Welcome to Tips-and-travel

On our blog and on our facebook page

The purpose of its creation is precisely to exchange travel tips with friends of the page, the different ‘tips’  we collected through our travels, share experiences, make known places through photographs, in short, everything that could be useful to those planning a trip.
When you go to an agency, we haven’t generally all the time we’d want to ask all to the agent; if you are looking on the net, it is not sure that all what they say is what we will really find at the destination so what is better than our own testimonies?
We  have people with experience in the field to whom we can ask our questions, small local businesses who would like to be known, bed and breakfast, hotels, guest houses, apartments everywhere and we could organize trips, group trips,  tours, etc.
It is a great challenge and we will do our endeavor to make our idea works also with your interaction.
Have fun and feel free to participate and spread the word to friends and family.
Bon divertissement et n’hésitez pas à participer et passer le mots à vos amis et famille.

Corfu, Greece

Corfu or Corcyra, capital of the periphery of the Ionian Islands, is a Greek island located in the Ionian Sea, on the western side of Greece, near its border with Albania. It is an island full of beauty that presents gigantic faults that were born in the tertiary. The island has three very different zones, in the north the mountains, to the south the plains and to the center the hills and it has three large lagoons. Mount Pantokrator, 906 m, is its highest point. It is the greenest area of Greece because it is both moist and fertile. To see: the residence of the British governors where is the Museum of the Asian arts; the Achilleion (residence built by the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, called Sissi); the monasteries of Vlachernes and Pontikoníssi; the palace of Mon Repos; the Byzantine castle of Angelókastro; the Old Fort and Fort Neuf; Palaia Peritheia (the oldest village); the beaches of Glyfáda, Sidári, Rhóda, Ágios Stéphanos, Ágios Górdios, Palaiokastrítsa; among others.

Tips

From November to March (winter), it often rains and in summer it is really hot and it is very sunny. The month of July is generally the driest.

If you have the opportunity to visit Corfu at Easter, you could enjoy the well-known festivities. During the 3 days before Easter, all the schools of music, in full uniform, march through the streets of the city, until late at night and Easter Saturday at 11 am exactly, the inhabitants throw pitchers and pots full of water through the windows covering the streets of broken shards.

In September, the Corfu festival takes place with performances of plays, ballets, concerts and operas.

If you like hiking, you will find trails around Mount Pantokrator.

 

 

 

Juliet’s house, Verona, Veneto, Italy

Juliet’s house is a museum in a XII century building where they reconstructed the famous balcony, located near the historic center of Verona, Veneto, Italy. This house and balcony became famous thanks to the tragedy of William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, published in 1597. This house was built by the Dal Cappello family and we can see their carved coat of arms on the keystone of the arch internal court. This tragedy was located in Verona and from that moment, the city was considered one og the most romantic cities in the world and it was also called ‘the city of lovers of Verona’. From the nineteenth century, a legend takes place and the building was considered the house where lived Juliette Capulet, where his beloved Romeo Montescchi had declared his love at the foot of the balcony. From 1905, the building was converted into a museum and became a major tourist attraction. The historian Antonio Avena has the house restored completely between 1936 and 1940 and they add the balcony to the facade of the inner courtyard. Here you will find 16th and 17th century furniture, paintings and engravings showing the history of Romeo and Juliet, Renaissance ceramics and the costumes for Franco Zeffirelli’s film Romeo and Juliet (1968). The bronze statue of Juliet, made by Nereo Constantini, is at the end of the courtyard. There are walls covered with love vows and multicolored graffiti left by lovers at the entrance of the building.

Tips

If you want to take a picture with the statue of Juliet, go as early as possible because it is almost always full of public. If you want to leave your message or make a graffiti, you should do the same.

There is a tradition that says the statue of Juliet, gives good luck to lovers, you must touch the right breast.

Bolzano, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Italy

Bolzano is an Italian alpine town, the capital of the homonymous autonomous province in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. 74% of the population is of Italian language, a little more than 25% speaks German and a 0.68% is of the Ladin language. Bolzano is located on the eastern part of the vast basin that comes from the conjunction of Isarco, Sarner and the Adige valleys. Basin is bounded on the West by the chain of Maier, the Altopiano del Salto at noth-west (1500 m), the Round mountain at north-east-and by Mont Pozza (1619 m) in the south. A small rocky cliff of the latter, called Virgolo is located behind the city. The city is connected to the three closest mountains, through cable cars that exceed each about 1,000 metres. From the city, you can see the mount Rosengarten (3004 m) which is part of the Dolomites with the Vajolet Towers. The historic centre of the city is located in the triangle bordered to the West by the Talfer torrent, on the South by the Isarco River and on the Northeast by Mount Tondo. To visit: the Romanesque and Gothic styles Cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta in Walther Square; the archaeological museum which preserves the body of Ötzi, the man of the ice era; the International Museum of the mountain; the Stabile Theatre (1950) and also the beautiful gardens for walks. Bolzano is also much visited for its Christmas market, the oldest in Italy.

Tips

The area is a paradise for hikers or climbers, whether beginners or experienced. The trails are all well marked and easy to follow. The surrounding landscapes are breathtaking.

If you like the winter, there are several ski slopes, spas, restaurants with excellent alpine food and wonderful desserts. Enjoy the traditional meal ‘polenta’, good cheese, sausages and smoked meats and good wine.

If you go there in December, don’t miss the ‘Christmas market’, it is the most important in the area, you will find many crafts even as typical products sold by their producers. Note that at this time it is very cold and you will find mountain cold to endure all day outside, cause the market is in the open air; so be careful and dress warmly. You can warm in one of the typical cafés with a hot chocolate or several kinds of coffee and delicious pastries.