Category: Europe
Fabulous new Lake Como hotel opens.
One of the great things about Lake Como
is that it’s changed so little since the 19th
century. The dreamy gardens and
romantic villas have a timeless quality that only adds to there appeal.
The fabled hotels and resorts on Lake Como have all been there for as
long as anyone could remember. Until now.
The first new hotel on
Lake Como in a century, Casta Diva Resort, is now open in Blevia, near
the town of Como. The 18th-century villa was once the home of opera
singer Giuditta Pasta,
and Bellini composed Norma and La Sonnambula for her while he was here.
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Tips for traveling on French trains.
Our recent experience with French trains was mixed. We traveled from Gare de Lyon in Paris to
Avignon in first class and everything was great. But the return trip
in 2nd class was really stressful.
Since we were visiting the
Riviera during the Cannes
Film Festival, we made reservations and purchased our tickets
about six weeks in
advance. By then, many of the least expensive advance-purchase fares
for the TGV were already sold out.
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Bastille antique and brocante market in Paris.
One of the largest antique markets in France opened this week near the
Place de la Bastille in Paris. The Salon d'Antiquites Brocante Place
de la Bastille takes place twice each year, in the spring and fall.
More than 350 dealers exhibit under a big tent and in booths on both
sides of the Arsenal basin.
This is the 57th Bastille antique
fair, and the theme for this one is basketry, so
you’ll find lots of antique wicker furniture, fishing creels, and straw
crafts, in addition to a vast assortment of paintings, jewelry,
decorative objects, furniture, and more.
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