Tourism and travelling

The suspended time of Belgrade's kafanas

09/05/2017 -  Giovanni Vale Belgrado

Places suspended in time, far from the bustle of the capital and the high tech kitchens: these are the Belgrade kafana which tell the story of a special soul

Sustainable tourism in Armenia

20/03/2017 -  Marilisa Lorusso

While the United Nations designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, Armenia is struggling to manage and make the best out of the potential of this sector

Hidden Cyprus

17/03/2017 -  Giovanni Vale Nicosia

In the shadow of the ever present division of Cyprus, the Greek zone and the Turkish one hide hybrid realities which timidly try pass the division's rigid schemes

Serbia: the Babylonian spirits of Viminacium

07/10/2016 -  Dragan Janjić Belgrade

A few miles from Požarevac, in the archaeological site of Viminacium, an archaeologist known as the “Serbian Indiana Jones” has made some surprising discovers

Slow Food Romania: the Saxons and the Bazna pig

20/09/2016 -  Francesco Martino Bazna

The Bazna pig was born and bred in the late 19th-century Transylvania. Today, after the Saxon community that had selected it emigrated, the pig is likely to disappear as well

Greece: Russian Tourists Wanted

05/01/2016 -  Gilda Lyghounis

Greece has the opportunity to attract Russian tourists seeking an alternative to the Turkish and Egyptian beaches. The Hellenic bureaucracy, though, appears incapable of accepting the challenge

Slow Food in Turkey: the multicoloured market

12/01/2015 -  Francesco Martino Foça

At Foça, on Turkey's Aegean coast, there's a market with a magical miscellany of colours, aromas and flavours. Among the treasures displayed on the stalls you can find the “tarhana”, distilled from the generous abundance of summer

Serbia, the Karakačani legacy

13/01/2014 -  Francesco Martino Dimitrovgrad

Animal species almost forgotten are a treasure for Serbian biodiversity. A Slow Food project is now struggling for their preservation

Turkey: the treasure in the cave at Divle

31/12/2013 -  Francesco Martino Karaman

At Divle, on the Anatolian plateau in Turkey, the traditional “tulum” cheese has for centuries been preserved in sheep and goat skins inside a deep cave at the edge of the village

Azerbaijan's futuristic past

16/09/2013 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

A promenade in Baku's museal system starts at the Haydar Aliyev Center and continues through concrete and futuristic designs. Building the new, however, does not imply maintaining the old

The crossroads of Oedipus and the present Greek dilemma

06/09/2013 -  Fabrizio Polacco

Where Oedipus killed his father Laius, the roads from Thebes, Delphi and Daulis meet. At that abandoned crossroads, in a Greece overwhelmed by an economic crisis, today Europe may find its way again

The Trabzon wisdom

27/05/2013 -  Fabrizio Polacco

Trabzon is a millennial hub of trade and passage. Within its maze of streets stands the church of Aghia Sophia, whose fate is currently at stake as that of its more famous namesake in Istanbul

Zelenkovac, the Bosnian peace village

25/03/2013 -  Daniele Canepa

Zelenkovac is an eco-tourist village in the Bosnian mountains, not far from Banja Luka, hosting artists and travellers from all over the world. According to his founder, Boro Janković, its beauty has a mission

Jasna's Bosnian herbs

28/09/2012 -  Anna Brusarosco

An Eco-centre. This is Jasna Živković's answer to the economic problems of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A report about rural development in northern Bosnia, between tradition and innovation

Bijela,the hidden canyon

12/12/2011 -  Massimo Moratti

Discover one of Bosnia Herzegovina's less acclaimed treasures: a canyon carved out of the River Bijela, a gem which is not so easy to find as you need to embark on a real “journey to the centre of the earth” to see it. In the footsteps of Jules Verne

Istria's red soils: Mountain bike routes

05/12/2011 -  Massimo Moratti

Mountain biking routes stretching for hundreds of kilometres, going coast to coast, passing through vineyards, olive groves and cultivations on red soils. Enjoy the ride

Martin, responsible cyclist

05/12/2011 -  Massimo Moratti

Martin Čotar is a former professional cyclist. Since throwing in the towel he has continued to follow the cycling world, in further developing Istria's potential in cycle tourism

Rugova Valley's Heart of Stone

29/11/2011 -  Massimo Moratti

The Rugova Valley in Kosovo is an ideal place for outdoor activities, especially free climbing. It starts a few kilometres from the city of Peja/Peć , in Western Kosovo. Massimo Moratti has been trying out the “Spiders' Beach” routes

The Rugova Valley Wardens

29/11/2011 -  Massimo Moratti

Mustafa provides the accommodation, Agim is the guide. Both strongly believe that the Rugova Valley has all the right credentials to soon become an exceptional destination in Kosovo for outdoor activity tourism

The Via Egnatia: bridges and walls between East and West

16/12/2011 -  Fabrizio Polacco

States and Empires on the rise or at the height of their power build roads and bridges, while when in decline or in danger they raise walls and barriers. A journey along the ancient Via Egnatia which connected Italy with ancient Greece, continues as far as Byzantium and now gives its name to a motorway

“Gafa”, the gentleman of the peaks

24/11/2011 -  Massimo Moratti Sarajevo

Muhammed Gafić is one of the most famous Bosnian mountaineers of all time. His long journey began from the Mountain of Romanija, near Sarajevo

The Rakitnica Canyon

17/11/2011 -  Massimo Moratti

Once down there's no going back, you must go on. The canyon formed by the River Rakitnica can be ridden, but only in the company of an expert guide. A plunge into the waters and unspoilt nature of Bosnia

Dinno Kassalo: filming nature

17/11/2011 -  Massimo Moratti

Dinno Kassalo is a Bosnian documentary film-maker who has produced many works on wildlife in Bosnia Herzegovina. Together with a team of mountaineers, in 2000 he made “Expedition Rakitnica”, the first film ever to be shot inside the Rakitnica canyon. Our interview

Baščaršija, the beauty

28/10/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj

The ancient Ottoman market is one of the symbols of Sarajevo. This article concludes our series on Balkan bazaars.

Novi Pazar, the bazaar without lipstick

20/10/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj Novi Pazar

It is very similar to the Ottoman-style quarter in Sarajevo, though many consider it more genuine, the čaršija from which Novi Pazar in south-eastern Serbia gets its name. Our feature

Mostar: the čaršija and the bridge

12/10/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj Mostar

A divided town, a bridge, a čaršija on each side. Symbols of meeting and congregation which now have to deal with the legacy of the war. The challenge of Mostar between tourism and tradition

Pale: more than just skiing

24/11/2011 -  Massimo Moratti

In tourism Pale and the mountain of Jahorina are best known as one of the main skiing destinations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, once the snow melts, this area offers many other attractions, one without doubt being Mount Romanija

Slow food. On grass and transhumance in Western Macedonia

16/09/2011 -  Francesco Martino Mavrovo

Mavrovo, Western Macedonia. On these mountains, the Balkans’ continental and Mediterranean climates meet, giving birth to incredibly rich and unique pastures. This is why, throughout the centuries, this region has specialised in transhumance sheep breeding and cheese production. A slow food presidium that will make its first international appearance today at the Cheese fair in Bra, Cuneo, Italy.

Save Budva from building speculation

22/08/2011 -  Luka Zanoni Budva

Despite the tragic experience of the 1979 earthquake and a signature on the Convention for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea by a country which defines itself an “Ecological State”, the Montenegro town of Budva risks being buried under cement. One after another planning regulations are leading to the model of Vancouver, “the city of towers”. Citizens' petitions are of no avail against rampant corruption

Belgrade, the lost carshija

21/07/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj Belgrade

Belgrade is a city which has changed radically over the last two centuries. But, behind the town's façade, which mixes Mittel European and Socialist styles, it has not completely lost its Ottoman elements. There are no more bazaars but their spirit lives on.