Mario Fortini

Favourite Hotel – Gran Paradiso Hotel in the Dolomites

I spend two weeks every summer in San Cassiano, a small village in the Alta Badia, located at 1700m above sea level and I love to stay at this hotel. The location is perfect, close to hiking paths and walking distance to the village. The hotel has a incredible spa, including an outdoor terrace jacuzzi overlooking high mountains. The restaurant of the hotel is for my money, the best I have been in my life and every meal is a feast, featuring tradition local Ladin cuisine!

Favourite destination - Barcelona

One of my favourite places for a city break is Barcelona.  It has everything: unique architecture, galleries, a beach and port-side bars and restaurants.  Personally for me, I loved the entwining narrow streets in the old town (Ciutat Vella), filled with boutique shops and small galleries. If you find something you want to buy, be sure to  buy it right away (or note the address), or you honestly may never happen upon it again in this medieval maze! Here you’ll  find the Barri Gòtic (cathedral) with its gaggle of geese in the courtyard.

Barcelona is one of the best cities for food: the tapas bars, wine cellars, typical Mediterranean restaurants, specialist pintxos bars and other Basque cuisine  (from the north Basque Country), and of course the paella and seafood of the Catalan region. There are of course many other stunning, unmissable attractions such as Gaudí’s Sagrada Família, Museu Picasso and Montjuïc Castle.

Short Break – Bordeaux

Any wine lover should have this on their bucket list but for me this city gives so much more than the wine.  It has the chic grandeur of a French city, with iconic sites like the Place de la Bourse overlooking the Garonne river. It boasts UNESCO designated churches, including Bordeaux’s 11th century cathedral. We love to stay among the winding streets of the old town, featuring its medieval city gate (Port Cailhau) and filled with hidden family-run, cafes and wine bars. The food is incredible with hundreds of incredible bistros to choose from.

For me, a wine tour is always a highlight. Maybe you are a connoisseur, seeking to visit a favourite vineyard. You may be like me, and wanting to increase your knowledge in the difference styles of right bank and left bank wines and how to select Bordeaux wines that suite your own tastes. Or maybe you just want to soak in the atmosphere, enjoy the stunning countryside and châteaux, and enjoy the tasting!

Favourite Experience - Swiss Castle

I am totally in love with the Middle Age Era and I swear that I have never experienced elsewhere in the world such a magical setting as at the Chateau Chillon, the best preserved Castle in all of Europe!

Walking through the ancient cellar, prison, great halls, the Bernese chamber, the duke’s chamber, the chapel or even the sentry walks was a proper immersive multisensory experience to the Middle Age World! A fantastic journey through time and space at Chillon, uncovering the mysteries behind hidden passageways, the underground Gothic vaulted ceilings and the prison where the famous Bonivard was kept.