunset in Posillipo. However what got us the most excited here is (let’s be honest!) – PIZZA! I am sure you’ve heard that Napoli is a birthplace of pizza. We went to the famous Antica Pizzeria Da Michele– known from the movie “ Eat, Pray, Love’ . The queue was massive and we were super hungry so we decided to order pizzas takeaway and enjoy them outdoors. I felt like Julia Roberts eating pizza with using only hands, surrounded by all shouting and gesticulating Italians!

The next day we decided to head to Positano. It was my fourth time there (it became my little tradition to go there every year as it’s my favourite place in Europe) and believe me- I still can’t get enough of the beauty of this place and counting the months down to go back! What’s also magical is the actual drive to this city. The views are absolutely breathtaking. The best part about renting the car and travelling on your own is being able to stop every time you see a cute spot ( and changing the outfits inside the car, haha). I swear we’ve been stopping literally all the time! So many Instagram perfect locations all around! Ahh, dolce vita!

We finished off this incredible day with a sunset cruise around Amalfi Coast with Bluestar Positano. I swear we all had tears in our eyes. It just couldn’t get more magical! The golden hour was absolutely unbelievable. I was surrounded by my favourite views and drinking champagne with people I love. At first, we couldn’t even take photos as we were all so overwhelmed by the beauty of this place. We just had to take a deep breath and enjoy every second. It honestly felt like a dream coming true. I highly recommend booking this incredible experience!

After the intense day and night driving around Amalfi Coast we decided to get a little sleep and head to Rome the morning after. It was also a very quick visit but we’ve managed to tick off all things we wanted to do- ate pizza with a view for Colosseum, tried traditional roman pasta cacio e Pepe (so simple and so good!), made a wish and tossed the coin in Fontana di Trevi, visited magical Vatican by night ( it was my grandma’s dream and I’ve done it for her) and ate the best tiramisu in a place called Pompi (please visit!). It was enough to fall in love with this city!

The last stop of our trip was visiting the beautiful city of Gaeta. I have been there couple of times and I can’t stop going back. There’s something very special about this little town. I spent the day walking around and admiring the charming and super colourful streets. We’ve also had a pizza in a famous place called Pizzeria Rustica. It was delicious! (Yup, we ate pizza everyday during this trip, haha!)

On the way back to Naples we passed this beautiful vineyard. I just had to stop to take a photo! It felt like a movie!

Ohh, it will be so hard to get back to reality after all we’ve seen during this trip! We had the best time and we’re already planning where are we going next! If you’re looking for a car rental I highly recommend booking your adventure with Hertz. Let them take you there!

Ciao!

Venice & Burano

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I always thought Paris is the most romantic place in Europe, but after visiting Venice I have completely changed my mind. The idea of going there came when I started to plan where to spend our anniversary. Of course I wanted it to be special and as much as I love London the vision of grey, rainy day in the middle of calendar summer was the last thing I wanted. I was dreaming of warm nights, delicious italian food and loads of wine. Venice was a perfect match. Again my favourite SkyScanner app didn’t disappoint me! I have only booked a ticket a month in advance ( and I was super sure the tickets would be expensive – August, full season) but surprise – it was only 70 pounds per person, so I booked them immediately and started the countdown.

HOW TO GET THERE

When booking a plane tickets to Venice you need to know there are 2 airports – main one – Marco Polo, second one ( a bit more far) Treviso. We landed at second  one ( usually tickets to Treviso are cheaper) and to be honest it was pretty easy to get to the city centre. The only thing is it takes a little bit longer than from Marco Polo.

How to get to Venice from Treviso? As you walk out from the airport search for the bus shuttle ATVO. The ticket is cheaper when you buy the return one straight away – 22 euro per person. It takes around 45 minutes and you will arrive at Piazzale Roma. To get to main square Piazza San Marco take the public service boat number 51 or ’N’ (after midnight). Get off in San Zaccaria. The ride should take you around 1 hour, but it’s actually pretty enjoyable, you get an amazing first look at Venice.  How to get to the centre from Marco Polo? Take the boat line called ‘ALILAGUNA’ which takes you to stop San Zaccaria in around an hour. The ticket costs 15 euro per person.

WHERE TO STAY

As you probably heard- Venice can be really expensive. A night in a hotel at Piazza San Marco can cost even over 1,000 pound. I have decided to find something cheaper, smaller, ideally close to the centre but more like a guest house rather than a 5 star fancy hotel. It took me a while as most of the places where fully booked already, but found this gorgeous, Venetian- style, family run place – Locanda Casa Querini. The location was perfect –  only 5 minutes away from famous and lively Piazza San Marco, but on a quiet square called Campo San Giovani Novo – honestly an oasis from the midst of touristy chaos. I absolutely loved our charming, venetian-style bedroom – it was just perfect for our anniversary. I also found the owner extremely helpful.  She gave us a map and explained how to make the most of out short stay.  Also the price was great – 70 euros per night with a complimentary buffet-style breakfast. Highly recommended!

HOW TO GET AROUND

Venice is not a big city and the best way to feel the atmosphere is walking through its little streets and alleys, admire the maze of canals, whimsical bridges and colourful buildings. However if you want to experience the authentic Venetian transportation system the cheapest is using ‘ Vaporetto’ – water bus. The single ride cost 7,50 euro ( valid 60 minutes) so if you’re staying in Venice a bit longer I would suggest to purchase the proper pass. We stayed in Venice for 2 days and got 24 hours pass for 28 euro per person. It was actually very useful as apart from getting around Venice you can also travel to nearby islands using the same ticket. It’s also great if you get lost- and trust me no matter how great your map is you will (and remember there’s no uber in here!)  Moving by ferries is super easy though, there are very few lines. If you’re staying in the centre getting back to St. Marco and asking for directions from there is usually the best and the quickest solution. Even if you do not speak Italian do not hesitate to ask locals for help – they are extremely friendly and helpful – I’ve seen them even drawing little map for the lost tourists in the middle of the night!

DAY TRIP TO BURANO

My favourite place to write about in this post. The place that has been on my bucket list for ages. The island I was dreaming about – beautiful Burano. Can’t even describe how excited I was the night before we went there, I literally couldn’t sleep! (So I have planned everything perfectly). Woke up super early as I wanted to avoid massive crowds and extreme heat. ( Have I mentioned that it was almost 40 degrees in the afternoon?)We used our boat pass and took a Vaporetto N 12 from Fondamente Nove. It took us around 45 minutes. It was only 9 am but it was already very hot and busy so looked like other travellers had similar plan to mine…Well, after I got off the ferry and looked at this place I forgot about the whole world and turn into a crazy travel bunny! No one and nothing was bothering me anymore. It was just me and a rainbow of colours. Can’t even name my emotions – happiness, positivity, energy and also that amazing feeling of your dreams coming true. Absolutely unreal, so quaint and perfect at every single corner. It was honestly the most cheerful place I have seen in my life. As I found out later, the houses were painted in different colours so the fishermen could easily recognise their home from the sea. Also Burano is famous for the lace so there are many cute boutiques where you can buy the gorgeous lace work

Of course I couldn’t leave Burano without taking a photo with every house on the island. Aren’t they just gorgeous?

This one was just The Blonde Flamingo PERFECT!

Do’s and dont’s in Venice

  1. Enjoy getting lost in Venice. You will get to discover the untrammelled and un-tourists parts of the city and trust me – these are the most charming ones.
  2. Do not buy souvenirs in Piazza San Marco – you can find the same stuff anywhere else at least twice cheaper! The same thing about buying there any drinks or snacks. And if you do, do not say I haven’t warn you – 5 euro for a little bottle of water or 9 euro for an espresso is a standard in this area.
  3. Do not eat anywhere with all the languages and food photographs on the menu – these are typical touristy, overpriced places with poor quality food that has nothing to do with the authentic Venetian cuisine. Spend some more time searching and I am sure you will find a hidden gem. I’ve discovered mine accidentally ( so I can’t really explain where it was) but it was called Osteria Al Portego. Unimposing, traditional italian restaurant filled with locals which was a good sign to me. I must say the food was absolutely delicious and reasonably priced. Try it if you’re around (and please say hello and a big thank you again to the lovely Italian lady who was patiently trying to remove the tomato sauce that I have spread all around my dress while eating, right before our gondola date! Whatever she did, it worked!
  4. Wear comfortable shoes as you will be walking A LOT – I am telling you from my own experience. On the first day I felt like I am in the middle of Italian movie and put on little white dress and platform sandals. It didn’t take me long to resign, ‘run’ back to the apartment  and jump into sneakers. Well, at least I have managed to take some Venetian- style photographs, haha!
  5. Get a gelato or a take away pizza and enjoy a picnic on the banks of the Grand Canal. I swear I could be sitting there and watching gondoliers for hours!

 

6. To avoid all hustle and bustle, take a gondola ride during siesta or sunset time – it feels much more special when all you could hear is singing gondolier and the lap waves rather than screaming tourists and shutterbugs( taking photos of your gondola ride at all times!) Also agree on a ride’s price before, as they may be very tricky!

7. Take some aperitivio time. Sit down in a place you like the most, order famous Aperol Spritz or a glass of the local wine, some cicchetti ( local little tapas) ,lose the track of time and just simply enjoy the Italian ‘ dolce far niente ‘ (sweet doing nothing)

8. Learn few words in Italian, like ‘Buongiorno’ – Good morning, ‘Ciao’ – Hello, ‘Grazie’ – Thank you, ’ scuza’ – I am sorry. I’ve noticed that makes locals so happy and also they won’t be looking at you as another dumb tourist, but a real traveller

9. Be aware of pickpockets in Venice. Keep your personal belongings safe (especially on those busy bridges and ferries- it gets SUPER crowded so it literally takes seconds to get robbed)

10. Empty the memory card of your camera. Every single corner, bridge, little street, gondolier or even a hanging laundry is literally begging you to take a photo! So make some space as you will take LOADS!

Venice is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities I have visited. It has stolen my heart completely. It’s one of those rare places where you truly want to get lost. Wandering among its ancient buildings, through its twisting, picturesque little streets and alleys and listening to singing gondoliers made me feel so relaxed. It was one of the most magical feeling- forgetting about absolutely everything. Just me in a middle of an ancient fairytale. Ohh, Venice! I’ll never forget you!