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Portugal and Italy Winter 2024
  • Ella Balagula

Portugal and Italy Winter 2024

A 27-day adventure by Ella Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 21, 2024
    Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Delicious pastel de nata
    Here they are, rich and silky smoothThe monument to the Jewish population of Portugal that were massacred, expelled or forced to convertIconic Lisbon tram1Ruins of the church that lost its ceiling in the earthquakeFado is best sung by women

    Lisbon first day - Rick Steves and Fado

    November 21, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    We arrived ti Lisbon in the late morning and right away set out to get our bearings of the city with our old friend Rick Steve’s. The tour was wonderful - taking us around the main touristy areas, but also showing us the lesser known gems, such as the giant church destroyed during the massive 1755 earthquake and thus being roofless. We got our first taste of pastel de nata and got familiar with the amazing cobblestone mosaics and tiles buildings. In the evening we went to dinner with the traditional Fado music, which reminded us of tango - soulful, sad, dramatic and with a very pronounced rhythm.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Beautifully frescoes monastery
    Great marble mosaicsIntricate hand painted tilesOne of many view points in this highly hilly townA typical tiled buildingBeautiful cobblestone mosaic of a Fado star singerMany cruise ships stop at Lisbon2Saudade is a Portuguese term for longingBeautiful mural painting different types of tilesWhole streets of tiled buildingsOranges just casually grow on the streetsSunset over the Lisbon answer to a Golden Gate BridgeMurals everywhere

    Voicemap tours of Tiles and graffiti art

    November 22, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    In the morning we went to do a VoiceMap tour of the art of tile, which is so plentiful in Lisbon. We went to a very cool old monastery that had enormous amount of gorgeous blue tiles depicting various highly detailed scenes. There was also a cool exhibit of tiled stories, based on the fables of a famous Portuguese author. We saw many example of stunning tile work and admired some very scenic views. In the afternoon I did a VoiceMap tour of graffiti street art. It was very interesting to see some great murals. I finished my day by watching the sunset from a viewpoint over the bridge that highly reminded me of Golden Gate bridge. Indeed that bridge is called a Portuguese golden gate!Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Breakfast at a cool Russian cafe - savory sirniki and buckwheat dish!
    Beautiful Jerónimo cloisters1This lion fountain reminded us of Miko and LeoInterestingly, one of the gorgoyles was a grasshopper!Jerónimo monastery from the outsideThe monument dedicated to the Age of Discoveries explorersDelicious dinner at the journalists!

    Exploring Belem neighborhood of Lisbon

    November 23, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Today we explored the neighborhood of Belem. First we went on a VoiceMap tour of the monastery of Jerónimos, which is a very big and beautiful site of former monastery with the stunning intricate cloisters. Unfortunately, the main church of the monastery was closed for renovations so we basically just enjoyed the cloisters. We then went to a nearby VoiceMap tour about Age of Discoveries, where we learned about this very important period in Portugals history. If not for these explorers and navigators, who discovered the sea route to India and explored Asia and later South America, a small and relatively isolated country like Portugal would not become one of the strongest colonial empires. After the tour, we went to a 3 hour tango workshop with the Spanish teachers that we met last year. We finished our day with delicious dinner at the Clube de Journalistas - thanks to Ada who remembered the name of this cool and hip restaurant from our previous trip five years ago! We made it a small plates experience by just ordering all 5 of the appetizers on the menu! The food was just as delicious as I remembered! Late at night we went to a local milonga, but didn’t love it, as it was in a small space and the level of dancers was not particularly impressive.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Café Liberty again
    Salmon with hash brown and delicious sirniki with cherriesSome graves look like castle or housesGraveside that looks like a houseBeautiful cemeteryBeautiful monument to a playwrightDelicious dinner of grilled bass and 🦆

    Prazeres cemetery

    November 24, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Today we started our day with the delicious breakfast at the same Russian cafe. Then we decided to do a VoiceMap tour of a famous Lisbon cemetery - if not for the VoiceMap, we would never probably hear about it, but it was very comparable, if not better, than Recoleta in Buenos Aires or Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris. The tour was very interesting, telling fascinating stories about many of the cemetery residents. I find that famous cemeteries, despite being the place for the dead, really bring a place alive through the stories of lives long gone. We then went to the second day of tango workshop, and capped the night with the delicious dinner of sea bass and duck. We then went to another local milonga which was in a very cool space, but unfortunately it was quite empty.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Salmon Benedict and same sirniki again
    1Pistachio latte with homemade pistachio butterInitiation well is representing gates of hellMain Villa

    Sintra

    November 25, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Today we rented a car, left Lisbon (but not before having one last breakfast at the same russian cafe) and started making our way to Porto. Our first stop was a little detour to Sintra. I remembered it being very touristy and even though November would be a little less busy, it was very crowded again. To the point that it was next to impossible to park by the main palaces so we decided to skip the palaces of Pena and Sintra. Instead, we went to Regaleria, which is a massive villa and gardens built by a Portuguese magnate in a very extravagant and eclectic style. It reminded me of Gaudi and was done around the same time. After that, we drove a couple of hours to Coimbra where we spent the night.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Coimbra student dorm - RepublicStunning medieval libraryBeautiful chapel with stunning tile workChapen also had amazing organAnother RepublicaUniversity courtyardGraduation and examination hallYes, the Christmas tree is hanging from the ceiling at the Gravity hotel

    Coimbra

    November 26, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We started our day at the beautiful Coimbra which is the town on the way to Porto, where the oldest university in Portugal, and one of the oldest in the world, is located. We did a VoiceMap tour which took us around the city, and learned some great stories about the importance of Coimbra university in the scientific and liberal arts. The city still feels buzzing and alive with the students, as Coimbra is the most prestigious university in Portugal and probably on the Iberian peninsula. The most stunning site is the old university library, which is full of centuries old manuscripts and old wooden shelves and tables. There’s also a beautiful old chapel with the walls covered in gorgeous hand painted intricate tiles. Finally, a beautiful two-storied hall, where the private examinations of the students are still being held, as well as the degree award ceremonies. All these old classical traditions are balanced by the very rebellious and run down looks of the student dorm buildings, which are called Repúblicas. After extensively exploring Coimbra (we also did a VoiceMap tour of Jewish Coimbra, which was quite repetitive with the regular VoiceMap tour by the same author), we drove to Porto where we checked in to a very cool hotel from the Chic and Basic chain. This one was themed Gravity, which was reflected in many decoration elements being upside down and hanging from the ceiling.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Train station with beautiful tiles
    Beautiful tiled buildingMany churches have tiled exteriorBell towerBeautiful Duoro RiverHighly guilded woodworkSea bassSeared tuna on the tempura rice2Apple pie1Pumpkin lava cake!

    Porto

    November 27, 2024 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Today, we started with the guided walking tour (free tours for tips) but the guide was a bit annoying. We didn’t connect with his sense of humor and half way though decided to leave and take. VoiceMap tour instead. It was a very good tour and we enjoyed our walk around the city, marveling at the beautiful tile work at the main train station and intricate wood carving of the churches. We had delicious lunch at the Time Out Market, which is a collection of stands of the famous Michelin-starred chefs, but at a fraction of the price. We then walked towards the river and enjoyed beautiful sunset. We then went for dinner at a delicious fusion restaurant the Flow, which confirmed that Porto is indeed a gastronomy star. We had amazing sea bass and seared tuna, and finished with two incredible desserts.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Sideways pool in Gravity hotel
    1Beautiful lakeNice walking path along the lake

    Riva del Garda encuentro

    Nov 28–Dec 2, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    On Thursday morning we had delicious breakfast at our Gravity hotel, took more pictures of its fun decor and went to the airport. We flew to Bergamo (near Milan) and drove for two hours along the scenic lake Garda towards a small resort Riva del Garda, the location of our first encuentro of this trip. In the morning, we went to explore the beautiful lake. The scenery is very tranquil and quite. I can imagine that it’s probably very busy during the high season, but now it was crispy cold, and peaceful, with the most magical light. The next three days we spent mostly indoors, transported into another magical world through amazing tango music and some pretty incredible dancers. It was 7 milongas, 28 hours of dancing and 67 tandas (for me, with others) plus many beautiful tandas together. We agreed that it was one of our most favorite encuentros so far!Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Synagogue of ModenaBack of the main cathedral with huge bell towerCathedral of Modena

    Modena

    December 2, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    On Monday morning, still groggy tired from the encuentro and quite a bit “tangover”, we drove south to Modena, where we did a VoiceMap tour. Apparently, Modena is not only famous for the balsamic vinegar but it also has a very beautiful medieval old town with many impressive cathedrals and palaces. We walked around and enjoyed the tour. In the afternoon, I was so tired that didn’t even go out for dinner - grabbed some pizza instead, and caught up on sleep.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Living room of Pavarotti house
    Pavarotti kitchen - cooking was his passionSitting area - his house is full of colors, reflecting his sparkling personalityTop floor with large skylightMantua basilicaMassive Palace of DucalesRigoletto house in MantuaRomanesque churchBeautiful clock towerPalace of Te frescoes1Incredibly realistic and voluptuous frescoes1The whole rooms covered in whimsical scenesDelicious ravioli - on the right are pumpkin and on the left bitter greens

    Pavarotti house and Mantua

    December 3, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Before leaving Modena area, we drove 20 mins outside of town to visit Luciano Pavarotti house, which is now turned into a museum. It was such a poignant and intimate experience to learn about his incredible life and walk his rooms. Pavarotti was not only one the worlds best tenors, but he also was someone who truly democratized opera and made it accessible to the masses. He was such a prominent humanitarian figure and full of life. The audio guide did a great job bringing the house to life.

    We then drove an hour north to Mantua, where we did a VoiceMap tour, learning about this city that was quite a center in medieval times, fighting for dominance with Bologna and Venice. There were Ducales that were ruling Mantua for centuries and they built some incredible palaces. The main 16 century Palace of Ducales is enormous - 500 rooms, 35 courtyards. We left it for tomorrow. But in the afternoon I went to the Palace of Te - a summer villa built by one of the Ducales in 1525. The guy was quite a Don Juan and it is reflected in voluptuous frescoes covering the palace. Many are depicting the allegories of Greek myths about love affairs and beauty. The frescoes were so incredibly realistic, detailed and in incredible condition. Very comparable quality to Sistine chapel. After feasting my eyes and soul on amazing art, I went for dinner to indulge in traditional Mantua pumpkin ravioli. Very delicious!    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Ceiling frescoes in 3D. You can almost see the cherubs jumping down
    2At which point I immediately noticed a doodle in another fresco.Dogs were prominently present in many frescoes. Although Igor noticed that doodles were absentVery detailed scenesLabyrinth roomGorgeous hall after hallIncredible tapestriesThe details of tapestries make it hard to believe that it was woven, and 500 years agoLunch of fish with fried polenta and pumpkin crepesIn Lyublyana we had goulash with polenta for dinner

    Palazzo Ducale in Mantua

    December 4, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    In the morning, we went to the enormous Palazzo Ducale. The sheer size of endless rooms, hallways, lodgias and salons, coupled with the abundance and quality of decorations was quite overwhelming. The creativity and variety of the frescoes was stunning - my favorites were the labyrinth room with the Labyrinth frescoes on the ceiling, and the Hall of Mirrors. But the most impressive were several rooms decorated with show stopping tapestries. They are from the 16th century, depicting incredibly detailed scenes and still retaining their vibrant colors. One of the most impressive things we’ve ever seen. Who would have known that in a town that we’ve never ever heard about, would be such incredible treasures?? Before leaving Mantua, we went for lunch into a local tavern recommended by both our VoiceMap guide and lonely planet, and it didn’t disappoint! Delicious homemade food in a buzzing local establishment! We then drove 3 hours to Lyublyana to spend the night, before driving further towards Zagreb, to a remote location of our intensive tango learning weekend.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    We would get all this food for dinner, and have massive leftovers for next day lunch
    1Padua has a beautiful park with circular canal and many beautiful statues around itVery expressive sculptures in the churchSaint Anthony's teethSaint Anthony tomb in the centerThe cathedral is massiveClocktower

    Zagreb tango intensive and Padua

    Dec 6–9, 2024 in Croatia ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    We left Lyublyana early in the morning and drive 2 hours to a small town outside of Zagreb. There, on a farm like property live a famous tango couple, and it is a place for our 4-day 20-hours of instruction tango intensive. We shared a house with 6 other people (from Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland) and truly immersed in the intensive tango technique study. It was a great experience, deeply engaging, challenging and hopefully, helpful in taking our tango to the next level. It was so engaging and tiring that I forgot to take any pictures over these 4 days. The couple had a very cute 2.5 years old girl, a German shepherd (sadly partially paralyzed after being hit by a car, very sad) and 2 cats and a huge property backing into a forest. Unfortunately it was too cold for us to venture outside at all, and we even skipped going to Zagreb to one of the world’s best Christmas markets. The only outside adventures we had were eating at a couple of nearby restaurants, always the same chicken schnitzel and grilled vegetables.

    On Sunday night we drove to Lyublyana to stay overnight and break a long drive back to Italy. And on Monday we drove for 3 hours to Padua. We did a VoiceMap tour there. The most memorable marvel there was a very large and impressive cathedral. Inside the cathedral there were stunning marble sculptures depicting stories of the Saint Anthony, the patron saint of the church. There were also lots of various relics, such as teeth, or bone fragments of the saints. Very creepy! Padua had very nice palaces and a former jewish ghetto with narrow streets and old buildings. We stayed in Padua overnight, so that tomorrow we could see some interesting chapel and Padua university.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Last judgment in the capella
    Incredible details - notice the church being given to a saint1The hell was very expressive and creepyThe colors are so vibrant and the details incredible1I think this winged griffin was asking for pets, like Miko and LeoGreat teaching hall where Galileo used to lectureInside of the multilayered anatomy theaterFirst woman in the world who graduated from any university!One of the today's graduates with his family and friends.Grand hall with frescoes and Yoko Ono exhibitVicenza around sunsetPalace with the arts museum1Vicenza at night

    Padua Capella and University

    December 10, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    This morning we went to see important Padua sites that we didn’t have time to see yesterday. We started from Capella degli Scrovegni which is painted with incredible frescoes from 1300. It’s almost comparable with Sistine chapel, but considering that it was painted more than 200 years earlier, before the renaissance, it’s very mesmerizing. It’s located in a very non assuming brick building of a church.

    We then went to the guided tour of the Padua university, which is the second oldest university in Italy and one of the oldest in the world, founded in 1222. Its is still very vibrant today, and we witnessed most of families celebrating their graduates, as today was the grad day for the law and medical schools. There was a beautiful lecture hall where Galileo used to teach, and the oldest anatomy theatre. After the university, we stopped by the stunning huge old palazzo, which has incredible enormous frescoes inside. All the walls are covered in magnificent highly detailed scenes. There is also an art installation by Yoko Ono of many wooden coffins with trees growing inside them. She learned that this hall used to be an execution hall for some time and wanted to commemorate various victims of oppression.

    We left Padua and drove 45 min to Vicenza - the next under appreciated Italian town that we were going to explore. In the late afternoon I went to see an art museum in one of the palaces. It was very interesting to start really recognize names of some Italian artists.
    I then went for dinner to an interesting inventive gastronomy small place. I had delicious baked pumpkin with smoked tofu and hazelnuts.    Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Olympic theater
    Intricate setMarble mosaic in one of the churchesThe marble mosaics are incredibly colorful and detailedThe fall of rebel angelsLots of bookstores in ItalyOur room in Venice

    Vicenza

    December 11, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    Today we explored another lesser known northern Italian city, Vicenza. There was no VoiceMap tour, but between Google research and lonely planet, we had a good plan of exploration. Vicenza is most famous for its Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. He had a distinct style of grandiose palaces, and Vicenza streets are full of them. There is also the world oldest indoor permanent theater, modeled on the Roman and Greek amphitheaters. We were able to visit the theater, and we were the only visitors - the beauty of traveling offseason! The Olympic theater had very impressive sets on the stage, which utilized optical illusions to create a sense of distance and perspective. Very impressive for the 16 century! We then visited some beautiful church, which has a stunning altarpiece made of marble mosaics. Then we went inside one of the Palladio designed palaces which now turned into an art museum. There was a huge collection of Russian icons (a bit random, but it’s the largest collection outside of Russia) and stunning marble sculptures by an 18 century italian sculptor Fasolato the most impressive was the sculpture called The Fall of Rebel Angels which consisted of 60 intertwined human and animal sculptures. We then drove to Venice and checked in to a cool hotel near St Marco.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Palace of DodgesBridge of whispers connects Doges Palace with the prisonGreen monsters in abundance everywhereLion of St Mark's with the book everywhere

    Venice around St Marco

    December 12, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    We started our off season cold exploration of Venice with a VoiceMap tour around St Mark’s square. It was amazing to see it again, for the first time without huge hoards of tourists. There was a price to pay of course - it was really cold all the time, especially inside the palaces and churches. We walked around the square and nearby narrow streets, and then we had lunch in one of the trattorias. Then we still had time before Igor had to start working, and went to the St Mark’s basilica. The beauty of traveling off season displayed itself once again. We were able to just walk in to the basilica, as opposed to hours of standing in line for hours or buying tickets in advance. Even though we each have been to the basilica multiple times before, every time it’s awe inspiring. Almost every square inch is covered with detailed mosaics in brilliant colors. It’s hard to imagine the level of craftsmanship that went into this masterpiece. Later in the afternoon I ventured outside again to take sunset fotos and rushed right back in as it was super cold.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    Rialto bridgeOne of the many beautiful piazzasNarrow canalsBeautiful Venetian masks everywhereTitian paintingTitian mausoleum

    Rialto area of Venice

    December 13, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    This morning we decided to do a VoiceMap tour of Rialto area. We walked through the famous Rialto bridge, and along the always stunning Grand Canal. We then went to the Church of Friar which had a quick 30 min Rick Steve’s tour of the interior. It was very interesting and beautiful because it has masterpiece altar painting by the Titian and also Titian’s mausoleum. We then spent the afternoon resting in the warm hotel because it was again very cold outside.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    View to St Mark's from the boat
    Main reception in San ServoloOne of the gates in San ServoloOne of the hotel buildings - former asylum

    San Servolo encuentro

    Dec 14–16, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    Today we took a boat to the San Servolo island where the encuentro took place. The island has a very rich history - first starting from the 11 century it was a site for a secluded monastery, and then in 19 century it became an asylum for mentally ill patients. The asylum existed until 1970s. After it closed, it was an abandoned place with run down buildings for some years. Then about 10 years ago it was restored and renovated to host an international university campus in partnership with Duke university and Tel Aviv university and a hotel. For the weekend, this enchanted (and possibly haunted?) place became a home for 150 tango dancers. The grounds were very serene and beautiful and we visited an interesting asylum museum. We really enjoyed our weekend there - the encuentro was just ok, but the whole experience made it worth it.Read more

  • Ella BalagulaPortugal and Italy Winter 2024Traveler
    The view from the rooftop of our hotelThe terrace of our hotel - too bad it was freezing

    Castillo and Doge’s Palace

    December 16, 2024 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    Today we left San Servolo and spent our last day in Venice. We first did a VoiceMap tour leading from St Mark’s to the Castillo area, a tour concentrated on the theme of power, analyzing why a small swampy area like Venice became one of the major empires in the medieval times. It was very interesting. The day was quite foggy - apparently a famous crawling fog of Venice, which resulted in dreamy and magical views and fotos. We quickly got very cold and decided to go for an indoor tour of the Doge’s palace. The bad news was that it was even colder inside of the stone palace. But the good news was that it was stunning and very interesting with the palace audio guide. We last visited it 20 years ago and it was great to look at all the stunning rooms with new eyes. The palace was home to the Doges or Dukes who were the governing bodies of Venice over the centuries. Afterwards, we went to our warm hotel and spent the last afternoon of our trip inside.Read more

    Trip end
    December 17, 2024
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