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The Best Parks and Villas In Rome (Part 1)

19/4/2015

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Rome is green indeed! With over 15 parks, public gardens and historical villas, Rome is one of Europe's "greenest" cities. After a long day visiting the most famous beauties of the Eternal City you may want to refresh and relax in some of the amazing parks that cover a huge part of the city’s area. Some of them are big and well known but still hiding many secrets, others are tiny and hard to find, hidden or even forbidden. Many of them have breathtaking views or are hedging Historical Villas that are worth to visit.

Let’s start from the Heart of Rome

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1 - Villa Borghese: Where Art And Nature Meet

After your last effort climbing up the Spanish Steps, your way towards Villa Borghese will be almost completed. The most central park of Rome was landscaped for the Borghese family in the second part of the 18th century. The main attraction is the well-known and pristine white Galleria Borghese: visiting this extraordinary rich museum is a must when you are in Rome! We suggest to pay attention also to the other charming buildings and to some oddities dotting the park: the Gallery of Modern art and the Villa Medici, the aviary, the orangery, the artificial lake where your children could rent a boat, the Rome Zoo, the water clock, the relaxing fountains etc… In terms of artistic, historical and natural offer, the Villa Borghese goes far beyond the imagination when you think about a park. And this makes it so special. Do not forget the most fascinating spot in the villa: the Pincio. Located over the lovely Piazza del Popolo, this huge panoramic terrace is one of the best sites to have an unforgettable and breathtaking view of Rome.

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2 - Villa Ada: City Park Or Countryside?

If you like exploration this is the right place for you! Villa Ada, one of the main green lungs of the City, is located in Northern Rome, not far from the elegant neighbourhoods of Parioli and Salario-Trieste and only 15 minutes walking from the northern gate of Villa Borghese. This huge park (450 Acres) was owned by the Italian royal House Of Savoy and was hosting the Royal Residence from 1872 to 1878. In 1878 the area came under the control of Count Tellfner who named it “Ada” in honour of his wife. The royal family regained control of the land in 1904 but did not change the name. After World War II and the end of the monarchy, Villa Ada became a public park.
Villa Ada has a unique characteristic: even if it is located in one of the busiest cities of Europe the atmosphere reminds of an extremely calm and wild countryside far away from the urban confusion. This is an oasis of peace where to recover from exhausting sightseeing activities. Follow our suggestions: if you want to relax, take a couple of bottles of wine, a coloured blanket, some fresh bread, cheese and ham, and forget the stress and the chaos of Roman traffic. If you want to make your day healthier take your sneakers and prepare for a memorable sport experience through the park hills covered by pines, cypresses, oaks, palm trees, the refreshing lakes, the thick forests and the sport facilities for gym activities. If you feel like an explorer you will be amazed discovering the prosperity of the fauna that is living in this special place: squirrels, moles, hedgehogs, rabbits, porcupines and even parrots are peacefully sharing this park. Last but not least if you want to meat some young Romans lie down and relax on the Pratone (big lawn) in Spring afternoons or visit the Villa Ada Music festival during Summer Season. 

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3 - Villa Doria Pamphilj: When The Beauty Of Nature Is Enhanced By Humans

This Villa is just beautiful. Do you think this is not a good reason to visit it?

The Villa Doria Pamphilj is a seventeenth-century villa with what is today the largest landscaped public park in Italy. It is located in the quarter of Monteverde, on the Gianicolo (the Roman Janiculum), just outside the Porta San Pancrazio, on the ancient walls of Rome where the roman road of Via Aurelia starts! If you are visiting the Vatican area or Trastevere think about climbing the Gianicolo, stop, take a break enjoying a marvellous view of Rome and continue towards Villa Pamphilj. This park is ideal if you want to relax, have long walks or if you want to make happy your dog! What is surprising, especially in the most far area starting from Rome Center, is the beauty of the landscape that has been evidently shaped by humans with love and care. Some glimpses remind the soft hills of Chianti area in Tuscany where the man has redesigned the territory with extreme care and strict rules for many centuries. The visit to this park turns out to be unexpected and extremely relaxing after a long day exploring the City. For sport addicted, we recommend a mountain bike tour on the 9 km bike path of the Villa, while for those who are thirsty of culture and art, we suggest to have a look at the exquisite Casino Del Bel Respiro from early 17th Century.

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Brac IslandĀ  Food Tour (Part 1)

11/4/2015

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Summer season is approaching and Croatian Islands are waking up from a windy winter! Charme Holidays first friends and guests will be arriving very soon on our beloved Island of Brac. We taught that sharing a few tips about the best restaurants of the Island could be a brilliant idea for all the curious people that never visited the Island but also for all the persons that are used to Brac but never deeply explored its gastronomic offer!

For the beginners just a couple of words to explain what we are speaking about: Brac is a great rocky island located in the channel between Split and Hvar. It has paradise beaches in white pebbles and sand, rocky bays, the highest peak of the Adriatic Islands, it is covered by pine, olive and other perfumed Mediterranean trees. Walking through the pine forests and the olive groves that where hardly planted removing many layers of stones that where once almost covering the entire island, you can come across remnants of civilizations reaching back to prehistory. Not bad?

In the island restaurants, you feast on tasty vegetables grown in the tricky but fertile soil, very special lamb, home made cheese and just caught seafood products, washed down with home-made red wine, the distilled essence of the rocks and the sun.

Brac is a balanced combination between seaside, countryside and mountain and its richness is reflected by the 4 restaurants that we chose for this post.

Ready?
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1. Konoba Bokuncin – Rediscovering The Old Dalmatian Traditions With An Attitude

Family love towards good food was transferred to the second generation of the Tonsic family. They share their passion for food through the newly redecorated tavern Bokuncin - meaning "a small piece" in Dalmatian dialect. The idea is to offer a tiny insight into the Mediterranean cuisine using homemade and homegrown products. Seasonal menu, homemade bread, pasta, gnocchi, cakes and freshly squeezed juices illustrate the desire to protect and explore local flavours. Bokuncin starts its day with a combination of different culinary traditions: healthy meals, smoothies, fresh croissants, pancakes and waffles served with a homemade marmalade. Sheep cheese, broad been pate’, octopus stew, pasta with traditional meat sauce, beef goulash with homemade gnocchi, artisan bread with olives...this is just a small insight into what awaits you if you stop here for dinner. The kitchen is small in size but cheerful and young, thirsty for knowledge and full of desire to spread love for food to everybody. The location is very cosy and romantic, just on the delicious port of the fisherman village of Sutivan! Would you like to take a break in a place where your kids can play all the evenings without the worries of the cars, where almost all your needs can be satisfied just walking few steps, where urban modern lifestyle haven’t arrived yet?

Phone +385 98 950 7171
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bokuncin


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2. Agroturizam Ranjak – A Trip Through Mediterranean Perfumes

This Agroturizam is located a few kilometers above Supetar on the road leading to Bol. Here the atmosphere is very different from Sutivan Port. In just a 15 minutes drive, Olive trees fields and Mediterranean greenery surround you. Wooden rustic tables are set amidst olive groves, some hammocks are slowly swinging, an open air bowling alley stands waiting for players, several children games have been prepared in the garden, during the night, the lights placed between the branches of olives trees create a romantic atmosphere. Everything is somehow pleasant and relaxing. Ranjak offer in terms of food is mainly based on fresh vegetables, appetizers based on black olives and beans pate’, many bruschetta’s, fried zucchini flowers filled with cheese, goat cheese strudel and many traditional lamb, pork and veal products cooked over the fire and with a lot of love. The keywords of this place are quality, freshness and nature!

Phone +385 916 316 699
Facebook: www.facebook.com/agroturizam.ranjak
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3 – Kastil Gospodnetic – Location, Location and Location

Our food trip continues towards the antique village of Dol, located in a fertile and peaceful valley connecting the seaside village of Postira to the interior of the island. Starting your journey from the Island coast you will have to drive (or bike or walk) through a sunny valley packed with mandarins and old vineyards. After some minutes the panorama will open up until you reach Dol, one of the earliest and most beautiful stone settlements of Brac. The narrow twisted streets, the steep stairs, the old stone houses, the silence and an the unexpected peace will welcome you. The Restaurant is located in the lower part of the Kastil Gospodnetic, built during the Turkish-Venetian wars as a fortified building, and located on the top of this tiny jewel offering an amazing view stretching from the greenery of the inner island, to the different nuances of the stones, to the seaside until the dramatic mountains of the coast.  This antique house is preserved with complete interior and furnishing from the 19th century and the owner will be pleased to offer you a free tour of his house that still keeps many secrets and interesting stories. The restaurant has basic but extra fresh and tasty food. The speciality is the lamb on the spit or in the Peka (under a baking lid cooked with embers), the octopus and the local grilled fish. The smoked ham and the cheese are delicious. Not to be missed!

Phone +385 917 997 182
Facebook link
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4 – Taverna Riva – Where The Tradition Meets The Creativity

Our last stop of this first gastronomic adventure leads us on the southern and most sunny part of the island. The village of Bol, entrapped between the super panoramic Vidova Gora Peak and the tiny sand of Zlatni Rat Beach, is the stage of this last food tour! The Taverna Riva is an old typical stone house in the very centre of the village’s cosy port. The terrace and the veranda have an amazing view over the harbour and the northern shore (with many pine woods and untouched bays) of Hvar Island which is located only 4,5 kilometers from Bol. This special view is priceless!
The cuisine is not only traditional, the recipes of the island of Brac and of Dalmatia like meat and octopus under the lid, lamb, seafood, mussels, grilled fished and homemade deserts are combined with some new cookery ideas. What makes this place unique is the great effort that has been undertaken in order to combine the authenticity of the long-established Dalmatian recipes with a contemporary touch. The result is fascinating! Ask for the seafood Menu and you will be surprised by the Tuna tartar, the shrimps with olive pate’, the octopus Carpaccio or the sea-bass roll. Enjoy!

Phone: +385 21 635 236
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TavernaRiva

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    About Us

    We are a group of young curious people! We have the desire of discovering the world and its inhabitants, finding out the simplicity of small gesture, the beauty beyond appearance and authenticity of places and cultures. We want to give the opportunity to everybody to discover our beloved countries, Italy and Croatia

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