Roberta Bianchi
Cultural & Design Specialist
Latest from Roberta Bianchi
20 Articles
A Night and a Day in Huế: Inside the Citadel, Around the Walls
Huế is positioned exactly where it is to impress—and it worked on me immediately. I arrived at the edge of the city at night, when the gates of the Citadel appe
How I Learned to Feel Like a Bristolian, One Mood at a Time | Part 1
I stayed in Bristol for almost a month, in the middle of summer. Long enough to stop behaving like a visitor, but not so long that the city became background no
Pickup Trucks, a Guide and Luck: A Day (and a Night) in Khao Yai National Park
Visiting a national park anywhere in the world comes with an unwritten rule: animals don’t owe you anything. You can prepare, hope, wait—and then hope again tha
Tam Thai Pagoda: A Quiet Ascent into Da Nang’s Marble Mountains
Rising from the flat coastal plain just south of Da Nang, the Marble Mountains look almost unreal at first sight—five limestone and marble hills emerging abrupt
Lavenham, Suffolk’s Best: The Medieval Wool Town Where It’s Great to Get Lost
Lavenham is a tiny village in eastern England—Suffolk, to be precise—where houses lean slightly forward, timber beams trace irregular lines, and every street se
Walking the Wind: Trekking the Red and Yellow Dunes of Mui Ne, Vietnam
Between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Vietnam stretches like a slender spine, traced by its main road and railway line running parallel to the coast, forming a ge
Italy’s Man-Made Wonder: Inside the Power of the Marmore Falls
Italy is not usually the first country that comes to mind waterfalls-wise, yet the country hosts impressive falls. The Cascata delle Marmore, one of Italy’s tru
How I Learned to Feel Like a Bristolian, One Mood at a Time | Part 2
In the first part of my stay in Bristol, I approached the city as a sequence of moods—stepping into its industrial ambition, its quiet landscapes, and its refin
Villa Adriana: Walking Through an Emperor’s Mind in Tivoli
Tivoli, at the gates of Rome, holds two true masterpieces, so the real question is never whether to visit, but where to begin. People can either associate Tivol
One Day in the Cotswolds: Choosing the Right Villages
Having limited time in the Cotswolds forces a very specific kind of decision-making. On paper, many villages sound interchangeable: warm-toned stone houses, pos
How to See the Phi Phi Islands Without (Completely) Losing Your Mind
The Phi Phi Islands are one of those places that live permanently in our collective imagination. Turquoise water, limestone cliffs, beaches so perfect they look
Star Wars Destinations in Europe: Skellig Michael, Ireland
Skellig Michael is, quite literally, a rock in the middle of the Atlantic. Nothing but ocean around, seabirds cutting through the wind, and the very real sensat
Two Weeks in the Azores: the Atlantic Rhythm of São Jorge and Terceira
I moved on for the final stretch of my two-week journey through the Azores, first to São Jorge and then to Terceira. As anticipated, it felt like stepping into
Iona Island: Crystal Waters, Stone Abbeys, and the Quiet End of Europe
I’ll admit it: I’m irresistibly drawn to solitary natural places of striking beauty, so I may be a little biased when I say that Iona, a tiny island in the Inne
Carsulae: The Roman City Nobody Knows About (and That’s Exactly the Point)
There are Roman ruins that come with ticket queues, audio guides, and a steady hum of background noise. And then there’s Carsulae—a place so quietly spectacular
Two Weeks in the Azores: Volcan-Lovers’ Dreams Faial and Pico
After several days immersed in the geothermal intensity of São Miguel, I headed west on my Azores journey. Faial and Pico, separated by just five miles of ocean
Skiing Beneath Piz Palù at Bernina Ski Resort, Italy
“I’m from the Piz Palü region,” the British officer explains, trying to justify his peculiar German accent in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. The char
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
What to Expect When Visiting Highclere Castle, Downton Abbey’s Iconic Set
I visited Highclere Castle on a gray, overcast English day—the kind of sky that photographers complain about. Low clouds softened the outline of the house, the
Inside Thailand’s Most Beautiful House: Art, Silk, and Cultural Dialogue at Jim Thompson House
In Bangkok, Thailand’s vibrant capital, there’s certainly no shortage of attractions — from food-driven experiences to cultural landmarks — yet there is one des