Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898 - 1972) needs no introduction. The Dutch artist’s mathematically inspired artwork featuring impossible objects and geometric shapes, unique perspectives on nature, symmetry and reflection that have left an indelible mark in the history of art, graphics and design. [caption id="attachment_7103" align="alignleft" width="342"] The town of Opi[/caption] Escher spent a great part of his life in Italy, from his 30s to his 50s, living in Rome from…

The "Little Tibet" of Italy Suffice to say that while doing research for our new Small Group Walking Tour of Abruzzo we were completely blown away by Campo Imperatore. We were awestruck by the vast expanses of this high-altitude plateau completely surrounded by high mountains resembling the Dolomite rock. Located at between 1500m and 1900m it stretches on for 80km². Campo Imperatore is known as Little Tibet. It is no…

An introduction to one of the oldest cities in Abruzzo A trip to Abruzzo is not complete without a visit of Sulmona. During our walking tour in Abruzzo we make a point of spending two nights in this wonderful medieval city. The history of Salmona is ancient and can be traced back to the Peligni, an Italic population living in central Italy in the 4th century B.C.. They were later…

Galicia marks the final lap of our journey, only a mere 150 km separate us from Santiago now. Walking the high peaks of Galicia, surrounded by endless mists, my mind traces back every step and I wonder how far I have come and how much further could I go yet? The Camino opens your mind to a deeper understanding of the self and of everything that surrounds it. But if…

With Galicia waiting just round the corner and Santiago now closer than ever, the time to leave Matavenero had finally come. Living here for nearly a week is a moment in my life that I will always cherish. Along the Camino you learn to appreciate the value of the simple things in life, and here more than anywhere we lived these experiences. A part of us wished to remain behind…

18th June 2014   [caption id="attachment_165" align="alignleft" width="243"] Rua El Cid[/caption] As we stepped into the streets of Leon we felt a heavy weight lifted off our shoulders. Soon we would be leaving the region of Castilla and Leon behind us, moving on from these monotonous stretches of farmland and heading for the more exiting scenery of Galicia. Known as the Mesetas or Tierra de Campos, this plateau region 800m…

4th June 2014   The Camino is as much a physical challenge as it is a mental one. That evening we went to bed in Estella tired, aching and drained. We woke hardly feeling any better. Even more disheartening was the empty dormitory we woke to at 7,30. Everyone had already set off and we were still there complaining. With some effort we managed to get going driven only by…

1st June 2014 Most pilgrims usually set off early in the morning: we never managed to get going until at least 9. After our night out in Pamplona, at 11 we were still in the albergue. All night the bars and streets had been heaving with people eating pinxos and drinking wine and at only 2 euros each it is a quick and slippery slope. With our ever-improving Spanish we…

30th May 2014 “Then we crossed a wide plain, and there was a big river off on the right shining in the sun from between the line of trees, and a way off you could see the plateau of Pamplona rising out of the plain, and the walls of the city, and the great brown cathedral, and the broken skyline of the other churches. In the back of the plateau…

27th May 2014 Our Camino begins in the quaint village of St Jean Pied de Port, today the principal gateway to the pilgrimage. Sitting at the feet of the Pyrenees, “Foot of the pass” Pied de port, the walled town still has a medieval feel about it.   St Jean Pied de Port Excitement woke us earlier than even the alarm we had set. Keen to start our journey, we…

From the Imperial Fora to the Vatican Museums - part 2 We all love Rome, beautiful ancient city, one of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Europe! in a simple blog post is a kind of heresy! So we thought to give you a little guide for your next visit to the Italian capital to make the best out of your time and to not miss the very best spots of this incredible…

Discover the real soul of Rome Condensate almost 3000 years of history of the beautiful Rome in a simple blog post is a kind of heresy! So we thought to give you a little guide for your next visit to the Italian capital to make the best out of your time and to not miss the very best spots of this incredible ancient city. We wrote some descriptions and curiosity…

Argentario and Tuscan Archipelago In just a few weeks we set off to run our first Tuscany Golf Tour, an exciting project we have been developing over the last few years, with special attention to non-golfing partners. Before the tour starts, Simona and Antonio went to do the last bits of research and put the final touches to the first part of the trip.  It will start on the beautiful Tuscan…

While you are waiting to join us on our Grand Tour of Corsica Walking tour, here is a little preview of what to expect from this mesmerising island! A History of Corsica Archaeologists estimate that the first humans arrived in Corsica around the 7th century BC after crossing the sea from the Tuscan coast. These Neolithic populations lived mainly from breeding livestock and hunting wild animals, although there is proof that the…

The First Emperor of France Small in stature, Napoléon left behind a huge legacy. Napoléon Buonaparte was a military general who became the first emperor of France. To this day he is one of the most celebrated personages of the West. Napoléon was born in 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. He was the second son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Romalino, who had 8 children that survived child birth, Joseph being…

Two things we always get asked on our trips: the origins of the name Caspin and our logo, the Faun. Well, one thing led to the other. We had run out of ideas for an interesting company name and decided to blend our nicknames: Cas and Pino into Caspin. Caspin reminded Caroline of a book called Prince Caspian (C.S.Lewis) [caption id="attachment_5478" align="alignleft" width="195"] The original drawing[/caption] The Caspin Journeys "Faun" emerged from Caroline's childhood…