Working Remotely in the Côte d'Azur: Ventimiglia

One other day, while we were in Nice, we took another day off. We again took the train, and this time, we went all the way to the French-Italian border and beyond, to the town of Ventimiglia. This is in Italy, in Liguria. We decided to go here just because, why not?

Working Remotely in the Côte d'Azur

Late last year, we did something new. To escape the Berlin winter for a little bit, we opted to rent an apartment in the Côte d'Azur, in Nice, to be precise. Our idea was to spend two weeks there, remote working, while enjoying the milder weather. And I have to say, it was fantastic!

Natale a Napoli: Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli

The last major thing we checked out while we were in Naples was the massive Archaeological Museum. Its collection is just huge, and worth seeing.

Natale a Napoli: Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta

We were strolling through the narrow streets of the Old Town of Naples. And somehow, it just appeared in front of us. We stumbled upon the cathedral of the city, the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta. And while it wasn't the most eye-catching church from the outside, it was quite spectacular from the inside.

Natale a Napoli: Galleria Umberto I

One of the landmarks that we passed by multiple times while we were in Naples was the Galleria Umberto I. This was an interesting building, I must say.

Natale a Napoli: Basilica di San Francesco di Paola

Naples has a very chaotic city layout - during the few days we were there, I was scratching my head trying to figure out how things linked to each other. And during this time, we always passed by this landmark plaza, and the round church sitting in front of it.

Natale a Napoli: Castel dell'Ovo

Naples has several castles. We've visited two of them: the second one is the Egg Castle, located by the waterfront. It is a few steps from our hotel.

Natale a Napoli: Certosa di San Martino

After visiting the Castel Sant'Elmo, we went next door. The Certosa di San Martino is a former monastery complex, and is now a museum. Given its strategic position on top of a hill, it is a very prominent landmark of the city.

Natale a Napoli: Castel Sant'Elmo

Naples has several fortresses. One is not enough it seems. So when we were there, we visited a couple of them. The first one was the Castel Sant'Elmo, located on Vomero Hill.

Natale a Napoli: Pompeii

Of course, we went to Pompeii. It's after all very close by from Naples, as it's just a short train ride away. We went there during one of the sunny days, as it was perfect for a day trip.

Natale a Napoli: Palazzo Reale di Napoli

Before heading to Naples, I never knew that Naples used to be a kingdom of its own. Yes, I knew that Italy as we know today wasn't unified until recently, when several small kingdoms came together as one. But still, the fact that there once was a Kingdom of Naples and later on a Kingdom of Two Sicilies was rather beyond my general awareness. This palace showed a glimpse what these kingdoms were.

Natale a Napoli

Last Christmas, we did a little trip. This seems to be our yearly rhythm: we do a triangular itinerary, by going somewhere warmer than Berlin (during the winter), and then visiting the family in Budapest. For example, we were in London for 2019, and while the pandemic interrupted this rhythm the year after, we were in Madrid for 2021, and for last Christmas, we were in Naples.

Traipsing in Tuscany: Food in Tuscany (Part 2)

As I mentioned in a previous post, I definitely enjoy the food scene whenever I am in Italy. What I typically do is order the same thing from multiple different restaurants, as I find it enjoyable to see the little variations a common concept can have. Whether it's eggs with truffles, or tripe, every establishment more or less has its own way of preparing it.

Traipsing in Tuscany: Palazzo Medici Riccardi

The final episode of my two-week sojourn in Tuscany is Florence's Palazzo Medici Riccardi. This is a Renaissance palace, built between 1444 and 1484, and is now functioning as a museum, in addition to it being the seat of the Metropolitan City of Florence. On my final full day, I headed there one morning and procured myself an entrance ticket.

Traipsing in Tuscany: Basilica di Santa Croce

After spending two weeks in Tuscany, I have seen plenty of churches. The last church I saw was the Basilica di Santa Croce. This is the other large church in Florence. During my first visit, I just saw the Duomo, and skipped this one. So when I came back, I wanted to check this out. I heard there are plenty of tombs inside.

Traipsing in Tuscany: Jeff Koons in the Palazzo Strozzi

When I was in Florence, it was not all about antiquity and fine art. I also had some modern contemporary things that I saw. One day, when I was walking in the middle of Florence, I saw through an open door a massively large shiny blue sculpture, which, given its style, I immediately recognised it as a Jeff Koons sculpture. Apparently, there's a Jeff Koons exhibit in what turned out to be the Palazzo Strozzi, a palace that was built in 1489. I therefore decided to check it out.

Traipsing in Tuscany: Giardino di Boboli

Because the Palazzo Pitti was closed in the morning, I decided to venture nearby and check out the Boboli Gardens, which is directly behind the palace. This is an expansive garden originally designed for the Medici, and was opened to the public in 1766.

Traipsing in Tuscany: Palazzo Pitti

Back in 2014, I remember just walking in front of this palace, but I didn't really visit the interior. Perhaps that was one of the occasions which led me to think that I wanted to go back to Florence as there were plenty of things I still haven't seen. So 7 years later, I came back. And I checked out the Palazzo Pitti.

Traipsing in Tuscany: Alongside the Arno

After leaving the Uffizi, I decided to take a walk alongside the Arno. It was after all good weather, and the sun was out.

Traipsing in Tuscany: Galleria degli Uffizi

After spending some time in Lucca, it was time to move again. The final station of this trip is Florence. I have been to Florence once, back in 2014, and it was a city containing plenty of things to do. I wanted to go back, as back then I felt like I didn't even scratch the veneer of its surface. Heck, I didn't even manage to visit the Uffizi back then! So when I came back 7 years later, the Uffizi was the first thing I wanted to check out. After arriving at the train station, I dropped off my bag in my hotel, and from there I directly headed to this famous gallery.