England is London, without a doubt, but not only: the West Midlands and the South-East offer relaxing bucolic landscapes and cities full of history.
SUMMER 2025
Day 1
Taking Bristol as a base, we start our tour of the South-East from Salisbury, which would certainly have deserved more time than dedicated to it, caught up in the rush to go to Stonehenge.
Too bad, because it would have deserved more attention: the historic center is very suggestive, as well as the Cathedral, unfortunately admired only from the outside.
Day 1
Taking Bristol as a base, we start our tour of the South-East from Salisbury, which would certainly have deserved more time than dedicated to it, caught up in the rush to go to Stonehenge.
Too bad, because it would have deserved more attention: the historic center is very suggestive, as well as the Cathedral, unfortunately admired only from the outside.
We arrive at Stonehenge in the late afternoon, so that there are not too many people.
It is accessed through the "visitor center" where you have the opportunity to visit an interesting exhibition on the life of prehistoric men, and on how the structure is thought to have been built. You then walk in the middle of the countryside for a couple of kilometers, approaching the site slowly.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to access the inside of the ring, unless you book a special tour months in advance. However, the itinerary allows you to appreciate it both from afar and up close, and the audio guide provides a lot of information.
Needless to say, these boulders, laid thousands of years ago, fascinate despite their simplicity.
It is accessed through the "visitor center" where you have the opportunity to visit an interesting exhibition on the life of prehistoric men, and on how the structure is thought to have been built. You then walk in the middle of the countryside for a couple of kilometers, approaching the site slowly.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to access the inside of the ring, unless you book a special tour months in advance. However, the itinerary allows you to appreciate it both from afar and up close, and the audio guide provides a lot of information.
Needless to say, these boulders, laid thousands of years ago, fascinate despite their simplicity.
The sight of these stones in the light of sunset, solitary in the middle of the countryside, still manages to evoke their charm in part.
Day 2
We went to visit Bath, an enchanting city, still bewitched by the Georgian image that Jane Austin gave it three centuries ago.
Although besieged by tourism, it remains extremely aristocratic, especially in the upper part, elegant and quiet.
Its strong point, however, are the Roman baths, built around a spring already known in ancient times. Excavated and renovated in modern times, they are an essential sight even for Italians like us, thanks to the good state of conservation and the excellent explanatory path.
We went to visit Bath, an enchanting city, still bewitched by the Georgian image that Jane Austin gave it three centuries ago.
Although besieged by tourism, it remains extremely aristocratic, especially in the upper part, elegant and quiet.
Its strong point, however, are the Roman baths, built around a spring already known in ancient times. Excavated and renovated in modern times, they are an essential sight even for Italians like us, thanks to the good state of conservation and the excellent explanatory path.
Day 3
Bristol, with its rich industrial and port past, although less glamorous than Bath and Salisbury, has been able to reinvent itself creatively, transforming spaces into dynamic residential and cultural areas.
The result is a lively, authentic city, where you can walk among the natives and not tourists, and enjoy Sunday like one of them.
Bristol, with its rich industrial and port past, although less glamorous than Bath and Salisbury, has been able to reinvent itself creatively, transforming spaces into dynamic residential and cultural areas.
The result is a lively, authentic city, where you can walk among the natives and not tourists, and enjoy Sunday like one of them.
One of Bristol's attractions is the SS Great Britain, the first metal motorized liner to sail the ocean.
It was designed by a visionary engineer, who had the revolutionary idea of using metal instead of wood for the hull, making it heavier but also more resistant.
For propulsion, he employed large coal-fired engines that moved the ship through a rear propeller (as is still the case today) and not with side blades. In short, it was a technological jewel.
He sailed both the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, heading to the Americas and Australia, before being turned into a freighter and ending his career by sinking near the Falkland Islands.
Recovered and brought back to Bristol, where it was built, it is now on display near the port. A museum display reconstructs the travel conditions of the time, showing how long and tiring it was to cross the ocean in those times.
It was designed by a visionary engineer, who had the revolutionary idea of using metal instead of wood for the hull, making it heavier but also more resistant.
For propulsion, he employed large coal-fired engines that moved the ship through a rear propeller (as is still the case today) and not with side blades. In short, it was a technological jewel.
He sailed both the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean, heading to the Americas and Australia, before being turned into a freighter and ending his career by sinking near the Falkland Islands.
Recovered and brought back to Bristol, where it was built, it is now on display near the port. A museum display reconstructs the travel conditions of the time, showing how long and tiring it was to cross the ocean in those times.
Home of Bansky, Bristol is famous for its urban art, graffiti that adorns many buildings.
Day 4 - Bath
We decide to dedicate the last day to return to Bath, since there is still a lot to visit.
So we go to the abbey, and take part in a guided tour that also takes us inside the bell tower.
We decide to dedicate the last day to return to Bath, since there is still a lot to visit.
So we go to the abbey, and take part in a guided tour that also takes us inside the bell tower.
We then visit the upper part of Bath, in Georgian style, the ideal setting for Jane Austin's novels and also for contemporary series; beautiful, but very formal in its austere neoclassical.
Finally, a walk along the river, and then back home.
Finally, a walk along the river, and then back home.
