There is no shortage of wonderful towns throughout all of Spain, from the large cities of Madrid and Barcelona to the many seaside resorts that dot the long coast of the country, including countless picturesque villages in the hills and mountains. Among these, the most unique is a town called Ronda, located in southern Spain…
Author: Stefano Cammisa
When China ruled the oceans: the Ming treasure voyages
Between the fifteenth and eighteenth century, European explorers and colonizers sailed the oceans, expanding from their continent to the entire world during the so-called Age of Discovery. However, decades before the Spanish ships crossed the Atlantic Ocean to reach the Americas, the Chinese Empire, ruled by the Ming dynasty, saw its own age of exploration…
News – Northwest Italy added to the Atlas
The Cosmundus Atlas is expanding with the addition of Northwest Italy, which includes the Italian regions of Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Liguria, and Lombardy. Here you can visit large cities such as Milan, Turin, and Genoa, or reach Alpine ski resorts like Courmayeur and Bormio. Traveling from the wonderful coast of the Cinque Terre to the…
How many eclipses occur in a year?
Eclipses are among the most beautiful and fascinating astronomical events that can be observed from Earth. Since ancient times, people have been captivated by the unique occurence of an eclipse, sometimes appreciating their beauty, and other times looking at them with fear. Now we know that eclipses are just a natural phenomenon and we can…
The Aral Sea disaster: how one of the largest lakes in the world turned into a barren desert
If you look at different maps of Central Asia, you can notice that a large lake placed between the Caspian Sea and the Himalayan Plateau keeps changing shape. Sometimes it is very large and it has an almost round outline, while some other times it has nearly vanished, with only two smaller bodies of water…
A day trip from Venice to Murano, Burano, and Torcello
There is a lot to see in Venice, enough to spend several days exploring this fascinating place. However, many more interesting attractions are located around the city, and can be easily visited with a day trip from Venice. Among these, some of the most beautiful and popular destinations around Venice are a few of the…
My crazy Interrail journey – Chapter 15: Nice, Monaco, Genoa
My next stop was Nice, quite far from Barcelona. Early in the morning, I took the metro to the other side of Barcelona and then a commuter train to the border station of Portbou. After crossing into France I had to change trains twice, in Narbonne and Marseille, before finally arriving in Nice. Including the…
My crazy Interrail journey – Chapter 14: Zaragoza and Barcelona
The return trip from Ronda to Granada marked the start of the final stretch of my long trip, from that moment every step would get me closer to home. After spending the morning resting in the hostel, I took the train to Zaragoza, where I arrived after a trip that took more than five hours…
The history and traditions of the Dragon Boat Festival
The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most important traditional Chinese holidays, which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunisolar calendar, corresponding to late May or June in the Gregorian calendar. For this reason, it is also known as Double Fifth Festival. In 2023, the Dragon Boat Festival…
My crazy Interrail journey – Chapter 13: Córdoba, Seville, Cádiz, Granada, Ronda
The following day I explored Córdoba. First, I passed by the Church of San Nicolás de la Villa and the Roman Mausoleum, before going toward the heart of the old town. I entered the area from Puerta de Almodóvar and I passed in front of the ancient Synagogue to reach the city’s Alcázar. Unfortunately, both…