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Iceland tours continue and for our second day in this country, we did the Gold Circle Tour; the weather wasn't nice because it rained all day, but we enjoyed it anyway because what we saw was WOW, no word to describe the incredible nature and the fantastic places. We decided to arrange a private tour because we also wanted to learn some interesting things about all the stops and I think that the better way is to travel with a local person.
Golden Circle Iceland itinerary1. Kerid crater
The Kerid crater, initially, about 3000 years ago was a volcano but after an eruption emptied its reserve of magma, the cone collapsed and now inside, we can visit a fabulous lake encircled with red volcanic rocks. I found this place very interesting because you can see how nature has changed over the years. You can walk around the volcano and even go down where now there is water. You won't spend a lot of time in here, just the time to walk around the crater and of course, take a lot of pictures.
2. Geysir
Of course, the next stop was the Geysir; we went to the Strokkur geyser. This geyser is the most famous for the tourist because it is one of the few that spouts around every 5-10 minutes, there are other geysers around the island, but they can take from 30 minutes to 1 hour to sprout out. These kinds of geysers are rare around the world, and for this, they are spectacular, something that shows you the power of nature, think that the eruption can be high from 20metres to 40metres. Iceland is the place for the geyser, mainly because first, North America and Eurasian tectonic meet here and second because the water of the geysers need to be boiled and to have this the magma has to be close to the surface of the earth.
3. Gullfoss Waterfalls
Gullfoss Waterfalls are another amazing thing to visit. They are one of the top attractions around Iceland, and I definitely can imagine why. The waterfalls are beautiful and a huge natural spectacular that shows in every aspect the immense and surprising force of mother nature. We can find them in the Hvítá river canyon in southwest Iceland very close to Reykjavik just around 1.5hour by car, and after a few stairs and paths, you will have in front the best panorama of unique and beautiful waterfalls. The Icelandic people own the waterfalls after that, in the 20th century some industrialists tried to buy the Gullfoss to build hydroelectric power.
4. Thingvellir National Park
Our last stop for this day has been at the Thingvellir National Park. Unfortunately, it was freezing and raining very bad, and we just took a quick look at it but even with this weather the place was amazing. This park is famous in particular because here the Eurasian and American tectonic plates meet, this is also the reason why Iceland has so many Volcanoes. The park has been part of the UNESCO heritage since 2004, and even if I didn't spend a lot of time, this is a must to visit. Better with a sunny day.
5. Friðheimar Greenhouse
During the journey, an exciting stop has been the visit to the Friðheimar Greenhouse. I never thought that Iceland could have so many tasty vegetables but when you realize that all this is thanks to geothermal electricity all makes perfect sense. There were a lot of greenhouses during my excursion, some of them growing vegetables and other flowers and plants; I stopped and visited a greenhouse specializing in tomatoes. The hothouse that was also a restaurant was lovely and interesting. I tasted the tomatoes, and they were delicious, juicy and flavorful. With a staff member, we did a small tour between the plants and they explained to us how the tomatoes became such an essential thing in Iceland and of course, she was very proud to let us know how they cultivate this great juicy veggie.
After this tour, I was so excited, happy and surprised by the beauty of nature and the gorgeousness of this land, it was incredible being able to visit and enjoy these unexpected places and the holiday wasn't still over. The following day we did a tour in the south of the country and also this did not disappoint. If you read more about the other Iceland’s tour follow the link.
Have you added Iceland to your bucket list?
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"Venezia è bella e Padova sua sorella" 
Let's discover the Veneto region with another beautiful city, Padua. Padua is really beautiful with these pedestrian streets that take you to these huge squares framed by buildings just as majestic. I spent some time here since, before I moved to Dublin, I went to university in this very city. Padua is a young city thanks to the many universities; for this reason during the school period, say from September to late June, the city is very lively and energetic while in August the city is empty to all students and seems almost deserted (in reality is only less chaotic).
I don’t know if you know but Padua is also famous for these two reasons:
7 Things to do in Padova Italy1. Cappella Degli Scrovegni
One of the top attractions of Padova is the Cappella Degli Scrovegni. The Cappella was built around 1303 by the Scrovegni family, seems that was built by the son Enrico Scrovegni to repair the sin of father's wear, indeed also Dante put Rinaldo Scrovegni into the hell circle in his famous La Divina Commedia.
The chapel is well known for the amazing frescoes of Giotto, he worked to create this for 625 days and the result that we can admire today is surprising. In 1881 the municipality of Padova bought the chapel and after a lot of years of study in 2001 started the restoration of the Giotto fresco and some other parts of the Chapel. Curiosity? The Chapel was built with a particular light game, for example, in the Christmas period a light arrives from outside to enlighten the paint of the Nativity or at the 8th December for the Immacolata, the light crosses the room to enlighten the Madonna to which the chapel is dedicated to. 2. Caffe Pedrocchi
Moving on from Cappella Degli Scrovegni onto the principal pedestrian street of the city we can find Caffe Pedrocchi. Caffe Pedrocchi was Inaugurated in 1831 and wanted from Antonio Pedrocchi, it was and still is the symbol of the rich Padova. Mr Pedrocchi wanted this cafe to be something new, in the city centre and close to the university, soon it became a place for intellectual and literal people and an important place to organize the parties, work meetings, dancings and a reference point for all the Padovani.
3. Piazza Delle Erbe and Della Frutta
We continue on the same road that in the meantime became even narrower until we appear in the big squares and reach Piazza Delle Erbe and Della Frutta. These two are the most popular squares in Padua, they are close to each other and are separated only by the Palace of the Region and by beautiful arcades with shops and boutiques. The squares have always been famous for trade, indeed in history, this was the place where the merchant came to sell his products and goods, even today the squares are famous for the same reasons, in fact in this square you can find the largest market of clothing, vegetables, fruit... in Italy. In the middle of the squares, there is the Palace of the Region while all around the municipal office and the Ancient Tower. The squares are really beautiful just for a walk especially during the market as they are filled with people and everyday chaos. Highly recommended is a bar under the porches for their incredible Tramezzini.
Curiosity? When you pass by the square Fruit under the porch you can see two arches with the missing column between them, Legend says that the people of Vicenza steal the column. In fact, it seems that it was removed to allow circulation with goods more easily. 
4. Palazzo Della Regione
Located in the center of Piazza Delle Erbe and Della Frutta we find the Palazzo Della Regione. The palace was built around 1218 and with its masterful size, became a symbol of Padua. Today it is the office of the Region and a place to visit; inside huge rooms with paintings and frescoes that will enchant you. Originally the decorations were made by Giotto, but a fire destroyed most of them in 1420 so the palace was re-restored and decorated with an astrological theme that we can find in every room today.
5. Piazza dei Signori
Not too far from the other squares, there is Piazza dei Signori. Piazza dei Signori is the most famous square in Padua, it was built around the fourteenth century after demolishing an old district. In the past, this was the square used to celebrate the greatness and wealth of Padua with tournaments and city representations. The square consists of a huge open space usually full of tables bars, restaurants and people who drink spritz; in one of the buildings present in the square, there is the clock tower with all the signs of the zodiac, In the past, it was the entrance door of the Reggia di Carraresi and in 1428 it also became a clock.
6. Prato Della Valle
We return to the pedestrian street and go to the end of it passing through restaurants, bars, taverns and shops until we reach Prato Della Valle. Prato Della Valle is the most famous and well-known monument in Padua and is also the second-largest square in Europe. Today the area around and the Prato Della Valle itself is a very nice place to spend some time in peace but it was not as nice as now in the past; it was called "Valley", and is still used because of the conformation of the soil that was very marshy until it takes on the look of a "Valley". Today it is used for events, especially in summer as concerts or even just as a meeting place; in the past, the square was used for many things that depended on the historical period, it was used as a theatre by the Romans later for fighting, medieval rides and as an animal market. Take a walk around the square and look at all 77 statues of Popes, Doges and illustrated characters, and of course, stop at a bar for a spritz view of Prato Della Valle, it is a must.
7. Basilica di Sant' Antonio
Last but not least is the famous Basilica of San Antonio. The Basilica of San Antonio is a world-famous symbol for the citizens of Padua and in particular for the pilgrims. The Roman Catholic church was built around 1232 after the death of Saint Anthony, it is a huge church full of pieces of architecture and history. Sant’ Antonio was not born in Padua but spent a lot of time in the city; in fact, here we can also find the tomb of the Santo. Being a saint known everywhere this is an ideal place for pilgrims who decide to pray on his tomb.
What do you think about Padova? Have you ever been to this city?
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What’s your favourite kind of vacation?
Personally, I love road travel because the car gives you the opportunity to stop or change itinerary when you want without respecting schedules; it’s just you, what you want to do and your car.
There are many destinations for a perfect road trip with breathtaking landscapes and things to discover, but then I thought why not discover Italy by car. And so I started my little road trip to Italy.
I spent a week organizing. First of all, I made a list of the things I absolutely wanted to see, then I checked the roads and where it would be more comfortable to stay in the end I made a program that would allow me to have precise directions on the itinerary. Although I would not follow the planning in every single detail, it was helpful because it allowed me to have a general idea of the area and not to waste unnecessary time.
In details:
I chose the car for two main reasons; the first was for the freedom to go wherever I liked and have the opportunity to stop if I saw something that deserves a photo or a visit and the second was because I think it is the best way to travel in Tuscany because it has a lot of hills and cities not connected very well by public transport.
If you need help on How to organize a trip check out my post about road trip planner with google maps.
Read more. Best places to visit in Tuscany by car
Tuscany Cities1. Florence
As I was explaining earlier I only spent a few hours in Florence since this was not the first time for me in this city, but every opportunity is wonderful for me to take new photos, especially now that I think I’m a bit improved, and also I never mind coming back to see wonderful cities.
2. Siena
I have always heard of Siena for the famous Palio di Siena but more than Piazza del Campo I had never seen anything else and I was really surprised by this beautiful city. On top of a hill surrounded by walls and gates, the only way to enter the city is the beautiful medieval city of Siena. I have to say that the first day the entry into the city was a nightmare; my hotel was in the centre near the Duomo and most of the streets inside the walls are traffic-limited; although the hotel had given me a special pass to enter I could enter by one specific door and if you are strangers to this seems complicated the first time. Anyway, after this little setback, everything was amazing, hotel, people, places and, of course, food.
From Siena, I did some day trips always in Tuscany. Siena is the perfect place where to start these trips because they are all less than one hour drive.
Tuscany Countryside1. Volterra
You probably know Volterra for the Twilight film because the film New Moon was set with Volturi in Volterra. From Siena, after 1 hour by car, I reached the city of Volterra on a splendid Tuscan hill. Surrounded by walls the city is a medieval town to be discovered; Its history began around the 8th century and you can see the remains of the Etruscans, the Romans and then the Middle Ages. Volterra is also famous for alabaster; in fact, you can find beautiful pieces made with it, I know because my parents bought a beautiful chess board made with alabaster and I’ve always seen it at home since I was born.
2. San Gimignano
The second day of travel was in San Gimignano. It took me only 43 minutes to get from Siena and I spent half a day in the city. Also, San Gimignano is located on a hill and also this is a medieval town; the city is really well preserved and is famous for the twelve towers in perfect condition.
3. Certaldo
Another city to visit in Tuscany is Certaldo. 41 minutes from Siena this city is famous because Giovanni Boccaccio was born here. Certaldo is divided into 2 Certaldo Alta and the Certaldo Bassa. The most authentic part is Certaldo Alta and you can reach it on foot, by car or by cable car.
4. San Chiusdino
The best day trip in my opinion was to San Chiusdino. San Chiusdino was unexpected. I was planning to visit the Abbey of San Galgano but with the price of the ticket, there was also a ticket to visit the museum of San Chiusdino. So, I did a quick search and found that it was a beautiful country and that it deserved to be visited; also as the cherry on top I also had the most delicious lunch of all holidays.
5. Monteriggioni
The last day trip to the beautiful region of Tuscany was to Monteriggioni. Wow, I can’t describe the beauty of this place because it’s too much. Above a hill surrounded by walls and towers, small but incredible this city is the ideal place for an afternoon trip. I highly recommend (like all the other places I visited) Monteriggioni because it is a little gem in the Tuscany countryside.
After these beautiful days in Tuscany, it was time to move to another region to find out more about the beauty of Italy. I decided to discover Liguria a small and incredible region bathed by the sea with beautiful locations right in front of the Ligurian Sea. From Siena, in about 2 hours by car, I arrived in La Spezia which I used as a starting point for all the other places.
La Liguria
In Liguria I decided to visit the Cinque Terre and Portovenere and for convenience, I decided to book a hotel in La Spezia. From La Spezia, you can reach the Cinque Terre by train and these are the stops I made.
How do you get to Cinque Terre?
From La Spezia are very easy to reach; you can go by car (more difficult) or my advice by train. There is a railway line that very often crosses all the Cinque Terre and is the best option to visit these places.
What are the 5 villages of the Cinque Terre?
Cinque Terre meaning Five lands; in particular we are talking about Vernazza, Riomaggiore, Manarola, Monterosso Mare and Corniglia. To my tour, I also added Porto Venere not so far from the other towns. All these six with two other islands have become part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1997.
Portovenere
The vacation was over after seven days but before going back to Venice I decided on the last stop to Parma. Parma is in the Emilia Romagna region and it is really well known for the prosciutto di Parma.
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Do you like road trips? Where were you last?
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How to spend an October in Iceland
Everyone has to go at least one time in beautiful Iceland. I went to Iceland in October for just five days, and I had a fantastic time between breathtaking landscapes and nature's power. I booked my flight tickets to Reykjavik because, from Dublin, they were very cheap but I didn't expect to fall in love with this land and to spend one of the best holidays I ever had. Still, It happened, and I can't be happier. This vacation is also to remember because it was the first holiday that I did just with my dad and It went amazing.
What is the best month to visit Iceland?
It depends on which kind of activity you want to do. I decided on October because between October and March is the best period to see the North of Light but if you are looking for not cold days and more light during your day you should definitely go in summer between July and August.
What to see in Reykjavik?
We arrived in Reykjavik Friday morning, and we spent the first day visiting the capital; the city is friendly as a small bonbonniere, our apartment was in one of the principal streets, so everything was straightforward to reach. Our first stop was Hallgrimskirkja Church, it is the biggest Lutheran church in Iceland, and it is mainly known for its form; indeed, it seems that a waterfall in the south of Iceland inspires it. The church is open to the public, and it also has a tower where you can have a 360 view of Reykjavik but attention! And don't make our same mistake; we couldn't reach the top of the building because there was a music concert and they closed the church before the closing time.
After visiting the church, I decided to walk among the principal street between souvenir shops and typical clothe’ s shops. The centre is nice with small only pedestrian streets and colourful sheet metal houses that give to the setting a particular warm sensation even if the sky is usually grey and dark. If you walk a little bit closer to the port, you will also find a magnificent panorama with the Harp Concert Hall and the ocean. It is mostly during the sunset that the view became stunning with a lot of colours from different parts, the sky, the sea and the same Harp Concert Hall.
The following days we decided to do some excursions outside the capital. All of the tours have been magnificent, and all our expectations have been exceeded in full; all this landscape that probably you will find only here and the power of nature make this trip superb and beautiful.
Things to do in IcelandUnique Things to do in Iceland
For the first full day, we decided, also thanks to the sun, to have some relaxation and which better place than a natural hot pool? We choose to avoid the Blue Lagoon because it is very touristic, artificial and also costly. We rented a car, and we went to Reyjadalur; we were pleased about this decision because our day has been unique and relaxing; it is just a 1h drive from Reykjavik and around a 1-hour walk to reach the river with the hot pool. The walk is lovely and relatively easy, it is a little uphill but not too difficult and everyone can do it. After almost one hour we arrived on a river of hot water. I immediately pull off my clothes and jumped into it. We spent a fabulous relaxing day basking in this warm water with beautiful nature around, and the best part was knowing that outside the water the temperatures were low, but you could not feel the cold. I think that this doesn't need a description because the pictures speak for themselves. I have to say that the relaxation that you have in your body after some time here is something unique even if my legs turned into jelly and walking back to the car became so complicated.
The second day I booked a private tour to the Golden Circle. Do you know what the Golden Circle is? If you want to discover more about it sign up and I will send you all the information.
Iceland Road Trip
The next day we did another tour with a stunning and utterly different panorama from what we already saw. I decided that I wanted to visit the South of Iceland so I booked a tour with a big company and for this, at the beginning I was a little bit afraid, but in the end, the visit has been memorable, and the tour guy was so happy to show us around and also so funny (he also sang some Iceland songs).
The south of Iceland is entirely different from the rest of the island. You start driving on the road surrounded by mountains, green musk and greenery and at some point the landscape changes completely and becomes more like a desert with dark terrain/sand, no trees, lots of farms and very few houses that are usually close to the small village. It was incredible to see such a drastic change in a small country that is Iceland; luck wanted me to find an incredibly sunny day that would make this island even more magical.
Skógafoss. They are formed from in the Skoga river which runs through the Skogargil canyon until descending from the Kambfjoll mountain. In this canyon, there are up to twenty waterfalls of various sizes, and different ranges and all together are a natural heritage since 1987. Skogafoss waterfalls are 15 meters wide and 62 meters high and thanks to their height when they descend they create a wonderful rainbow. You can see the waterfalls from the bottom or with a walk, a bit uphill, and you can visit them from the top. I’ve never seen such a wonderful spectacle as this waterfall.
Iceland has twenty-six glaciers and the fourth bigger, Sólheimajökull, is only two hours away from Reykjavik, so it is a must on your trip. This glacier is the easiest to reach because it doesn't have high mountains around it, but some grand volcanos surround it, probably you all know about the eruption in 2010 that stopped most of the airports in all of Europe, well that Vulcan is here. The glacier is 11km-long, but of course, it can suffer variation with climate change, and if the climate continues to warm up, there is the possibility that the glacier will disappear in around 100-200 years. We parked close to the glacier, indeed after a 10 minutes' walk we arrived at the most incredible view, I was astonished by the gorgeous panorama of a white expanse of ice and nothing else around.
After a few stops for photos and following a lunch in the small village of Vik we moved to the famous and beautiful Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach. It was a bit crowded but not too full to not enjoy the view. The beach is famous for three main things: the black sand due to the volcano eruption, the mountain Reynisfjall and Hálsanefshellir cave formed by the erosion of the sea and today typical Icelandic birdhouses and the roar, of course, of the Atlantic waves.
The last stop of this other wonderful trip has been the waterfall of Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall is particular because it can be fully encircled.
Northern Lights Iceland
All Iceland has been beautiful and surprising, but the best thing that I saw was the unforgettable spectacle of the North Light. I decided, even here, to book a private tour because I wanted to be sure to have the perfect spot to see them and also because I love to discover the story and legends behind them. I originally booked the tour for the first night that I spent in Iceland. We went to a perfect location with no light, no houses and no people; the place was excellent, but unfortunately, it was too cloudy, and the lights were a little bright, and we didn't have the chance to see the Aurora properly. After speaking with an expert tour guy I re-booked the tour for Tuesday, we went to another place and finally at eleven o'clock the most beautiful show appeared; and what a fantastic experience, which I will remember forever! Do you also know why I'm going to remember it? The jeep got stuck in the mud, and we had to push the car to get home.
Curiosity
Have you ever been to Iceland? Which month do you think is the best?
I hope you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it on Social Media and leave a comment below!
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If you would like to book travel insurance for your trip to Iceland, I recommend checking out Travel Insurance Master!
Looking for activities and tours in Iceland? I suggest you check out Get Your Guide. To find out more follow the link below and be inspired :)
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