HK Independent Traveller Blog

Weather in October in Milan was not very nice.  We were lucky enough to have sunshine on a Sunday. We drove to  Chiaravalle , Vigolo Marchese and Castell'Arquato for a beautiful day. We arrived at Castell'Arquato after 1pm, parked at the lower town and walked up a tree alley to reach the high rock which is strategically important in the medieval time. Castell'Arquato is dated to 10th century. In 21st century the town still preserves the medieval look and set up, stone houses, cobbled alleys and ..... It took us about 15 minutes to reach the monumental square. The view was gorgeous: the collegiate  (religious power), Rocca  fortress  (military power) and palace of the Podesta  (political power). We walked around the square and appreciated the beauty of the surroundings. Autumn colours were beautiful under the sunshine. Tourists spots were closed during the lunch break.  My friends wanted to save money but I went for a smal...

Lecco is a city in Lombardy, 50 km away from Milan.   It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como . Nearby is the Bergamo Alps.  At time of our visit in October, peaks had a trace of snow on top which added beauty to the town. The most famous person of Lecco is Alessandro Manzoni , a famous poet and novelist between 18th and 19th century. Lecco is so proud of the poet and name itself as City of Manzoni. The first sentence of his novel Betrothed is shown at the river side. uel ramo del lago di Como, che volge a mezzogiorno, tra due catene non interrotte di monti......... After visiting Villa Manzoni on via Mendona briefly, we descended down to reach and cross the river. Walking along the promenade are one after one scene of tranquillity and beauty.  We spent quite much time strolling there and enjoyed the views very much. Saint Nicolo bell tower is easily seen from the waterfront.  It is situated at the bustling squares of...

Centuries ago Saint Christorpher was the first stop on the way to Santiago de Compostela.  Pilgrims first came here to get the credenziali (credentials, also known as pilgrim's passport) before embarking on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela . Originally, it was a simple chapel with a typical bell-shaped roof. The church was added only at the end of the 13th century.  A pilgrim's hostel was added a century later. There are two entrances. The older one on the left can be recognised by its beautiful 15th century door with a delicately worked Gothic terra-cotta rosette in the middle.  The one on the right is Cappella Ducale (Ducal Chapel) built at the beginning of 15th century by Gian Galeazzo Visconti . Above the entrance is the symbol of the noble family, a snake.   I can imagine that the church would have been very beautiful when it served the pilgrims in the past. Why? The reminiscence of the frescoes is beautiful.  Those at the central ...