I must admit, my way of discovering cities new to me, is to first wander around endlessly (church spires or skyscrapers give some indication where the center is - if you are not in Tokyo, Shanghai or Dubai, or even Berlin, as these cities sport several centers, wide apart), then look at postcards at the tourist kiosks in order to check, which of the main attractions you haven't come by yet, then do those, and for the rest, study the city map; where the luscious bourgeois (former) suburbs are, usually right outside the medieval city walls. These are also usually the places with nice shops, laid-back restaurants and beautiful little parks. I hardly ever consult tourist guides...
We did do quite a bit of reading before this particular trip, since I'd never been there before and didn't know much about the city's history. But once we got there, we did just as you do--we walked for miles and miles! We did have a wonderful list of places to eat and this made such a difference. We were able to take a deeper dive and eat well.
So, funny you should say that! I started this piece thinking I would pitch it to a travel magazine...but in the end, this would have meant cutting the part that amused me--the connection to the rom-com! So I decided to write it as I wanted and share it with readers here. But I do hope to do more traveling and then I can perhaps pitch a more straightforward travel story.
another terrific piece ♥️
Thank you for sharing your tryst with Torino, Julie. Got me dreamin...
I think you would love it there. And I like the word “tryst” for this experience!
I must admit, my way of discovering cities new to me, is to first wander around endlessly (church spires or skyscrapers give some indication where the center is - if you are not in Tokyo, Shanghai or Dubai, or even Berlin, as these cities sport several centers, wide apart), then look at postcards at the tourist kiosks in order to check, which of the main attractions you haven't come by yet, then do those, and for the rest, study the city map; where the luscious bourgeois (former) suburbs are, usually right outside the medieval city walls. These are also usually the places with nice shops, laid-back restaurants and beautiful little parks. I hardly ever consult tourist guides...
We did do quite a bit of reading before this particular trip, since I'd never been there before and didn't know much about the city's history. But once we got there, we did just as you do--we walked for miles and miles! We did have a wonderful list of places to eat and this made such a difference. We were able to take a deeper dive and eat well.
You should become a travel writer!
So, funny you should say that! I started this piece thinking I would pitch it to a travel magazine...but in the end, this would have meant cutting the part that amused me--the connection to the rom-com! So I decided to write it as I wanted and share it with readers here. But I do hope to do more traveling and then I can perhaps pitch a more straightforward travel story.
Thank you for a trip to Italy! We were on the Amalfi Coast in May with our sons. Beautiful and friendly people! The food was delicious!