Finale Ligure, Italy

Finale Ligure is an Italian comune on the Gulf of Genoa in the Province of Savona in Liguria.  We visited in autumn, flying from London to Turin and hired a car for the eighty mile drive south to the coast.  Finale Ligure is a popular resort for Italians living in the north, but has very [...]

Guide to Belgravia – and its pubs! (Part 2)

Guide to Belgravia – and its pubs! (Part 2)

In the previous post we gave an overview of this historical area.  We continue in this post - and take in the next four pubs! Foreign embassy capital Belgrave Square is home to around twenty foreign embassies; among them Norway, Spain, Germany, Austria, Brunei, Portugal, Bahrain, Turkey, Argentina, Mexico and the Ivory Coast.  In the [...]

Guide to Belgravia – and its pubs! (Part 1)

Guide to Belgravia – and its pubs! (Part 1)

A short history of Belgravia Belgravia is an area in the south west of London known for its concentration of large mansions, wealthy residents and foreign embassies. However, less than 200 years ago the area was a marshy wasteland frequented by vagrants and criminals. How did it make this transformation? In 1677, the 200 acre [...]

The Saatchi Gallery in London’s King’s Road

The Saatchi Gallery in London’s King’s Road

The Saatchi gallery is one of London’s premier contemporary art galleries.   It is based in an impressive Grade 2* listed building opened in 1801 as a school for children of soldiers’ widows.   From 1892 it served as the Duke of York’s Military School and in 1911 was re-named the Duke of York’s Barracks and became [...]

Chinatown and Chinese New Year in London

Chinatown and Chinese New Year in London

The heart of Chinatown is Gerrard Street.  Here, we have a fusion of Hong Kong and mainland China in the centre of London!    In 2019, Chinese New Year is on 5 February and the main public celebrations will take place on Sunday 10 February.    2019 will be the year of the pig.    [...]