The snow hotel

With almost 40° degrees outside, we decided to take a break and visit one of the most "cool" hotel in the world.
Welcome to the Lumilinna Snow Castle of Kemi by the Gulf of Bothnia in Finland.It's for sure a different experience given that every year the hotel is build brand new! Indeed in spring the hotel melts down so next winter the owner waits until the temperature is at least -7° and, using sea water and snow pipes, he makes the snow, (because the natural one is too soft) and he creates a new one. The colder the weather is, the better the snow will be.New SnowCastle will be opened on January 26th 2013 and if you want to stay there it's better you book your stay as soon as possible given that the hotel can be used just for few weeks before the hot temperatures destoy it all over again. In the SnowHotel 18 rooms for doubles / singles and two group-rooms with five beds as well as a Honeymoon Suite.
Great light-effects will add a romantic touch to the charm of the snow as well as sculptures an decorations made of snow and ice. The hotel has a Snow restaurant with an IceBar where you can enjoy both hot and cold drinks and a snow chapel too where it's possible arrange wedding, christening or other church-related events. So you can eat and pray in an extraordinary and unique place. During the SnowCastle-season there are weekly events and during the week-ends there will be pre-arranged concerts and magic performances.
So take your best coat and the sledge and book an unforgettable vacation!

Technorati Tag: Finland,snowcastel,Lumilinna,Bothnia,funny hotel,ice,snow,chapel

Verona: a tour of the city. Unusual places

In the last post we mentioned the landmarks which you can not miss during your visit. This time we'll talk about some places a little more unusual and less traveled, though as beautiful as the others.

Out first destination are the so-called "Arche Scaligere", funerary monuments of the greatest rulers of the family that ruled over Verona. They are located next to the church of Santa Maria Antica, near the Piazza dei Signori. The most important (and first in time) to be buried in one of those graves was Cangrande (1291-1329), just the one to whom Dante dedicated the Paradise for the kindness which he received from him during his exile from Florence. Other successors are today in these monumental decorated sarcophagi, impossible to miss them!

Another place to remember is Castelvecchio. Built between 1354 and 1357 by Cangrande II della Scala to protect his court in a tumultuous period of war, over the centuries the castle has undergone several shifts of use, first as an arsenal and barracks, then as a prison, until in 1923 it became the museum that we know today. In our day it's in fact the Civic Museum of the city of Verona, an art gallery and library.

Connected to Castelvecchio by the amazing Ponte Scaligero, there's the Austrian arsenal, built between 1840 and 1861, different from the Habsburg era buildings it resembles a Romanesque Revival medieval castle. It's built on an area of 62,000 square meters, and consists of separate structures for warehouses, stores and workshops, all immersed in lush green vegetation.

Only ten minutes from the Arena, there is a magic place that takes the visitor back to the calm and tranquility forgotten in today's life: Giardino Giusti. The first part goes back to the 15th century and, over the centuries, has been expanded and enriched with fountains, acoustic grottos, a maze of hedges among the most ancient in Europe and an avenue decorated by cypresses, at the end of which a ladder leads you to one of the most breathtaking view of the city.

These are just some of the magical places that are enclosed in this beautiful city. Many others are just waiting to be discovered.

Technorati Tag: Verona,Arche Scaligere,Arsenal,Giusti Garden,Tourism,Dante,Maze,Unusual,Relax

The colors of Veronese Plain