A highlight of this summer was a semi-spontaneous 18 day trip around the Mediterranean with my mom. What a fantastic time we had, with stops in Italy, France, and Spain. And, despite recent news stories about how Barcelona hates tourists, we didn’t experience any squirt gun attacks while there. Our trip was bookended by a couple of days in Rome, one of my all-time favorite cities (and the first European destination I traveled to, also with mom, at age 18).
The entire trip was so memorable, but these are a few of the new-to-me places I loved.
First: Sardinia! We visited Alghero in the north of the island, and Cagliari in the south, and both cities are just stunning. Charming Alghero is known for its medieval cobbled streets, coral shops, and the massive 16th century wall that encircles the town and provides a perfect viewpoint for watching the sailboats bobbing in the Mediterranean. Sardinia’s capital, Cagliari, is a larger–but still walkable–city of domes, towers, and steep winding streets, crowned by a hilltop citadel. The view from the top was outstanding and we rewarded ourselves for the climb with a delicious pasta lunch and a glass of local vino. (Not so well-known is that Sardinians have been cultivating grapes for thousands of years, but they keep most of the wine for themselves.) Another Cagliari discovery was the incredible botanical gardens (also located at the top of a steep hill and also worth the climb–we got our steps in that day!) The region’s hot, dry climate yields flora of comically gargantuan size (see mom with tree).
Competing with Sardinia for most beautiful destination on our itinerary was Mallorca (or Majorca), the largest of the Balearic Islands, sandwiched between Ibiza and Menorca. The capital city, Palma, boasts perfect year-round weather, beautiful Art Nouveau architecture, great restaurants, and a thriving arts scene. We wandered around Mallorca’s impressive Gothic cathedral that marks the entrance to the city’s historic Old Town, and La Almudaina Palace next door, originally a 13th century fortress.
Lastly, have you been to Valencia? In addition to oranges and paella, Spain’s third largest city boasts some spectacular modern architecture, in particular the work of native son Santiago Calatrava. The architect is well-known for his soaring arched bridges and other structures that manage to look both organic and futuristic, delicate and solidly built. Mom and I spent at day at the Calatrava-designed City of Arts and Sciences, a complex of buildings housing a cultural center, art museum, planetarium and cinema, opera house, and the largest aquarium in Europe. Its planetarium centerpiece looks like a giant eye, half-submerged in a vast reflecting pool, like a sea creature emerging from the deep, while the science museum resembles a whale skeleton whose white concrete ribs frame views of the surrounding gardens. It’s a beautiful, inspiring place–definitely worth a visit!
