Holidays In The Snow: Some Ideas between Corvara and Siusi Alp. Our Journey!
Holidays in the Snow. Almost a week ago, Giovanni and I spent a week on the mountain, on our wonderful Alps. As you probably know my love for the mountain is infinite. And after some holidays in Austria I decided to “go back to my roots”, looking for some relax and to make some new photo projects on our beloved Alps, more precisely in Alta Badia at Siusi Alp. Amazing uplands, unique valleys and the beautiful Dolomites, which are part of UNESCO World Heritage.
Holidays In The Snow: Some Ideas between Corvara and Siusi Alp!
First stop Corvara. During the trip to get there you should stop at Passo Gardena, about 2.136 mt high: the view of the valleys, the surrounding peaks and the little villages all around is breathtaking. Giovanni and I came here again by night: to see the most amazing starry sky we’ve ever seen (hopefully there was no full moon!), and you can see the pic on Instagram. Corvara is a quiet town, trendy and full of gourmet restaurant, bakeries and ski slopes!
Santo Domingo: Exploring the Capital of the Dominican Republic. Colorful Houses and Great Shopping!
Santo Domingo. After the writing about the first part of our trio in the most authentic Dominican Republic and showing you photos of some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, the last episode of our journey is in Santo Domingo, the capital city.
Santo Domingo is an incredible city. Coming from the desert roads and the quiet atmosphere of the southwest, we’ve been overwhelmed by a sudden wave of noises, colors, cars and modernity. Here is not like the poorest, authentic and quiet southwestern area, the capital is about many different influences, music, clubs, markets, the botanical garden, boutiques and history… Our visit in Santo Domingo started from the colonial city, the oldest party of the capital, with colorful houses, small boutiques, colonial ruins and ancient buildings: a really nice place to be! Just imagine that 500 years ago, the first colonists of the New World walked along this narrow streets with palm trees, colorful houses and the fragrance of coffee, chocolate and tobacco in the air… The Colonial City is an UNESCO World Heritage Site: the first settlement dates back to 1496 when Christopher Columbus’ brother was exploring the island for the Spanish Crown…So Santo Domingo is the most ancient ever founded in the New World. An actual outdoor museum: you still spot some ruins of the first buildings ever made by Europeans in America. The Chu Chu train brought us in a tour through the city to show us the best areas where we then went back to walk around and explore more extensively.
On the third day of our journey, after spending a night at Hostal Dona Chava in Pedernales, a super traditional facility, with bright color and surrounded by nature we explored Bahia de las Aguilas, considered one of the most beautiful and uncontaminated beaches in the world. We left from Playa de la Cueva, near Cabo Rojo, in the Province of Pedernales that, with the 68% of protected areas, national parks and its biodiversity is a precious unique region of our planet. But, you need to hurry up! The Ministry of Tourism has already planned to transform this magical area into a touristic destination and a dock for huge cruise ships, so in the future is going to be hard to see it so empty and wild like we did!
Our day trip to the Bahia was organized by Eco del Mar(you can book in advance from home on the website or on site). But, what is Eco del Mar? Is an incredible facility that seems to come from a dream or a design magazine. You can reach it through a dirt track and gives to one of the most crystal clear seas that I’ve ever seen. The atmosphere is super chic, hammocks under the trees, white gazebos with whiter curtains where you can eat and rest. The view is breathtaking. We set sail from Playa de la Cueva, where Eco del Mar is located, with a bout toward Bahia de las Aguilas. The reason why it’s been classified among the most beautiful places on earth has been clear to me as soon as I saw it! I think is the most amazing beach I’ve ever seen in my whole life. A place in the middle of nowhere, miles and miles of uninhabited, heavenly coast! A paradise of flora and fauna: starfish there are enormous! Today, I think that photos will give you tha idea of that beauty way better than I. Have you ever seen such an amazing place?
Dominican Republic: My Travel Journal Part 1 of 3.
Premises, Leaving and Wild Beaches.
Dominican Republic. When you think about warm weather, peace and relax far from the stress of our cities, you automatically think about the verdant Caribbean Pearls, white beaches and coconut palms. One of the most loved location is the Dominican Republic. But, before starting my journal, I’d like to debunk some myths about this island. First, the island, was unproperly called Santo Domingo but its name is Dominican Republic, while Santo Domingo, La Capital, is the capital town of the island. It’s a big island in the hearth of Antilles and Caribbeans, called Hispaniola and is divided into two countries: the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Dominican Republic: Premises and Leaving
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The second cliché, is that the Dominican Republic is full of resort. Most part of the 70 thousand Italian tourists, choose an all inclusive stay inside a big resort and they rarely go out to explore the surroundings. Let me say, that’s a real shame! The Dominican Republic is not only about resorts, is much more. Is sea, adventure and ecotourism (in the norther part, in the north-west and in the interior of the island where you can explore a mountain area whose highest peak reaches 3000 meters and the island from tornadoes). On the island you can also practice sports (golf, surf…) and devote to wellness in one of the many interesting thermal spas of the Dominican Republic. As you can see, the Dominican Republic is one of the most interesting countries of the Caribbeans with a variegated landscapes, a place to explore and live.
So thanks to the Dominican Republic Tourism Authority I made a one week tour to discover the most authentic Dominican Republic, in the less crowded locations but without missing the capital city Santo Domingo with its beauties, the nightlife, its traditions and of course some good shopping.
And if you’re wondering if the island is safe to be explored without expert local guides, the answer is yes! Dominicans are incredibly cheery and opened, tourists are welcomed kindly, and since the official language is Spanish, for Italian is quite easy to communicate with locals. If you want to replicate our itinerary you’ll need to take a plane in one of the many airports in the island: for example we chose a charter flight of Neos Air, our flying partner and then we continued our trip with a rented car. Other tourism companies like Colonial Tours offer other interesting experiences in the inland areas of the island. I’m sure it won’t be a problem to find this kind of tour, even on site!
