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Italy

Jul 10

What to pack for your trip

By LocalWonders Travel

You’ve been dreaming your trip for months. You read books on your destination and browsed hundreds of pictures of the places you are going to see. You’re excited and keen, but there is still the challenge of packing. Do not panic, it can be a fun part and it is one tangible step of your travel dream.

 

The right mind-set

First of all, select a nice playlist, play it and pour for yourself a glass of nice wine, better if it’s Italian wine. This will put you in the right mind-set for packing, half focused on your task and half dreaming. It is a bit like the warming before sport.

The week before your departure, we suggest to start writing a list of what you need and then you can tick with a V what you’ve already got and with an X what you still need to buy.

 

Suitcase or backpack?

Where will you put all the staff you want to carry with you? Suitcase or backpack? This is a good question and it really depends on your preference, on your back conditions and on where you will go. If suitcase can be easier to carry since you simply drag it, backpack might make you move faster in crowded places or if you have to walk up a couple of steps like to hop on and off trains. So, there is not actually a better option, it is quite subjective. Now there are also several excellent trolleys that have got shoulder straps as well, that you can wear in case you need to walk a couple of steps.

In case you like travelling with a backpack we suggest the ones with a front zip besides the top opening, so that you can access it as a suitcase.

 

What to pack?

The choice should be done considering your travel destination and the climate and season of the place where you are going. As rule of thumb if you travel is in a warmer place carry with you a light wind/rain proof jacket and a light jumper. The same if travelling in colder weather you want to have one lighter item with you. Below a short list of what we believe it should never be missing:

– Travel documents: passport, visa (if required), travel insurance, tour notes
– Photocopy of main passport pages, visa and travel insurance
– Money belt
– Personal medications/prescriptions and a small travel first aid kit
– Comfortable and good walking shoes (better if with non-slip soles)
– Flip-flop or sandals
– Small day-pack for daily excursions (like a small 20 liters backpack)
– A reusable water bottle (tap water in Italy is safe to drink)
– Electrical adapter plug
– Sunscreen
– Swimsuit
– Sunhat and Sunglasses
– A shawl (in churches exposed shoulders and arms are not permitted)
– Clothes, underwear and personal effects as you prefer (including some long trousers and shorts, depending on the season and the destination, T-shirts or shirt)
– Attire in case of rain and wind (i.e. a folded and lightweight poncho with a hood)
– A lightweight sweater in case of chilly evenings during spring
– A warm sweater and a jacket if travelling from late October to April
– Books or kindle depending on your preference.

Consider that during the trip, you will have access to coin laundry or launderette at least once a week, so it is not necessary that you overload your suitcase or backpack. We suggest luggage that’s 15-18kg: this weight is a good compromise between having everything you’ll need and ease of movement.

To make your trip even more memorable, we also strongly recommend carrying with you:

– a warm smile

– strong interest for discovery

– desire for great fun and some good laughs

– will of trying delicious food and some great wines

– attitude for making new friends.

And leave a little part of your luggage empty, you know, there is always some shopping you do while you are travelling.

Apr 07

Italian Easter traditions

By LocalWonders Travel

Depending on where you are in Italy, it is very likely that out of your window, instead of snow, you will see a warm sun and the blooming flowers brought by the spring beginning. It’s a big religious celebration, it’s bank and school holiday and family gathers. Happy Easter everyone, or Buona Pasqua in Italian.

There is a popular saying that sounds like “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi”. If you pronounce it correctly, it actually rimes. The meaning is that you spend Christmas with your family, while you can spend Easter with whoever you want.

Despite whom your Easter companions are, as in every important moment of the year, Italians meet and spend a joyful day, celebrating, eating delicious food and toasting. From north to south the typical Easter food might vary, even though the ending is always sweet and with a surprise.

Asparagus starts to be a seasonal vegetable, so chefs – and especially mums, that are always the best chefs – get very creative with them. You can eat boiled asparagus served with a cheese or anchovies´ sauce or in a steamy risotto.

Almost everywhere, lamb is a typical food often eaten in this occasion. Stewed or baked with potatoes is a rich main, very appreciated. No panic for vegetarians: instead of lamb they can enjoy the divine “torta pasqualina”. This is a savory cake, made with chard or spinach, ricotta cheese, herbs and eggs. According to the tradition, the chef has to overlap 33 thin layers of pasta to make it. 33 like the Christ’s years when he died.

But the best part comes with the dessert.
A very loved one is pastiera napoletana, typical of Naples. It is a delicious cake, very difficult to properly make. Some of the main ingredients are flour, wheat, ricotta cheese, orange, lemon, cinnamon. Simply divine!
Colomba – that in Italian means dove – it is also a very popular dessert. This is a cake made in the shape of a dove, with flour, eggs, butter, sugar, candied fruit and almond. It can be considered the Easter counter part of the Christmas Panettone. The dove is the symbol of Easter and peace. This meaning comes from the Bible when after the deluge, a dove brought an olive twig to Noah as sign of reconciliation with God.

But the Easter dessert most loved by the kids – and secretly by the adults as well – is the Easter egg! This egg is made of dark or milk chocolate and it can be of different size. From the very small ones, that you can eat in a bite to the ginormous that can weight up to 10 kg. What makes the Easter egg so unique and loved is the surprise. In fact, when you open the egg you find a small surprise, like a little toy or a bracelet.

We do hope that this year the surprise inside the Easter egg, will be a smile and the hope that the world can recover soon from this tough beginning of 2020 and that we can start travelling again.