June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
The mountain range rises 1,236 metres above the Catalan lowlands, 50 km northwest of Barcelona. Montserrat means “serrated mountain” and the shape is unmistakable: a jagged ridge of grey conglomerate rock that looks like a saw blade against the sky. The Benedictine monastery, Santa Maria de Montserrat, has been here since 1025. The mountain holds […]
Tags: 13th-century, benedictine-monastery, black-madonna, boys-choir, catalonia, catholic-spain, extensive-library, holy-grail, infant-christ, last-supper, legend-says-that, local-boys, miraculous-powers, montserrat, napoleonic-wars, national-symbol, pope-leo-xiii, rock-climbers, saint-patron, spain, supernatural-abilities, virgin-mary
Categories: Nature, Sights, Spain, Wellness, Relax & Sports
Updated June 10, 2026 by europeexplored
The market of Ballaro hits every sense at once. Vendors shout prices in Sicilian dialect, the smell of grilled sardines and frying arancini fills the air, and the colors of piled citrus and wild herbs blur into a dizzying mosaic. Palermo does nothing by halves. Decaying Norman palaces stand next to bustling street food stalls. […]
Tags: capital-of-sicily, capuchin-catacombs, capuchin-monastery, chiesa-della-martorana, city, city-cathedral, craziest-city, craziest-city-in-europe, europe, florentine-architect, fontana-pretoria, gancia, gastronomy, island-of-sicily, italian-language, italy, main-streets, majestic-buildings, mummies, oratorio, orto-botanico-di-palermo, palermo, piazza-pretoria, quattro-canti, renaissance-period, saint-patron, san-cataldo, san-giovanni-degli-eremiti, san-giuseppe, san-lorenzo, sicilia, sicilian-dialect, sicilian-style, sicily, sicily-italy, spanish-king, streets-of-the-city, teatro-massimo-palermo, teatro-politeama, vittorio-emanuele
Categories: Cities, Islands, Italy, Nature, Sicily, Sights, Sights, Virtual Travel
Updated June 19, 2026 by europeexplored
The Scala di Santa Maria del Monte in Caltagirone is not merely a staircase. It is a work of art, a feat of engineering, and a symbol of the city’s identity all rolled into one. This monumental staircase, consisting of 142 steps, climbs the hillside from the Piazza del Municipio to the Church of Santa […]
Tags: artistic-drawing, caltagirone, dense-fog, feast-of-san, history-of-pottery, important-event, italy, luminaria, magna-grecia, maiolica, olives, saint-patron, san-giacomo, santa-maria-del-monte, sicily, sicily-italy, staircase, stairs-to-heaven, temperature-differences, terra-cotta, theater-performances, town, wares
Categories: Islands, Italy, Nature, Sicily, Sights, Virtual Travel
