San Miguel de Allende

Inspired by the charm in a book I am reading - On Mexican Time, by Tony Cohan - I am learning about San Miguel de Allende, a small village in Mexico.

San Miguel de Allende is in central Mexico (no seaside here), in the far eastern part of Guanajuato state. They call the macroregion Bajío. Due to its remote location, San Miguel de Allende is difficult to get to, but its remoteness is part of its charm.

The well-preserved historic town centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is filled with buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. The nearby Sanctuary of Atotonilco is also a World Heritage Site.

Founded by Franciscan Monk Fray Juan de San Miguel Miguel, the town was baptized as San Miguel el Grande. In 1826, during the Mexican War of Independence, the town was the first declared independent of Spanish rule, and was renamed to honour native son Ignacio Allende y Unzaga, the first Mexican soldier and a national hero. At the beginning of the 20th century, though, the town was on the verge of becoming a ghost town.

That is, until its Baroque/Neoclassical colonial structures were "discovered" by foreign artists.

The public laundry (lavaderos publicos)

The creation of the Instituto Allende and the Escuela de Bellas Artes, among others, attracted artists such as David Alfaro Siqueiros (who taught painting), writers and a large number of American WWII vets (aided by the G.I. Bill).

Ultimately, the expat-friendly town has attracted a foreign retirees, more artist types, and tourists. When combined with the wealthy Mexicans who have rediscovered San Miguel as a Malibu-like retreat from Mexico City, San Miguel today has an eclectic mix of Old World Mexican charm, American hospitality, and a relaxed party atmosphere.

Just watch your step, bring comfortable shoes, and expect a bit of workout. San Miguel was built into the side of a mountain, so it can be difficult to traverse (some inclines are 15 or 20 degrees). Many of the narrow, cobbled streets have fallen into disrepair, and curbs are often a high step away from the road.

I am intrigued by...
Another Face of Mexico Mask Museum - a private collection of 500+ Mexican ceremonial masks (by appointment only)
Public Library (Biblioteca Pública) - features 30,000 titles in English, a small gift shop, a café and free wifi (temporary memberships available)
El Charco del Ingenio Jardín Botánico (Jardín Botánico) - a unique park above the town with an enormous collection of cacti (apparently one should use beer to coax a local to use their key to let you in the back gate)
Thermal pools - just outside of town, for an afternoon of relaxation (pre-arrange return transportation or know when the last bus arrives)

Suggested resources
10 Reasons Why People Fall in Love With San Miguel de Allende - Huffington Post
San Miguel de Allende Today - Travel+Leisure
San Miguel de Allende tourist information - Visit Mexico
Country Mouse - blog post about Tony Cohan, author of On Mexican Time - David Lida
Getting there: see San Miguel de Allende on Wiki Voyage for options.

Pietrasanta, the city of sculpture

Today I learned about the Italian town of Pietrasanta, and thought I would share what I learned.

I first heard of Pietrasanta when I was reading about tours to Carrara, where there are marble quarries. I never really thought about visiting a quarry before, but when I think of all the amazing marble sculptures and architecture in Italy, I became intrigued. More about that later, but when I stumbled across references to Pietrasanta as "the city of sculpture" I was hooked. I wanted to learn more.

Pietrasanta is in the Versilia area, on the coast of northern Tuscany in Italy, in the province of Lucca, about 32 kilometres (20 miles) north of Pisa. The town is situated 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) inland from the coast (where the frazione of Marina di Pietrasanta is located).

With Roman origins (part of the old Roman wall still exists), the medieval town was founded in 1255. Like most of Tuscany in general, the area has long enjoyed the patronage of artists.

The aspects of the town's history that are most compelling to me relate to the marble and the sculptors who worked here. Pietrasanta grew to importance during the 15th century, mainly due to its connection with marble. In fact, Michelangelo was the first sculptor to recognize the beauty of the local stone.

Things that interest me about Pietrasanta:

• Both Michelangelo and Henry Moore lived and worked here 
• It is referred to as "the city of sculpture" and I want to see why 
• There are 8 bronze foundries 
• There are "dozens" of marble laboratories here 
• It is near the Carrara marble quarries, which also intrigue me 
• It is small and off-the-beaten-tourism-track 
• Bozzetti Sculpture Museum (with sketches and models of sculptures by 100's of artists) 
• Bruno Antonuci Archaeology Museum (with prehistoric, Etruscan, medieval and Renaissance objects) 
• Art galleries feature some big names, such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude 
• It has a beach * 
• It's near Livorno, a popular cruise port of call

* The Pietrasanta Marina, with golden sand and luxurious equipment, is considered one of the best beaches of Italy.

It was because of its proximity to Livorno that Pietrasanta came to my attention, as it is mentioned as a stop on a few cruise shore excursions. It was on one of those day-long tours that include Florence, Pisa, Lucca and half of Italy (it seems), so it's not likely that I'd visit that way.... but perhaps I could visit on a self-directed excursion, or an independent visit.

I'm now curious to learn about others experiences visiting the town, and Pietrasanta's hotels (not many), sights, festivals and so on. Have you been? Please share!

Good resources
Discovering Pietrasanta - Travel + Leisure
Pietrasanta and Versilia Events Guide - local Versilia guide
Pietrasanta Travel Guide - Virtual Tourist
Pietrasanta Travel Guide - About.com
How to Tour the Marble Quarries of Carrara - About.com
Going to the beach in Italy - About.com

Etruscan Italy - a self-guided tour

Part of the Etruscan temple reconstruction
on the grounds at Villa Guilia in Rome 

Discovered an interesting 7-10 day "Tour of Etruscan Italy" in the new DK EyeWitness Guide Italy (2016, page 17). Enjoyed reading it, following the itinerary.

Beginning in Rome, sites include treasures in the Etruscan Museum of the Vatican and Museo Nazionale Etrusco in the Villa Giulia.

Towns with Etruscan ruins and/or artifacts included the self-directed tour are, in sequence, Cerveteri, Sutri, Tarquinia, Viterbo, Orvieto, Todi, Chiusi, Gubbio, Volterra and San Gimignano.

The tour finishes in Florence at the National Archaeological Museum.

Extent of Etruscan civilization and
the twelve Etruscan League cities.

Other stuff
Etruscan Civilization
Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia - UNESCO World Heritage Site
Etruscan museums in Italy

I look forward to visiting some of these sites in my future travels.

New York City: The Meetles

One of my top picks for New York City is The Meetles.

The Meetles are a Beatles and 60's tribute band, playing in Central Park and other spots in the city. Their music is incredibly good, probably better than any paid concert you could go to.

You can read about the day I first stumbled on The Meetles in Central Park - it will give you a good idea why I plan to seek them out on my future NYC visits.

The Meetles play weekends on the subways, and sunny Sundays in the same spot at the 72nd Street entrance to Central Park (across the street from the Dakota, near Strawberry Fields). You can find their schedule on The Meetles Facebook page.

Upon creating 'citytravelbug' as a blog

Me in Paris in 2010

I have long had a personal blog (robertaw.blogspot.com), and have posted my travels there, along with my ongoing daily adventures and musings from my personal life. For more than 4 years now, I have also had the identity of @citytravelbug on Twitter... so I think it's time to give citytravelbug it's own space in the blogosphere.

Will see how it transpires, bug for now I anticipate cross-linking some of my past city-specific blog postings, city travel news, and interesting resources for travelling the world's greatest cities. Stay tuned...

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