Asinara National Park is not your usual holiday destination, but a place worth visiting while you are in Sardegna. Known as Devil’s Island, it was used as a high security prison during the 1970s as well as during World War I. It has a large variety of habitats and is the home of the Albino Donkey.

The island of Asinara from Falcon Cape, Sardinia by enrico_sirola

Archipelago di La Maddalena National Park has 180 km of coastline and is a protected geo-marine area made up of a group of islands. It is between Sardegna and Corsica in the Bocche di Bonifacio area. A Dolphin Research Center is in the park that is interesting for both adults and children.

The Gennargentu National Park is on the east coast of Sardegna and has the beautiful Gusana Lake. The wildlife in the park includes the Sardinian Wildcat, marten, weasel, edible and garden dormouse, Sardinian Fox, the Griffon vulture and several different species of eagles and falcons. The highest mountain in Sardegna, Punta La Marmora, is also in the park.

There are 7,000 prehistoric fortresses called nuraghi around the island built by prehistoric people. Sun holidays will direct visitors to Nuraghe Losa and the Giants’ Grave in Dorgali. These huge structures were built during the Bronze Age. There are 321 large tombs made from huge, uncut slaps of rock. There was an obelisk near the entrance and each has a characteristic rectangular plan. There are three main types of tombs.

Nuraghe Losa, Sardinia, Iitaly by Jack Aubrey

About a thousand years after the nuraghi people, in 1000 BC, the Phoenicians built the city of Tharras on the northern cape of the Bay of Oristano. Today, it is an archaeological site. It was mentioned by Ptolemy and was the most importa   nt place on the island. The city was abandoned in the 10th century after being used by the Phoenicians, Punics and Romans. It is an open air museum and the most interesting structures remaining are the tophet, the bath installations and the temple foundations as well as the area where there were houses and artisan workshops.

Italy has some of the best places in Europe for enjoying a hot summer day out in the sun, with most of the budget airlines flying there now it’s a perfect destination for late bookings

James is a writer based in Soho, London who loves camping/travelling around Europe.

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Piazza Navona / Photo by admin

Attractions in Rome

Rome is filled with a number of tourist attractions, you will never run out of places to visit, only time.  One of the most recommended attractions is the Colosseum which has to be one of the most popular tourist attractions in Rome (it gets very busy in the peak season). Built in AD 80, the Colosseum held many gladiatorial and wild animal fights and today, there are men dressed in gladiatorial costume to help set the scene as to how it was like back then. On Sundays the road leading up to the Colosseum, the Via dei Fori Imperiali is closed to traffic and therefore it is nice to stroll up to the Colosseum, there are plenty of souvenirs to buy from the vendors along the road.

One of Rome’s most beautiful sqaures, the Piazza Navona, was originally built as a stadium for athletic contests. Until the late 19the century the square was flooded to be used for mock naval battles and other aquatic sports.  It is now filled with lavish cafes and three Baroque fountains. Don’t miss out on the delicious ice cream dessert, tartufo. which you can have at one of the cafes.

A third tourist attraction you won’t want to miss is the Pantheon.  It was built 1,800 years ago and until 1436 was the largest dome in the world at 43 metres high.  With marble columns and brick walls, the Pantheon was originally a temple for pagan gods but was converted into a church in 609AD. It now contains the tombs of the artist Raphael and many Italian kings.  The Pantheon borders the Piazza della Rotonda, which has a central fountain and obelisk.

Pantheon / Photo by admin

Places to Stay in Rome

There are plenty of hotels to stay in Rome, hotels to suit every budget.  One of the more luxurious hotels is near the Piazza Navona, called the Raphael Hotel. Inside of the hotel is filled with antiques and artwork.  Staying in short term accommodation rentals can be just as luxurious and are all centrally located.  There are many apartments in Rome for rent to suit every budget.

There are many different places to stay when travelling round Europe.  A lot of companies offer short term accommodation rentals in Berlin, Rome, Paris and you can even rent apartments in London.

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Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by alex yosifov

There are several legends about this place, the most famous is about 40 girls who in an effort to avoid the Turkish slavery together jumped off cliffs into the sea. This fabulous event is commemorated by an obelisk called the “The Gate of the 40 Maidens” at the entrance to the Cape. You’ll also find a small museum with archaeological finds here. There are remnants of Tirisis fort that was built before the advent of the Romans and served until the Middle Ages. Its location on the Cape was not accidental, the sea and high cliffs represented an ideal natural protection against invaders.

But the main thing that attracts tourists, is the overall scenery of the Cape and the local nature at all. The dramatic view from the top of the rocks of the turquoise sea is really worth it. There are many caves and photogenic corners here. Kaliakra Cape is a protected area since 1941, but since that it has increased its area three times and now reaches 687 ha.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by Marcin Chady

Fairly typical is to watch the dolphins while playing in the waves. Even relatively recently it was also a home to rare Mediterranean seal. This animal was in the past, very abundant and very common throughout the Mediterranean and the Black Sea including Bulgaria, but due to the pollution of their environment, hunting and development of the tourism industry they disappeared. The last Bulgarian seals could be seen in the early eighties of the 20th century. Today, Mediterranean seal is officially considered the most endangered mammal of the European Union and its future existence is uncertain.

Other places for nature lovers are 8 kilometres away, in Taukliman protected area and the subsequent reservation called Jajlata.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons, created by alex yosifov

Surroundings of Kaliakra Cape is interesting not only from the land but also from the sea. In August 1791, in the vicinity of the cape, there was a naval battle, during which the Russian fleet under the leadership of the famous admiral Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov completely destroyed the large Turkish fleet. That is one reason why the area attracts divers and wrecks seekers. On the seabed there are a number of objects and remnants of ships from various medieval periods and of the World War II.

Very interesting is also a restaurant situated in one of the caves in the middle of the Cape. It boasts an outdoor garden offering magnificent views of the surrounding area. However you will not find any accommodation right on the spot, most tourists come here on a trip from various places on the Black Sea, for example, from a well-known resort of Albena. If you go on your own, you surely find some bed in the vicinity.

So if you wandered into this region, just visit this place, where sea fights with the mainland and still make for an unusual beauty.

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In front of the palace you can see a column of the Immaculate, which was built in 1856 by Pope Pius IX. to commemorate the dogma of the immaculate conception. The column dates back to the ancient times, it was found in excavations in 1777, under a monastery. It is now topped with a statue of Virgin Mary.

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On the south side of the Piazza di Spagna there is the Palazzo di Propaganda Fide, the seat of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

In the middle of the Piazza di Spagna rises Fontana della Barcaccia built in 1629 by Pietro Bernini. From this fountain you can step up Baroque Scalinata della Trinita dei Monti (the Spanish Steps), which were built in the years 1723-1726 at the request of a French diplomat Stephen Gouffiera. The architects were Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi. The elegant staircase consists of 137 steps and has an irregular albeit symmetric structure. It is beautiful especially in May, when it is decorated with azaleas. The steps are usually very crowded; it attracts tourists as well as locals who use it as a gathering place.

Stairs lead to the French church Trinita dei Monti, built from 1495 to 1585 with the support of the French kings. In front of the church you can see the obelisk of 1788 which is the smallest of Rome’s obelisks. It is an ancient copy of Egyptian original, which formerly stood in the Gardens of Sallust.

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