SORANO, Maremma, Tuscany

Sorano is a small village in southern Tuscany in a wonderful area called Maremma. It rises on a tuff stone over the Lente river. The first historical mentions are relative to the 3rd century BC when it was an Etruscan city under the influence of a nearby village, Sovana. In 862 a county was founded by the emperor Louis II under the Aldobrandeschi suzerainty. The Aldobrandeschi were the most powerful feudataries of southern Tuscany for more than four centuries, disapperaring in 1312 when Margherita, daughter of Ildibrandino, died without male heirs. Her daughter Adelaide married to Romano di Gentile Orsini. In 1417 Sorano was forced to accept the Republic of Siena suzerainty and regained the independence in 1556, becoming part of the Duchy of Tuscany.

HOW TO GET TO SORANO
I arrived at Sorano by car with my friend Sara. The nearest railway station is in Capalbio or Viterbo. There are bus connections to Sorano from Pitigliano, Bolsena , Montefiascone and Viterbo.

WHERE I STAYED
I slept in one of the many agriturismo of the area called Affittacamere by Fiorani Fiorella, c.s. S. Simone - Loc. Montorio - Sorano (Gr), Phone number 0564 619262, Mobile 338 8921631. The agriturismo is a guest house in the countryside, usually with a farm. Fiorella and her husband were so nice with us; on the first day of our arrival my friend and I were very tired and Fiorella invited us for dinner. We accepted and had lots of healthy food, all the vegetables came from their garden.

SORANO'S MAGNET, a legend or a true story?
Sorano is a magic and charming village that has attracted and still attracts weird people and I feel like I am one of them! Many of those people have remained in Sorano and the surrounding area for the rest of their lives. Some inhabitants believe in the existance of a magnet that attracts those strange characters, but nobody knows where the magnet is. The legend tells of a meteorite that fell many years ago in the valley that may be the cause of such magnetism. Or maybe there is a real magnet under the soil of Sorano. Well, while I was there, believe it or not, I met extraordinary personalities that told me stunning stories.

ICELAND

Iceland has always been on my must visit places list! I love Northern Europe, the cold and the rain, the dark clouds in the sky and the blue eyes of course!
I was thinking about starting my trip by bus, unfortunately there is no direct service from Italy to Denmark. I might take a train from Milan....let's see.....to be continued

HOW TO GET TO ICELAND
First of all I need to get to Denmark, more precisely to Hirtshals where the ferry leaves to Seydisfjordur. I found out a very good company called smyrilline www.smyrilline.com; a return ticket for a single passenger and without a car is about 400,00 euro.
Now, let's get to the hardest part that is leaving from Italy by train. Trenitalia offers you very good prices under the name smart offers, for example a train from Rome to Munchen Hbf starts from 29,00 euro. From Munchen Hbf there are euronights trains to Copenhagen, you can check the timetable on www.bahn.com. Once in Copenhagen I need to catch a train to Hirtshals. I am now waiting for some replies from the Danish tourist center and will try to be more precise next time.
My next step will be to create an itinerary from Seydisfjordur till.......ehm....don't know yet! Ciao for now.

SEYDISFJORDUR
The ferry Norrona docks every week in Seydisfjordur that is one of the imposing fjords in east Iceland and also the name of the village.Today about 750 people live in Seydisfjordur. The local economy has long been based on the fisheries, while light industry also flourishes. Tourism plays a greater role in the recent years, as this picturesque town with its spectacular surroundings attracts more and more visitors. Seydisfjordur is on Lonely planet’s top list for “must visit” destinations in Iceland. There are many recreational activities such as sea angling, skiing, kayak tours and cycle rent, diving, paragliding and golf. I am interested in the nice and easy walk around the old town with a local guide. Included in the walk there is a visit to the Blue Church, local arts and markets and Skaftell, a cultural center. You can have more info at www.visitseydisfjordur.com

WHERE TO STAY IN SEYDISFJORDUR
Surfing on the internet I found a very good hostel at an affordable price, its name is Hafaldan Youth Hostel and you can view it here http://www.hostel.is/Hostels/Seydisfjordur. The hostel is within 10 minutes walk from the ferry terminal. The price per night is 2000 isk (12 euro) if you become a member of HI hostels.

EGILSSTADIR
Egilsstadir is a town in East Iceland on the banks of Lagarfliòt lake and this would be my next stop. It was established in 1947 and it has grown to become the largest town of east Iceland with a college, an airport and a hospital. It is a good shopping area as well. There is not so much to see except for the lovely Lagarfliòt lake with a monster in its depths called Lagarfliòtsormurinn!

WHERE TO STAY IN EGILSSTADIR
I found out there are quite a few hotels in town but no hostel, so I might stay in a hostel called Laugarfell Highland Hostel that is at 63 Km away from Egilsstadir. The owners told me they could pick me up in Egilsstadir. The building offers accomodation for 38 people. What attracts me most is the presence of two natural pools. There are many interesting tracking paths around Laugarfell and a number of beautiful waterfalls. I might join groups of people once there and organize walking trips in the wilderness. I might stay there more than two days. For more info and prices please check www.highlandhostel.is and visit the fb page www.facebook.com/LaugarfellHighlandHostel
Now I need to decide whether going north or south....waiting for some help from icelanders.

HOFN
Finally I decided on my own! As I want to visit Reykjavik, it should be better going south! There is a bus leaving from Egilsstadir at 13:30 and arrives at Hofn at 17:00. Please have a look at the following timetable http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/bus_stop_akureyri_egilsstadir.htm
Hofn is a town on the south-eastern corner of the country with 2000 inhabitants and it is especially  known for lobsters. The area is dominated by large mountains and wide rivers, as well as its famous glaciar, Vatnajokull.
A walk around the harbour can be nice and there is a bird reserve south of the harbour with good walkways. There are also a few museums in town such as the Ice Land Glacier Exhibition, an exhibition about life in close proximity to Vatnajokull.
I would book an organized tour with some of the many tour companies based in Hofn and I might explore Skeidararsandur. Sandur is an Icelandic word for sand and has been adopted as the international scientific name for the sandy floodplains of glacial rivers found almost exclusively in Iceland and Svalbard.

WHERE TO STAY IN HOFN
There is a lovely hostel from the HI chain, it is called Hofn Hostel http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostels-Höfn-026010.en.htm. It is located in the city center, perfect! Will check for prices later.

REYKJAVIK
Well, I know, Hofn is really far away from Reykjavik, it is a seven hour journey by bus. I think I would need a car to visit the wonderful of nature in Iceland, so I might skip all this for the moment, and focus on the capital.
Reykjavik is the heart of Iceland's cultural, economic and governmental activity and it is believed to be the location of the first permanent settlement. The city was founded in 1786 as an official trading town and grew steadily over the next decades.
There's a lot to do and see in Reykjavik, I would not miss one of the many thermal pools and spas or some concert sessions ( remember many famous artists come from this nordic land, such as Byork, Sigur Ros and Emiliana Torrini). There are many art exhibitions and museums.

WHERE TO STAY IN REYKJAVIK
The city offers so many options, but as I prefer to travel on a budget I would choose another HI hostel, Reykjavik City Hostel, 21 euro per night. It is right in the heart of Laugardalur Park, next door to the national sports stadium and Iceland's biggest Pool & Spa. It is within 30 minute walking distance from the city center, along the scenic Reykjavik coastline or 10 minutes by bus. You can find more info here http://www.hihostels.com/dba/hostels-Reykjav%C3%ADk-City-026001.en.htm.

SALINA

Salina is the second largest island in the Eolian archipelago and it is included in the World Heritage List because of its worth for vulcanology. It is composed of six volcanoes. More than 400 different types of plants grow here, including the cultivation of grapes, olives and capers. The mountain sides of the island are covered with ferns, poplars, chestnut trees and typical Mediterranean vegetation covered with caper bushes, prickly pear cactus and a variety of orchards, olive groves and vineyards. Above all there is Malvasia, a famous white wine that is only produced in Salina.
My friends and I enjoyed the best lunch ever, we had the famous pane cunzato at Alfredo's; pane means bread and cunzato means seasoned, so it is a rounded bread spread all over with fresh tomatoes, capers, onions and more ingredients at your choice such as tuna or cheese. Please have a look at this restaurant www.alfredoincucina.com.
I love shopping as well; I found a lovely shop called Le Signorine. I think the site is still under construction www.lesignorine.it. They have modern stuff for a cosy home.
Hope to get some pictures soon from Federico, a lazy friend!

STROMBOLI

My friends and I visited this island on the second day of my arrival in Panarea. Stromboli contains one of the three active volcanoes in Italy. The volcano has erupted many times and is constantly active with minor eruptions often visible from many points on the island and from the surrounding sea. The last major eruption was on April 13, 2009. A significant geological aspect of the volcano is the Sciara del Fuoco, a big depression generated in the last 13,000 years by several collapses on the northwestern side of the cone.
Once there we decided to hire a small boat and discover the beauties of the coast line. Unfortunately that day I could not snorkeling and so I missed all the fun but I managed to appreciate the Sciara del Fuoco and admire the strenght of nature. We were 4 of us and paid 15 euro each.

PANAREA

Something about me.

Hello everybody! My name is Silvia and I would love to write about travels. I have had the chance to be a stewardess in the past and traveled a lot mainly in Europe! Unfortunately, because of an illness, I cannot fly anymore. This is such a pity, it gives me a sense of frustration but life always gives you a second opportunity and that is why I decided to start writing about travels with one exception: TRAVELLING WITHOUT PLANES.
I dedicate this blog to all of you out there who cannot fly because of health issues or are simply scared but also to those who still have a taste for adventure!
Thank you.