HK Independent Traveller Blog

Trogir is a little, quiet and picturesque cultural town.   The historical town centre is a UNESCO world heritage site.  It is a short ride from Split .  In the morning there are direct intercity bus services which take about half hour.  Otherwise, normal bus journey takes you there in an hour.  Try this link for connection to/from Trogir. Trogir is located on an island between the mainland and another island, Ciovo . Small bridges connect between them. On the northern side of the main square is the Cathedral of St Lovro .  It is considered as one of Dalmatia's most architecturally and artistically important monuments. The builder, Master Radovan , molded the first nude Adam and Eve in Dalmatia.   The columns of the cathedral are remarkably beautiful. They left me an excellent impression. The interior of the cathedral is worth a look. The ceiling is special. Don't forget to ascend to the tower for a superb panoramic view of ...

I would say St Mark Basilica is a monument, rich in history and art treasures.  It is splendid, possesses exquisite facade and magnificent golden interior.  One can find other churches with golden mosaics but this one is distinguished by the tale of St. Marco along with the many illustrations of the old and new testaments.   Outside the churches, you can appreciate the paintings on its facades.  Its shape is unique.  For me, it looks like a palace.  At the centre is the symbol, the lion of St Marco. Inside the basilica can be very dark.  The art treasures cannot be appreciated.  Shouts always echo, 'no pictures, no photos.'  Floods of tourists arrived, moved forward, raised the heads to view the superb mosaics, took photos, argued with guards and left.   Until it is illuminated, one is wondered by the luxurious eternal beautiful mosaics.  They are on every vault and ceiling, full o...

Monza is 15 km away from Milan.  It is a little rich town.  I visited the town centre and the beautiful Duomo years ago.  The destination this time is the park , one beloved by its inhabitants.  It is enormous, over 600 acres, and dotted with many beautiful villas.  It's also the venue for the annual Formula I Grand Prix . We got in the park via the entrance nearby Villa Reale.  It was built by the will of Empress Marie-Therese of Austria.  Exhibitions are held there from time to time.  One was over prior to my visit.  It was a cold Saturday. Snow remained on the floor.  But the temperature did not stop its inhabitants strolling miles across different parts of the park.  Families, old couples, friends dotted the park.  Smiles were around.  Love dangled in the air.  Beauty filled our eyes.   It's a romantic world compared to the hectic Milan.

Venice itself is islands in a lagoon.   The islands I am going to detail refer to other key islands with some distance.  They are Murano, Bruano and Torcello.  Each has its own characteristics. Murano ,the closest one from Venice.  One can start the 10-minute boat trip from Fondamenta Nuove.  The island is famous for its glass work.  You can see signs of glass factory everywhere on the island.  We window-shopped.  Most of them look identical and not artistic.  This orchestra the only one look unique. Basilica dei Santi Maria e Donato was built in 8th century.  The most striking piece of art is Vergine Orante, a splendid mosaics of Virgin Mary.  The mosaics floor is beautiful.  Don't miss it out.  Burano can be reached from Fondamenta Nuove or from Murano Faro stop. It is the prettiest island in the lagoon. All houses are painted in bright colours. No one next to each other has the same colour....

Venice, a charming city, always remains on my mind. The Grand Canal and Gondola are unique. One can find churches, beautiful architecture of different styles elsewhere but can never find a place with a big canal dotted with palaces, beautiful and torne buildings originated in different periods.  Here you can see the golden palace Ca' D'oro, the palace of an art institute next to the Accademia Bridge, the area of Rialto Bridge, Santa Croce near the railway station, etc.  Of course, you won't miss the sight of a gondola. Basilica San Marco, Campanile, Torre dell'Orologio, Palazzo Ducale No one will object if these key buildings are the landmarks for Venice.  Here is the most popular place for tourists from all over the world.  It is the place for the carnival, the centre and a must see place for anyone visiting Venice.  My companion led me to a number of off beaten tracks.  One of them is the opposite shore from the San Marco Sq...

If you are interested in church art and architecture, Venice Chorus Pass is for you. It costs 10 Euro, allows you to visit 16 churches within one year's time.   It costs 3 Euro to visit one church.  If you visit 4, you will fully cover the cost.  We visited 15 in four days!  A real achievement!   All participating churches are light up.  It enables visitors to admire the beauty of the paintings and interior.  Churches beyond the group often has no illumination.  Some may charge entrance fee and offer no light.  You have to pay additionally to light up the painting you wish to see.  The 10 Euro is worthwhile.   You also get a guide in your preferred language.  Er, perhaps no Chinese yet.  I asked for English all the way :) It is a good will to contribute a little money to help restore churches full of history and masterpieces by famous artists like Giovanni Bellini, Jacopo Robusti (Tintoretto), Giamba...

We had four meals in our 4-day stay in Venice.  It's not wrong.  It's three dinners and one lunch.  Time was short.  We could not afford the time for lunch in the first three days.  Among all the meals, the first dinner is the best and most memorable.  The restaurant is called Alla Zucca.  Zucca means pumpkin, one of the food I like most.  It is located in Santa Croce 1762, ponte del Megio. First came the bread.   As a rule of thumb, if the bread is good, the food will be good.   Our theory proved to be right again. We order baked pumpkin and gorgonzola pistachio pasta as the first dishes.   The pumpkin had a creamy texture.  We loved it.  The match of gorgonzola and pistachio is wonderful.  The sauce is just right, not watery nor too dry.  Our rucola mushroom salad was fresh. The main dishes were Venetian style veal liver served with polenta and pork cooked in prune sauce with rice ....