Marco Polo's Spirit

Why going to Milan? When it comes to spending 24 hours in Milan, Italy's financial capital, you'd better get ready to chew up miles and miles. As a matter of fact, people associate Milan with money and high-market shopping, but actually very few think that they can swoon over a full city package, including top-class museums, art galleries, breathtaking church interiors, scenic hidden corners, and get lost in the web of bars, pastry shops and restaurants for all tastes and budgets.  Whatever you choose, there are endless pleasures in Milan! My sister Francesca and I spent a weekend long of fun with a good mix of culture, art, aperitiv and shopping. 24 hours is hardly enough to stop in Milan for a visit; however, as a friend of mine puts it, leaving something to see for next time gives you a good excuse to return time and time again. Our 24-hour itinerary SATURDAY MORNING Milan Central Station or Chicago Union Station's famous "Th

Painter Giorgione's town Castelfranco Veneto is an unmissable Italian destination  Castelfranco Vento is a little town in the Veneto, a regione in northern Italy, where I go to quite often as it is easy to reach from Venice. Every time I come back to it to learn more about its awesome art treasures. The town is a charming little spot where 35,000 people live. It is set in the low-land between the towns of Treviso, Venice, Padua and Vicenza, all within easy reach from Castelfranco Veneto (roughly 35 kilometres).  I have come here for the weekend several times because it's the hometown of one of the most mysterious Italian Renaissance painters, Giorgione (actually his real names was Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco). He left to the city two of his most stunning art works on display in the Duomo and in his house (now a museum). For an art lover like me, his appeal is difficult to resist! We don't know much about his life and death, except that he died ve