ride a vintage scooter through the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, Austria's most beautiful panoramic road

riding a lambretta through the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse

since I had found out about Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse, a panoramic road in Austria which, on paper, seemed a wonderful way to spend one of our lambretta weekends away, I've been hoping to find a lovely autumn day to enjoy it to the fullest.

good weather was an indispensable requirement to confront the long road and the highest mountain of Austria. since we were planning our little trip for mid-October, of course we weren't completely sure we were actually going to leave until the day before: we checked the weather forecast everyday that week, but even when the nice symbol of the sun steady showed up on our screens, we've never dreamt we'd be so lucky! we have ridden through Austria's highest scenic road on the best autumn day you could imagine, with blue cloudless sky and a view made of stunning mountain peaks, snow and those amazing warm tones that you can find during October in the Alps.

I will never forget it, it has been one of the most beautiful ride of my life, so I've prepared this detailed post to share all the informations with you ♥

where to stay while roadtrippin' in Andalucia: our airbnb guide

charming cottage in Jerez de la Frontera

before our road trip in Andalucia {you can find the itinerary here} I've spent hours browsing Airbnb looking for dreamy cottages, cozy farms, cool yurts, enchanting cave houses (and even a  super cool airstream!)... now that the trip is over, and we had the chance to personally test some of those places, I don't want to waste this precious list of locations, that I think could be useful to someone who is planning a trip to southern Spain. especially if you, like me, are particularly picky when it comes to holiday accommodations,  as I'm usually looking for places I can remember {possibile in a good way!}, not impersonal or banal. 

if you are on my team, I hope you like this small selection: there are pictures and desctipion of 4 airbnbs where we stayed, and, at the end, the full airbnb Andalucia wishlist. 

Andalucia on the road: 13 days, 1000 km, 2 (vintage) wheels

if you dream about visit Andalucia someday, if you are planning a trip to Andalucia, if you are just curious about our road trip in Andalucia by lambretta, in this post I'm sharing our day by day itinerary on the road for a 2 weeks long trip, with some personal notes, tips and the usual illustrated map, of course.

Andalucia on the road, illustrated map

lambretta en Provence: honeymoonin' on the roads of Southern France

Provence road trip, watercolor map 

this post is intended for:

- anyone curious about details and organization of our trip to Provence, Southern France

- anyone going to visit Provence soon, by scooter or motorcycle or car

- anyone planning a road trip by vintage scooter

I really hope you find it inspiring, pretty and useful. and yes, I woud love to read your feedbacks.

June, glimpses of Bordeaux

in june I had the chance to see Bordeaux and the surroundings during a business trip.
here I'm sharing with you some of the (very few) moments I had to play the tourist.
{all pics are taken with my phone and processed with vscocam}

Flanders on the road | Gent & Oudenaarde

maybe the lovelies view on the river, taken from Grasburg

do not be fooled by similar geometry and architecture, Brugge and Gent have different souls. 

the first is a medieval gem, romantic and cozy, Gent is definitely more lively, fresher and vibrant. 

Flanders on the road | 3 things we won't forget about Brugge

Brugge has a timeless charme. every corner screams romance.
there are horse carriages, chocolate, tiny alleys, fairytales-like houses, bridges, canals, pretty doors, flowers, cobblestones, and so on.
besides the sentimentalism though, there are 3 things we won't forget about our visit to the town.

Brugge Begijnhof and the tree huts of Kawamata Tadashi

Lyon #3 city cycling

our last day in Lyon was devoted to explore the Rive Gauche, beyond the left bank of the Rhone. since we already knew how to orient ourselves in the city, we rent a bike to wander around. from the day our arrive we were aware that Lyon is a real bike friendly town, with handy bicycle paths and a developed bike culture that makes cycling there safer than in other part of the world (e.g. Italy). 

Lyon #2 the gourmand side

a detail of  la Fresque des Lyonnais, a trompe l'œil painted wall depicting 31 famous people from Lyon, as the Lumiere brothers and Antoine de Saint Exupéry 

let's go: Bosnia roadtrip. July, Friday 25th

we're leaving! summer holidays are here.

we're about to spend a few days on a roadtrip by lambretta in Bosnia we've been planning for weeks: this afternoon we're going to sail from Rjeka to Split, and then we'll make a big balkans loop through Split, Neum, Blagaj, Mostar, Sarajevo, Travink, Jajce and back to Split and the ferry boat to Rjeka.

i'm excited but departures make me nervous.
wish me luck and good weather ♥

{p.s. for on the road updates follow marco's instagram or i diari della lambretta facebook page}

Transilvania roadtrip. January, 18-20th

after a day in Bucharest, our romanian journey continued with a roadtrip to Transilvania, kindly organized by Anna {green holiday italy} and Dario, who hosted us in Romania.
like everyone i suppose, i had some images of Transilvania on my mind: the land of vampires, with castles, mysterious aura, spooky landcapes.. well, i cannot say it is actually like that, but, as in every legend, there is a grain of truth.

București. January, Friday 17th

Stavropoleos monastery | mănăstirea Stavropoleos

Bucharest could be a beautiful city. my friend Anna {the pen behind green holiday italy} warned up with these words, when M. and i arrived in the capital of Romania {flew there with Wizz Air, about 2 hours from Treviso}, where she and her mate hosted us for a lovely weekend. it could be indeed. such a culture's crossroad, with one foot in europe and the other still in the former soviet union, with a latin language, russian words, balkan food and middle eastern influences. but not yet.

there are charming corners, as the Stavropoleos monastery. all that remains from it is a little church, which looks lovely from the outside {first picture} but is way better inside: velvety atmosphere, hand paintings lit by candles, dark and gold. it was the first thing we stopped to see while sightseeing in the historic centre.

Lipscani district

Lipscani is the heart of the city centre. it used to be the most important commercial area of the city. many streets still bear the name of their trade, as can be seen in many european cities. looking at the old buildings {a nice mix of art nouveau, neoclassical, near to medieval memories}, it seems clear why, in the interwar europe, Bucharest was nicknamed little Paris. nowadays Lipscani is recovering from a long period of degradation and neglect. most of these buildings need to be restored, but the whole recovery of the district seems to be going towards the creation of a modern noisy area of bars, strip clubs and cheap shops, without any vibes, any traditions. i think it deserves better.

neoclassical building detail

women near Biserica Curtea Veche

the best moment of our day in Bucharest was a visit to the old princely court church {Biserica Curtea Veche}, the oldest of the city. it started like a normal visit of a tourist site, but we soon realized that there were a few tourists, and most of the people was in the queque, waiting for praying in front of holy icons. with fervor and emotion, they lit up dozens of votive candles, kissed the icons, then went away, in silence. the most authentic moment of the day. 

we had just one day to visit Bucharest, and i'm sorry we didn't have the time to see two museums which seem quite interesting: the museum of the romanian peasant {muzeul tăranului român} and the national village museum {muzeul naţional al satului}, but our weekend continued with a roadtrip to Transilvania, which i can't wait to share with you!

p.s. good news! i diari della lambretta has been shortlisted for the Italy Magazine blogger awards, category best travel ♥ so, if you like it here, that's the link to vote!