Roberta Bianchi
Cultural & Design Specialist
Latest from Roberta Bianchi
20 Articles
Why One Day in Val d’Orcia Is Never Enough
Spending just one day in Val d’Orcia feels both like a privilege and a small frustration, considering how much there is to see and do in this beautiful corner o
Florence in Spring: Light, Stone, and the Return of Color
Spring in Florence feels immediate and unmistakable. It is, without question, the city’s most rewarding season—and the high amount of visitors confirms it. The
Star Wars Destinations in Italy: Villa del Balbianello, Beauty Suspended on Lake Como
When in 2002 George Lucas chose Villa del Balbianello, on Lake Como, as the setting for a scene in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, framing the rom
A Lot to Do Along Costa Rica’s Interamericana Highway 1
If you spend any real amount of time traveling through Costa Rica, chances are you’ll find yourself driving the Interamericana Highway 1 more often than expecte
The Hardware of a Renaissance City: What Protrudes from Florence’s Walls
In Florence, the most revealing details rarely rise above eye level. They sit at shoulder height, near your knees, or just beyond your reach—iron rings embedded
The Lame Rosse and Lake Fiastra: An Unexpected Wild Canyon Rising from Italy’s Greenest Heartland
The endless succession of wildly different landscapes is a constant in Italy, but when this contrast reaches its extremes, it still manages to surprise even tho
Facing the Perfect Mystery: Costa Rica’s Stone Spheres
If you travel through southern Costa Rica—especially in the Diquís Delta—you may come across one of the most intriguing and least known artifacts in the America
Beyond the Skyscrapers: the Unexpected Soul of Old Dubai, where the City Slows Down
There are many reasons to find yourself in Dubai. Maybe business brings you here, maybe it’s a convenient stopover on a longer journey, or maybe it’s a destinat
Drinks and Dinner at Opposite Ends, Hanoi Edition
Hanoi has a special talent for throwing you from one extreme into another without warning—and somehow making both feel perfectly normal. One minute you’re sitti
A Must-Know When Driving Around the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica: River Crossings
The southwest corner of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula rewards curiosity—but only if you’re willing to accept a bit of friction. Traveling from San Francisco de
A Temple Enshrined in the Mountain: Discovering the Valadier Temple
An unexpected flower set into the mountain: this is how I like to describe the Valadier Temple, a marvel for which the label hidden gem could not be more approp
Cinque Terre Today: How to Visit Italy’s Most Fragile Coastline
Located on the Ligurian coast in northern Italy, the Cinque Terre are a group of five small villages—Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riom
Hiking Cheddar Gorge: Limestone, Goats, and a Loop Above the Somerset Plain
Cheddar Gorge rises abruptly from the Somerset Levels, a deep limestone incision that feels almost implausible when you approach it by car. One moment you’re cr
Looking for Silence in Phuket (and Never Finding It)
If you’re dreaming of a solitary tropical paradise, forget it. Phuket is not that place. Not anymore. And probably not for a long time. Phuket is fully, unapolo
Sunset at the Temple of Dawn: Why I Loved Visiting Wat Arun the Other Way Around
Wat Arun in Bangkok, Thailand, known as the Temple of Dawn, it’s almost always described as a place to visit early in the morning. I did the opposite: I went at
A Mystic Canoe Ride Through Trà Sư Cajuput Forest, Vietnam: Silence, Water, and Lotus Flowers
If you’re looking for an experience in Vietnam that goes beyond temples, bustling cities, and mountain landscapes, there’s a place where nature truly takes cent
Climbing Mount Sinai at Night: One of the World’s Oldest Thresholds
There’s an experience that pairs surprisingly well with a week in Sharm El Sheikh spent between coral reefs, resorts, and a certain idea of effortless leisure:
Two Weeks in the Azores: Moving Through Geothermal São Miguel
Arriving in the middle of the Atlantic, on the small islands of the Azores, you expect exactly what you find: lush vegetation and powerful geothermal activity.
Phnom Penh in a Day: Exploring Cambodia’s Capital by Tuk Tuk
Phnom Penh doesn’t reveal itself all at once. It doesn’t overwhelm you, it doesn’t show off, it doesn’t try to impress with special effects. You have to enter i
Po Nagar Cham Towers: The Moment Vietnam Took a Sharp Left Turn
Some places in Vietnam win you over with beauty. Others do it by catching you completely off guard. Po Nagar Cham Towers belong firmly to the second category. I