Statues of Famous People in the UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, HK, Australia, S Africa and more

Statues of favourite, famous people as well as religious figures and heroes and heroines of mythology are all around.  Let's start with where I am now, writing this in London, England.

London, England

You can sit next to comedian Spike Milligan in a pleasant park in Finchley, NW London, or pose beside author Oscar Wilde right in the city centre near Trafalgar Square.

For inspiration see the bust of Einstein in the sculpture section of the Victoria & Albert Museum. On a fine day, see the outdoor statues. On a dull day see Sherlock Holmes outside Baker Street station and the waxworks in Madame Tussaud's.

Statues In London

Nelson's column is a landmark in Trafalgar Square. You need to set your camera to multiply times three to get more detail. 

The world has many statues of Queen Victoria, royals, world famous figures, and local heroes. 

In London we have statues of Oscar Wilde in the centre, and  Amy Winehouse in Camden. I have a book just on statues of London.

Sigmund Freud sits in Hampstead near the Freud Museum, London, England.

Photo by Mike Peel and another in Wikipedia.

A temporary Freddy Mercury memorial picture is on the Spanish steps at Wembley, London, England, in the autumn of 2026. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4z8mzx7gwo

Shakespeare's bust is outside the free Guildhall Art Gallery in Guildhall Yard in London. 

Engineer Brunel sits on Paddington station. the other side of the station is a small statue of Paddington Bear.

A statue of Abraham Lincoln is in Parliament Square, London, England.

You can also see a bust of Mandela in London, outside the Festival Hall on the South Bank (of the river Thames).

 The Three Graces by Canova in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, UK

National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh (jointly owned, moving between these two museums), UK

Statues in England

Up north in Manchester, England, is a statue of Chopin at a piano, commemorating his visit to the city in the last year of his life.

A statue of Queen Elizabeth II with her corgi dogs is in Rutland, England.

Another is in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Queens Gardens, England.

Another is on York Minster, in York, England.

Manchester England, has a statue of Abraham Lincoln on Lincoln Square. Recalling the support Manchester gave Lincoln in the American Civil war.

The Beatles statue is in Liverpool.

And politician Margaret Thatcher's statue is in Grantham Lincolnshire, by the Grantham Museum, England.

The statue of playwright J B Priestley, who wrote An Inspector Calls, is on Princes Street outside the Museum of Science & Media in Bradford, England, UK. He was born in Bradford.

Scotland Statues

Statues of Robbie Burns who wrote Auld Lang Syne, sung by people all over the world on New Year's eve, are in Ayr, Edinburgh, Glasgow.

Wales Statues

A statue of Gandhi is in Cardiff, Wales, UK.

A statue of seated Dylan Thomas, poet who wrote Under Milk Wood and poem Do not go gentle into that goodnight, is by the Dylan Thomas theatre in Swansea, Wales, UK.

David Lloyd George, statue standing by Caernarfon Castle, Wales. Prime Minister, credited with introducing the National Health Service.

Statue of Aneurin Bevan in Cardiff, Wales, jointly credited with founding the National Health Service.

Australia's Statues

Questacon (Canberra, Australia): A prominent Albert Einstein statue marks the entrance to Australia's National Science and Technology Centre.

Statues In Canada

A statue of Queen Elizabeth II is in Toronto, Canada.

A statue of Queen Victoria is on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Statues of several Canadian Prime Ministers are on Parliament Path. 

Some statues may have been moved or removed. Check before taking a trip to see them.

Denmark Statues

The Little Mermaid, immortalised by Hans Christian Andersen.

A statue of the author Hans Christian Andersen is in Roseborg Gardens in Copenhagen.

Statues in France

The statue of the thinker is in the Rodin Gallery in Paris, France.

Dreyfus statue, Paris, France.

Burghers of Calais, group statues, in Calais France, by sculptor Rodin.

Statues In Greenland

Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson, explorers.

Australian Statues

Captain Cook statues are in Sydney and Melbourne.

Belarus

Statue of Marc Chagall, famous for his paintings, stained glass windows and sculptures. A statue of him is in

Bosnia Statues

Bruce Lee (Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina): A notable bronze statue of Bruce Lee stands in Zrinjevac Park, erected as a universal symbol of youth, solidarity, and pop culture neutrality across ethnic divides. [1]

Canada - Statues

See a statue of jazz pianist Oscar Peterson seated at his piano in Ottawa, Canada.

A-maze-ing Laughter statue is a popular photo spot in Vancouver.

China - Hong Kong

Bruce Lee Hong Kong: A famous life-sized statue honouring the martial artist stands in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong,

Czech Republic statues

See the statue of author Kafka in Prague. There are several statues associated with Kafka.

Germany's statues

Goethe Monument, Liepsig, Germany.

Walhalla Temple (Donaustauf, Germany): A bust sculpted by Ulrich Uhlig is displayed inside this hall of fame honoring distinguished Germans.

Israel

A replica of the Washington DC monument to Einstein is in the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Jerusalem, Israel. 

Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Jerusalem, Israel): A bronze sculpture of Einstein created by Georgy Frangulyan stands at the Edmond J. Safra Campus, honoring Einstein's role as one of the founders of the university.

Italy & The Vatican Statues

Outdoor statue of biblical David in Florence, Italy.

The Muses from Classical Antiquity (Roman) in The Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy.

Lithuanian Statues & Busts

The Three Muses statue, Vilnius, Lithuana. Situated above the main entrance to the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre on Gediminias Avenue.

Monument to John Lennon.

Monument to Frank Zappa.

Monument to Leonard Cohen.

Monument to the Vilna Gaon. (Child prodigy and later leader of Jewish community thinkers, who had memorised the entire bible at the age of 9.)

Mexico's Statues

Monument to Christopher Columbus in Mexico City.

Parque México (Mexico City, Mexico): A bronze bust of Einstein sculpted by Tosia Malamud stands in the Condesa neighborhood.

New Zealand Statues

A statue of Queen Victoria is in Auckland, on the North Island of New Zealand.

A statue of Captain James Cook is in Christchurch on the south island of New Zealand. I nearly got run over by a tram, as I was trying to photograph the statue, backing across the road to get it all in.

A statue of Burt Monroe, world motorcycle speed record holder, is shown on his motorbike in Invercargill, the southernmost city on the South Island of New Zealand.

Norway's Statues

Henrik Ibsen, playwright, has a statue in Oslo, outside the theatre.

Statues In Poland

A giant statue of composer Chopin in Warsaw is a landmark which you pass, or stop at, in guided tours of the city.

A statue of pianist Arthur Rubinstein at his piano, 

Portugal

Monument to the Discoveries, has Prince Henry the navigator and a series of statues of other famous explorers including Vasco da Gama. 

Christ the King.

Russia's Statues

Statue of Lenin in St Petersburg, Russia.

The Three Graces by Canova, neoclassical sculptor (1757-1822) in The Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia,

Singapore Statues

Singapore has a statue of Sir Stamford Raffles. 

Many more outdoors statues include a bird, a horse.

I love the children jumping into the water. 

The giant statue of the mythical Merlion spouts water. 

A plaque honours writer Joseph Conrad.

In Madame Tussauds on Sentosa Island you can see Lee Kuan Yew.

South African Statues

Statues of Mandela are everywhere, for example, in Cape Town, 

Nelson Mandela in Pretoria, 

Nelson Mandela in Durban.

Nelson Mandela, in Nelson Mandela Square, Johannesburg 

and more. 

Statues in Spain

A statue of seated Maimonides is in Maimonides Square in Cordoba, Spain.

The Three Muses are in The Prado, Madrid, Spain.

Statue of Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, in Madrid, Spain.

Statue of painter Velazquez in Madrid, Spain.

Monument to Columbus, Salamanca.

Monument to human towers, Tarragona, Spain.

Sweden's Statues

In Malmo, Sweden, you might want to see the jolly multi-person parade of statues in the Optimist Orchestra.

Switzerland's Statues

Freddie Mercury (Montreux, Switzerland): A famous 3-meter bronze sculpture by sculptor Irena Sedlecká stands overlooking Lake Geneva. It depicts Mercury in his iconic 1986 Wembley Stadium live pose. 

Rosengarten (Bern, Switzerland): A statue located in Bern's Rose Garden park commemorates the city where Einstein developed his Special Theory of Relativity while working at the Swiss Patent Office.

William Tell statue, Altdorf, Switzerland.

USA Statues

Visitors to New York are greeted by the giant Statue of Liberty. 

A statue of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point, was placed in Times Square, New York, on September 10th 2026, the first anniversary of his death.

A statue of Scottish poet Robbie Burns is in New York, USA.

Another popular place, memorable and recognizable is the Lincoln Memorial, a giant statue of Abraham Lincoln seated outdoors in Washington DC in the USA. 

Albert Einstein Memorial (Washington, D.C., USA): Created by sculptor Robert Berks and located at the National Academy of Sciences, this massive, 12-foot bronze statue depicts Einstein seated on a three-step granite bench with a paper displaying his equations ($E = mc^2$, the photoelectric effect, and general relativity).

University of South Alabama (Mobile, Alabama, USA): Features the "Einstein Bench," a bronze sculpture depicting Einstein sitting on an outdoor campus bench.

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota is well known. A more recent mountain carving is Crazy Horse.

In the USA another statue of Einstein which you can sit next to is in Los Angeles at the Griffith Observatory.

Bruce Lee in Los Angeles: Famous life-sized statue honouring the martial artist is along the Avenue of Stars.

More Statues Worldwide

Useful Websites About Famous People and Statues

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Hall_of_Fame

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2017/05/wheres-statue.html

https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/artist-sergio-furnari-reveals-his-statue-of-turning-point-founder-charlie-kirk-in-times-square-in-new-york/

https://www.stephenshouseandgardens.com/visit/spike-milligan-statue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Statues_in_Spain

https://www.un.org/ungifts/pianist (About Arthur Rubinstein)

https://www.mayflowercruisesandtours.com/iceland-greenland-erik-and-leif/

See Tripadvisor for top ten monuments or sites in each country, and Wikipedia for statues in each country.

America has many statues, as well as carvings of presidents, not only Mount Rushmore.

-ends-

On my Italy Wishlist: Alberobello Trulli

1 In the north, the Prosecco area.

Description	English: "Trulli" in Alberobello Deutsch: "Trulli" in Alberobello
Date	9 December 2006 (original upload date)
Source	Own work by the author. Download from Wikitravel
Author	Niels Elgaard Larsen - User: (WT-shared) Elgaard at wts wikivoyage

2 In the south, towards the heel of Italy, Alberobello, Province of Bari, Puglia, Italy

Alberobello means beautiful tree. The adjective comes second, after the noun, in Italian like in Spanish and French.

Must see

Museo del Territorio 'Casa Pezzolla', Alberobello, Province of Bari, Puglia, Italy .

Also visit The White Town.

Useful Websites About Trulli and Alberobello

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alberobello

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Apulia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberobello

Hotels

https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/trulli-holiday

https://hand-picked-hotels.com/alberobello

Useful Websites

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g580227-d242628-Reviews-Museo_del_Territorio_Casa_Pezzolla-Alberobello_Province_of_Bari_Puglia.html

Walking Tour about £6 or £11, which does not include entrance to the museum and two more trulli.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/AttractionProductReview-g580227-d32704213-Alberobello_Walking_Tour_with_Audio_and_Written_Guide_by_a_Local

Prosecco from Italy with Venetian Snacks at 2 Veneti restaurant in Central London

 A jolly evening samply Proseccos and Venetian snacks took place at 2 Veneti restaurant. Regular diners at the restaurant who live nearby or eat there on special occasions mingled with specialists in wine and food. I am a Prosecco drinker and was glad of the opportunity to try several Proseccos as well as Venetian snacks.

Left Jano @whiskysky_official on Instagram

I met some interesting people.

Whisky Dinners In Pinner

Jano holds dinners with 5 whiskies, once a month, at a restaurant in Pinner, Middlesex. 

Right Angela Lansbury of Central London Wine Society.

Italian Venetian Food in London

Prosecco At 2 Veneti Restaurant

The restaurant is near the grand buildings of concert halls on Wigmore street, near Wimpole street famous for its doctors. The restaurant is Italian and has indoor and outdoor seating. The owners are friendly and enthusiasts for Italian food. Their speciality is Venetian food, from the region of Venice in North East Italy, hence the name Veneti.

Prosecco Region Of Italy

Prosecco comes from this region. Prosecco, that British favourite, white and sometimes rose, cheaper than Champagne, but with the same excitement of bubbles. I tasted several, and frankly, they were all equally good, and although I like sweet wine, none were too dry, so I would be satisfied with the cheapest. As I often say, I'm a cheap date. 

Sweet or Dry Prosecco?

Extra brut is extra dry. But if you find the terms on the label confusing, when Brut means dry, yet the wine seems neutral, with an acceptable almost sweet finish, just ask the owner, waiter, or sommelier (wine specialist) for their knowledgeable advice. 

Cicchetti - Snacks

A feature of Venetian cuisine, so near the sea and canals, is snacks with fish. The fish most familiar to the British is (alphabetically) anchovy, cod, sardines, tuna.

For five years after my husband was diagnosed with a form of cancer, lymphoma, until he got the all-clear, we devoutly followed the cancer research society recommendations of eating whole grain cereals and bread and avoiding processed foods. 

Cereals and Salamis

Therefore I had got in the habit of not eating white bread, cured cold meats and salamis. I was a bit disconcerted at the snacks on white bread. Apparently the popular snacks are with polenta, which I like, or white bread, open-topped sandwiches, which I would avoid. Breadsticks, and brioche, are white cereals which match white wines, although other breads might sometimes be used.

Cicchetti 

These are snacks, often served on small skewers or toothpicks.

The ones I remember most clearly and fondly were those with cheese, and fish, in one instance both together.

Cheese and Fish Cicchetti

1 Cheese Rissoles with anchovy centre

2 Sardines with sweet and sour onions

Vegetable Options

Having got over the surprising sight of sliced white bread used as the base for a couple of the snacks, we looked for vegetables to fulfil our five a day. 

If you are also following a health diet, the vegetables options to order in a restaurant in London or Venice, for yourself or a group, could start with olives. Then pick cicchetti featuring fish, with (alphabetically) onions, or tomatoes.

They also have dishes which have shellfish as a main or subsidiary ingredient. As I am allergic to shellfish I could not try that.

Buying Prosecco

If you simply wanted an Italian sparkling wine you could look for the word Spumante. That means bigger bubbles. Frizzante, I think of fizzy, means smaller bubbles.

Two big areas for Prosecco are Valdobbiadene and around the town of Asolo.

Useful Websites on 2 Veneti Restaurant, Venetian Food and Prosecco

Websites on The Restaurant 2 Veneti

https://www.2veneti.com/

https://www.2veneti.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/MENU

Websites on Venetian Food

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cicchetti

Websites on Prosecco

https://wineinternationalassociation.org/prosecco/#:~:text=Most%20Prosecco%2C%20whether%20DOC%20or,wine)%2C%20with%20no%20bubbles.

https://www.thewinesociety.com/discover/explore/regional-guides/prosecco-ultimate-guide/

Updated with websites on July 15 2026

Family Winery at Mount Etna in Italy

 At the Island Wines Summit in Tenerife, the Canary Islands, I saw several dormant and active volcanoes.

I met a young man from, Italy, second generation of a vineyard family. He had the word ETNA tattooed on his wrist.

I asked him, 'is it an active volcano?'

''Yes.'

I gasped, 'Aren't you afraid of an active volcano?'

He shook his head and smiled. 'No, I am not afraid of an active volcano. I'm more afraid of people.'

His family winery is in my husband's book about island wines, Isle Drink, by Trevor Sharot. Which you can buy online from Amazon.

His name is Andrea Foti, and the winery is I Vigneri.

Website 

www.ivigneri.it

He is one of the up and coming new generation of winemakers. He was a panellist who spoke at the conference.

He gave me a tee-shirt in lovely blue.

The message is minus arrogante, Italian for arrogance, meaning less arrogance. 

And plus, carricante, more of the local grape called carricante. You can see a picture of the white carricante bunches of grapes on their website, and their black grapes.

Their website is in Italian or English. You can learn from the website about their soil, philosophy (no plastic), and where to buy the wines in Italy and how to book a tour to taste five or seven wines and tour the vineyard and old and new cellars, with containers of three types.

Websites 

The Winery near Etna

www.ivigneri.it

Tracking volcanoes

https://volcanoes-earthquakes.appwesome.com/

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Organic wines from Sardinia, Italian Island - and agrotourism - stay on the farm by the winery

 

Wines from Sardinia, which is an Italian island in the Mediterranean.  

Top, map pf Europe showing Sardinia off the west coast of Italy.  Lower map showing Gonnostramatza village inland on the riverside.

The business has a restaurant, a farm, cheeses, cookery classes, and b and b at the farm.  Recent reviews raved about the farm animals, sheep, goats, horses, the warm welcome from the brothers who run the place and the home cooked food. You can also buy their wines, Very pleasant whites, rose and red.

The bottles carry the label Fattoria Cuscusa. Fattoria is not factory but farm. The local co-operative group produces Vermenitino Di Sardegna, a name of controlled origin, which can be applied only to the Vermentino grape, produced in Sardinia. In other words, a uniquely Sardinian product, using that grape.

The owner's nice niece, Elena, told me.

The wines come from Gonnostramatza, a small village astride a river, whose two banks of the large part and the smaller part are linked by three bridges. 

Pastura Biological wine bottle label. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Useful Websites About Sardinian Wines And Winery Farm B & B

https://www.italia.it/en/sardinia/gonnostramatza

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Agriturismo+Fattoria+Cuscusa+Gonnostramatza/@39.6631863,8.8066531,17z

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Almond paste filled biscuits - yummy - from an Italian bakery and restaurant

 

My favourite food from Forno  Minitti, almond paste or marzipan filled biscuity buns, the highlight of the Italian Food & Wine trade show at Excel. Some of them tasted of bergamot.

The jolly gentleman keen for passers-by to stop and try his latest buns and biscuits.  He always something new to taste, as the enterprising company is constantly introducing new tastes and recipes. 

This was the latest brochure., 

Forno is Italian for oven, like our English word furnace, or the French four..

I met them at the Real Italian Wine & Food Experience, a trade show at Excel, where Italian companies were showing their products to prospective buyers, restaurants, hotels and distributors, hoping to expand their reach and export lots more, not only from their own restaurants and shops in Italy and around the world from websites.

If you have a dream or plan of visiting them, the Forno Minniti company is in the south of Italy at Reggio Calabria, known as the toe of Italy. From here ferries go to Sicily. They are planning an even quicker link, a bridge project, which should take place in a year or two after the authorities have dealt with other priorities.

So this is a great place to stop on your way to Sicily, or as a destination in its own right. The old city, dates back to pre Christ, when it was a Greek colony, and you can learn and see more in the museum of archaeology. 

All around you is a view of blue sea and sky, with a backdrop of stunning, silhouetted  Mount Etna Volcano. It is an active volcano. The earth sometimes shakes. But they are not worried. 

The last one to hit Messina city in Sicily, and Reggio Calabria town, was way back more than a hundred years ago in 1908. They are not expecting another for 300 years. Besides, they reassure me, now they are prepared with better building regulations.

The local wines include the best known Nerello Calabrese red wine.

The same family owns a restaurant named Cibus Minniti located in Via Nicola Furnari, 18, IT 89129. Here you can taste local characteristic dishes and all the products of Forno Minniti. For example, savoury panettone, and olive or onion biscuits..

More details from

www.cibusminniti

www.fornominniti.it

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Angela's Seasonal Xmas Quiz for travellers

 Where will you find a black cake at Christmas? What does Feliz Navidad mean? 

Do the quiz and check the answers to compare the number you get right with other members of your friends and family.  Learn the answers, and get all completely right by doing the quiz again.

See how many points you get. I hope it is not pointless.

 A The word croissant means

1 Crescent, in French

2 Cooked, in French

3 Cross shaped in French

4 Crescent in Italian 

B Spumante means

1 Sparkling in Italian

2 Sparkling in French

3 Spilled in Spanish

C Rosé means

1 Rose coloured in French

2 Rose shaped in Spanish

3 Rose perfumed in Italian

D Whiskey

1 Comes from Scotland

2 Comes from Ireland and America

3 Comes from Native Indians

E Whisky

1 Comes from Scotland

2 Comes from Ireland

3 Comes from Antarctica

F Christmas Pudding

1 Traditionally contains only a silver sixpence

2 Traditionally contains a three penny bit, sixpence, pea, bean or thimble

3 Traditionally contains a gold coin or gold foil wrapped fruit

Xmas crackers

G Christmas Crackers

1 Are named after the sound they make when pulled

2 Are named after the two creases

3 Are named after their appearance when pulled apart

H Christmas Crackers were invented by 

1 Tom Smith

2 Tom Jones

3 Billy Bunter

I In England at Christmas at tea time you eat

1 Christmas cake

2 Mince Pies

3 Christmas cake or mince pies

J The Yule Log comes from

1 England

2 Scotland

2 France

K Stollen comes from

1 Germany

2 Russia

3 Canada

L Panettone comes from

1 Spain and Italy

2 France and Portugal

3 Australia and New Zealand

M At Christmas in Belize they eat

1 White cake

2 Black cake, sometimes with Yellow cake

3 Green cake 

N Champagne comes from

1 France

2 Spain

3 Italy

4 France, and the USA under license

O Cava comes from

1 France

2 Spain

3 Italy

P Prosecco comes from

1 Spain

2 Italy

3 Portugal

Q Sherry comes from

1 France

2 Spain

3 Madeira

R Madeira comes from

1 Spain

2 Madeira which is Portuguese

3 Italy

S Christmas Day is Dec 25

1 In the lunar calendar

2 In the Gregorian Calendar

3 In the Julian Calendar

T Dec 26 Is

1 Boxing Day only

2 St Stephen's Day only

3 Both Boxing Day and St Stephen's Day in different countries

U A hanukiah is

1 The same as the menorah - 7 branches, for 7 days of the week

2 Has only 8 branches, for the 8 day festival

3 Has 9 branches, 8 plus the helper candle to light the others

V

Champagne is 

1 The shape of the bottle

2 A region of France and name of the drink

3 The name of the man who invented the bubbly drink

4 The name of a grape

W The Star of David (Jewish star, also called the seal of Solomon by Moslems)_

1 Has 5 points

2 Has 8 points

3 Has six points

4 Has any number of points

X Feliz Navidad is Spanish for

1 Happy Birthday

2 Congratulations

3 Happy New Year

4 Happy Christmas

Y Traditionally in the UK you kiss under

1 Holly

2 Mistletoe

3 The Christmas tree

Z What is the official name of the UK royal broadcast on Christmas Day

1 The Queen's Speech or the King's Speech

2 The Christmas message because the Queen's Speech or King's Speech opens Parliament

Answers

A1 B1 C1 D2 E1 F1 G1 H1 I3 J2 K1 l  L1 M2 N1

O2 P2 Q2 R2 S2 T3 U3 V2 W3 X4 Y2 Z2

-ends-

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Italian Familly Distillery With Guest Befrooms And Pool Outside Rome

 Only 30 minutes from Rome you can stay at a family owned distillery. Bed and breakfast. Drive into the nearest town Tarquina for dinner.

You will meet Giorgia and  Giulia (Julia) cousins.in the family Pusceddu.

I met them at the London spirits show, BCB.

I enjoyed a grapefruit cocktail.

This is gin vermouth and a third product tropic.

Handy Websites

www.valledelmarta.it

distillerianuma.com

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Wine Museums Worldwide - WOW - which ones to visit?

WoW stands for World of Wine, also the exlamation, wow! It is a huge wine complex in Portugal, on the hillside overlooking the river. The city is called Oporto, Oporto, on a hillside above the port in Portugal, easy to remember. But that's not the only place to find a wine museum.

After the London Wine Fair, where I saw the stand of Georgia, which claims to be the birthplace of wine, I started thinking about wine museums. Some have supermarket size shops and restaurants. Others have cellar doors offering tastings, sometimes free food, other times platters of food if you have a group and book and pay - and mini-shops, and vineyard visits, with self-guided or guided tours.

I have visited Vineyards all over the world, and I have been to the memorable wine museums in Cyprus and Italy. 

Italy

Italy has huge mosaic floors from Roman villas, showing the Gods of wine, and the Romans reclining and drinking.

The one in Torgiano, Italy is in Umbria, next door to and west of Tuscany, not far from Florence. 

France 

Paris has a wine museum. 

Beyond Paris is Rheims in the Champagne area. There numerous Champagne houses offer tours and tastings.

In France, the port of Marseilles was established for the ships carrying wine. 

Bordeaux has a huge modern museum of wine. The name Bordeaux means border or edge of the water, meaning waterway. Wine drinking and export dates back to the time before air travel and even proper passable roads. Then travel was mainly by boats down rivers and in ships across seas.

Portugal

In Europe the biggest range of museums and gifts such as wine stoppers and socks was in WOW in Portugal. A series of museums on a hillside, like Disney, kept us busy all day.Videos, tastings, and a plastic tumbler to take home included in the price.

The Douro museum, along the river Douro, included a sniff section. The large ground floor shop entertained me with wine soaps and novelties.

Museu do Douro, Portugal. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

USA

California has many wineries, vineyards and shops attached. We drove along, up north from San Francisco. As we got further from the big city, the price of a corkscrew got lower and lower. One of the vineyards had a train tour, but we arrived too late. 

I saw lots of great gifts. In addition to wines, corkscrews, wine racks, bottle covers. Books for keeping a record of wine you've tried and liked. Books for storing bottle labels. 

Websites of Wine Museums: 

• Vino Versum Poysdorf, Austria
• Wine Museum (Pleven), Bulgaria
• Wine Museum, Ehnen, Luxembourg
• Wine Museum and Enoteca, Brazil
• Cyprus Wine Museum, Limassol District, Cyprus
• Macau Wine Museum, Macau, SAR China
• Musée du Vin (Wine Museum of Paris), France
• https://www.bordeaux-tourism.co.uk/cultural-heritage/wine-trade-museum.html#:~:text=Discover%20the%20history%20of%20the,better%20understanding%20of%20Bordeaux%20wines. Bordeaux, France
• Museo del vino (Torgiano), Italy
• Douro Museum, Portugal
• WOW (World of Wine), Porto, Portugal
• Drăgășani Wine Museum, Romania
• Yilan Distillery Chia Chi Lan Wine Museum, Taiwan
• https://www.wineinvestment.com/learn/magazine/2021/05/seven-wine-museums-to-put-on-your-travel-bucket-list/
• Other wine museums are in Georgia, and South Africa.
• https://www.wineenthusiast.com/culture/travel/best-winemaking-history-musuems/?srsltid=AfmBOoqzqokP-8sps2EpFXIhSY0DOMgXWFRycZtFFHAO1WKp6bNWtsJy
• California Wine Museum Antique Shop, USA

Napa Valley wine train (lunches and day tours)

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Chocolates Galore from Italy, from Marcantognini

 

At the Real Italian Wine & Food trade show in London and saw some unusual products. What Italy does so well are nut chocolates. but these chocolates were also filled with fruit flavours and other delights.

Marcantognini is an Italian diminutive of Marc Antony, or a surname related to the first name, as you may have suspected. The name of the contact at the company is Valerio Marcantognini. The master chocolatiers are Davide and Daniela Mancantognini.  i colori del ciocolato translated as the colours of chocolate.

These chocolates look gorgeous and taste fabulous. The handy leaflet tells you their chocolates, as well as looking great, are made from organic ingredients, gluten free and low in sugar. 

Their flavours are transated into English on an English leaflet, but most of the words are almost identical in both languages, such as (alphabetically)

blueberry cheesecake  (cheesecake mirtillo - the adjective usually comes after the noun in Italian)

caramel (caramello)

classic (classico)

cream (crema)

crispy caramel

gin tonic

hazelnut (nocciola)

lemon (limone)

peanut butter (burro di arachido - di means of)

pistachio crunchy

raspberry  (lampone) cheesecake

salted (salata)

strawberry (fragola)

strawberry & lemon (fragola e limone - e means and)

tart/cake - torta (torta Sacher - Sacher torte)

tiramisu

They make chocolates, bars and Easter eggs, items created to suit their clients' requirements.

They were looking for an importer to the UK.

Look at their Facebook page and you can watch videos showing their creations for Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter. At Christmas they make Christmas trees, the size of the larger Easter eggs which you see in Supermarkets, in chocolate, of two colours, dark and light brown, and green chocolate. The shop is in  Mondavio PU in Italy.  

www.marcantogninicioccolato.com

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King Charles spoke in Italian to the Italians - you can too!

King Charles III on a British ten pound note.

The Italian name equivalent to Charles is Carlo.

 King Charles spoke in Italian to the Italians in Rome, the eternal city, in April 2025. I am learning Italian on Duolingo and you can, too. 

Here are some of the phrases I have learned

Italian - English

aspetto che - I am waiting for

bello essere qui - good to be here

mio marito - my husband (the one I am married to)

e importante - it is important (you need to put the accent on the solo e to change the letter e from 'and' to 'is')

causa - because (the second half of the English word is almost the same, cause)

tutto sara facile - everything will be easy

vero - true (agreeing with somebody) Nod and you have 'that's true', raise your eyebrows and you have, 'really!' or ironically,'NO! You don't say!'

At breakfast, the word for honey is mela

Ho bisogno de - I want/ I have need of

voglio - I want

non voglio - I do not want (v and w are pairs, twins, but you need to tell them apart. v and w are interchangeable in some languages, for example, in German the word wilkommen is pronounced vilkommen)

voglio che - I want that (eg I would like something to happen)

mela - honey

imparare - to learn

To learn Italian you can use Duolingo. 

To find handy phrases and sentences for travelling, you can use Wikivoyage Phsebook Italian.

To translate words you can use Translate Google.

To translate an entire speech you can save sections in Translate Google.

To practise speaking, you can attend an Italian speaking club of Toastmasters International. There is an online club in Rome. I prepared a message for them.

I am learning Italian on Duolingo.

Sto imparando l'italiano su Duolingo.

I would like to attend an online meeting.

Vorrei partecipare a una riunione online.

Useful Websites

duolingo.com

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Where can I buy truffle crisps online?

 From 

www.geofoods.it

This is friendly Giulia. (For the pronunciation and as a memory aid think of the English spelling Julia.)

Wonderful truffle crisps. 

Her business card has a gold backing. The company, Geofoods, also has a stunning thick brochure with a gold inside cover.

The company is in picturesque Perugia, in Umbria, Italy. The hilltop and hillside city with an impressive Etruscan gigantic hillside gateway.

See later post on truffle cheese in London.

Sparkling wine bubbles - bellissima

Father and son, in the Italian wine business. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 First, let's look at the label of this wine. It is says Pignoletto, which is a type of grape, like letto, Italian for bed.

Riosto is the name of the company,  This wine is made by Champagne method.

If you are in Italy or visiting Italy, you can visit their company. They have a light tasting, a degustazione, for 25 euros. For that price you get 3 glasses, of different wines, and bread and tagliatelle, meaning, bites of cheese, ham and salami.

www.podereriosto.it 

As for the letto, Italian for bed, they have a package for accommodation. Look on the same website

www.podereriosto.it  

Coffee Bar San Marino in Brixton

 

San Marino cake display. Brixton. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

San Marino is a small land-locked country in Italy. The language is Italian. San, as you might have guessed means saint.

We popped in for a quick coffee stop on our way back from The Laundry restaurant. 

We ordered an almond pastry and a coffee.

At that time, late at night, the staff consisted of two jolly ladies.

Italian Almond Crumb Cake - Sbrisolona & Sweet Food Festival

 Almond crumb cake comes from Mantua, also called Mantova, in the Lombardy region of Italy. 

Sbrisolona. Photo from Wikipedia.

The city has had a Sbrisolona festival. The second one was Oct 13-15 in 2023. The net one is 18-20 Oct 2024.

Festival of Sbrisolona, Mantua, Italy. Photo by Franzk in Wikipedia.

The distinctive features of this almond cake are that it is crumbly and it is made with orange instead of lemon zest.

Italian Almond Tart Sbrisolona

https://www.bing.com/search?q=ialian+almond+tart&pc=GD03&form=GDAVG1&ptag=7301&showconv=1

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Considering Hiking In Southern Italy?

 Condidering hiking in southern Italy? 

You might want to check

Airports for access

For example, Naples

Hiking areas

Local attraction for non hikiers, post-hiking tourism, things to do in wet non hiking weather.

You might want to add 

1 The cave dwellings of  Matera and 

2 The Trulli, conical roof houses,  Singular trullo. Plural trulli. In Alberobello, S Italy.

Photo from Wikipedia. on trullo.

You might want to check out the region on Wikivoyage. Then the Italian language phrasebook on Wikivoyage.

We book hotels through booking dot com. If you make lots of bookings through them over the years, you get notified of special rates, and get advantages.

Useful Websites

TRULLI Conical houses

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trullo

https://www.easyhiker.co.uk/a-visit-to-the-trullo-town-of-alberobello/

Booking accoomdation in Alberobello

Cave dwellings Matera

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassi_di_Matera

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Matera

Italia Language

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Italian_phrasebook

Safety on bridges - ideas after the Venice Tragedy for Pregnant Recent Bride

 It has not been a good year for brides. One killed in the USA by a drunken driver. 

One in Iraq with more than 100 killed at her wedding. Now a pregnant woman on her honeymoon killed in Venice after marrying less than a month ago .

What can be done to prevent an accident like the last one this ever happening again? 

1 Vehicles should brake if a driver's eyes shut because he is dozy or unconscious. 

2 All bridges should have safety inspections with visible certificates, like toilets in fast food places. Then local papers could check and make a fuss about any bridge not showing up to date certification.

3 Vehicles should have sprinkler systems like buildings. 

4 Planes have co-pilots. A vehicle carrying more than 20 people should have a co-pilot. That could be a passenger who gets a reduced fare after a fifteen minute training course and rehearsal of taking over controls. 

Any more suggestions from you or elsewhere in the world? Let us know.

Useful Websites

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12594485/Venice-bus-tragedy-honeymoon-couple-21-dead.html#comments

https://me.mashable.com/culture/33111/tragic-wedding-fire-in-northern-iraq-gross-negligence-blamed-for-over-100-fatalities

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bride-killed-speeding-dui-driver-golf-cart-wedding-south-carolina-rcna82377

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Did you put on weight on holiday, or the business trip? How to find out

Weighing machine. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

You can tell if your buttons are popping. Your clothes are tight.  

What about the fact that you weight yourself naked at home?

Simple. Weight yourself fully clothed in your commonly worn travlling outfit before leaving home. Do it the day you leave or the day before. That is your first day weight.

But dare you weigh yourself.?

1 Pharmacies. In italy and other countries there are weighing machines. You may have to pay. They could be free.

2 Any time you go to the doctor for anything the doctor's prmises or nurse's room probably has a weighing machine.

3 Many hotels and hostels have a large weighing machine for weighting large luggage. This is to help guests find out if their luggage is over weight before leaving for the airport.

4 Some countries in Asia have street vendors who sit with a wighing machine at their feet and make their lving by charging you a small fee, or accepting a donation, from passers-by who wish to weight themselves.

5 Some large deaprtment stores stock weighting machines. Some may be in packets and won't work until you remove the packaging or insert a battery or turn them on. However, look around, you might find one which works. If you smile and chat up a bored assistant, they might help you.  

6 Carry a tape measure. Measure your waist. 

Sometimes the scales tell you mystery numbers.

Just google it to find the conversion.

Useful Websites

https://coolconversion.com/weight/kg-to-stones-pounds/_56.4_kg_in_stones_and_pounds_