Author Archives: Gigi

Gigi

About Gigi

Hi everyone! My name is Luigi but all my friends call me Gigi. I'm from Italy, more precisely from Naples, one of the most beautiful cities in the world! I moved to Amsterdam more than 2 years ago after I’ve travelled most tourist destinations for fun.

Smoke on the Water: 25th Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Gigi

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This is going to be tricky and controversial, but let’s face the truth: 23% of the 8 million tourists that visit Amsterdam every year go to a Coffee Shop during their stay.

For those of you that don’t know what a Coffee Shop is, here’s the Wikipedia definition: “Coffeeshops (or cannabis coffee shop) are establishments in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities”

To celebrate this libertine attitude against soft drugs, each year the New York based magazine “High Times” organizes the “High Times Cannabis Cup” – also known as the “Cannabis Cup” – which is held in November in Amsterdam.

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The Best Fiorentina in Florence

Posted on September 4, 2012 by Gigi

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WARNING: this blog-post is not for our vegetarian audience!

Sorry, but that warning was really needed since today we are gonna talk about one of the most amazing, famous and challenging dishes you can have in Italy: the “bistecca alla Fiorentina” or, if you prefer, “beefsteak Florentine style”!

Bistecca alla Fiorentina
For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, the Fiorentina is one of the main dishes of the Tuscan kitchen and it consists of a T-bone steak seasoned with salt (sometimes also with black pepper), grilled over a wood or charcoal fire and served with just a little bit of olive oil on top. Doesn’t look so unique, does it? Indeed the uniqueness of the Fiorentina is the cut: 1/1,5 kg, 3 fingers thick, and how the meat is served: invariably very rare, just 3-5 minutes grilling per side and 5-7 minutes vertically standing on its bone so as to make the blood pour out.

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A view of Modern Rome

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Gigi

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When people think about Rome their thoughts automatically go to the Forum Romanum, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and all the other amazing monuments of majestic ancient Rome.

But Rome is not only about “old stuff” and ancient history. Rome is also one of the Italian cities where all the most famous artists and architects want to leave a trace of their work.

 

Auditorium Parco della Musica

One of the most fabulous examples of modern art & architecture in Rome is the Auditorium “Parco della Musica” (Music Park) designed by the most famous Italian modern architect: Renzo Piano. This beautiful structure is composed of 3 concert halls (Sala Petrassi, Sala Sinopoli and Sala Santa Cecilia) and by an open theater that recalls the structure of an ancient roman theater.

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Win a magic trio: Amsterdam, Canal Cruise and Champagne

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Gigi

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Happy New Year to everyone! Yes, we might be a little bit late on that, but these days are always busy for us… Christmas is a great time to travel, and since our job is to make your travel as smooth as possible, we worked hard to make it happen.

But now we are back on track, and to start 2012 on the right foot, we have a new amazing contest for you! Thanks to the Singel Hotel in Amsterdam we are giving away a magic trio: 2 nights in double/twin room with breakfast, a canal cruise and a bottle of champagne!

Posted in Competition | Tagged | 130 Comments

Insiders guide to Rome

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Gigi

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Following our Top Rome Blogs post we contacted some of the bloggers and asked a few questions to improve our knowledge of Rome and its spirit and to get some useful tips for all the travelers wishing to visit the Eternal City.

The bloggers that kindly participated in this project are the following:
- Amanda Ruggeri – www.revealedrome.com
- Martina – www.miglioraroma.com
- Ron – www.roninrome.com
- Céline – www.frenchinroma.com

Rome is one of the oldest cities in the world and I hope this small insiders guide will help you to find your way and to have a wonderful vacation!

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Top Amsterdam Blogs: cycling on the canals

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Gigi

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God made the Earth, but the Dutch made the Netherlands – this saying explains the practical capability of the Dutch and their sense of cultural pride. We can say the same about Amsterdam and the Amsterdammer, like New York and the New Yorkers.

Each of the 165 canals that are in Amsterdam was made by the Dutch. In such a culturally and socially rich continent as Europe, there’s no other city where people from all over the world are welcome, where every culture can have a voice and every religion can find its space. This is why Amsterdam attracts so many people from every corner of the Earth, not only as tourists, but also as potential residents and contributors to this unique community.

That’s why, following Paris and Rome, I decided to make a list of the top blogs dedicated to Amsterdam, for all the tourists willing to visit this unbelievable city.

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Amsterdam is waiting for…

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Gigi

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Here we are, ladies and gentlemen, to announce the Winner of our latest contest! Thanks to the Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Hotel, one of you will have the chance to spend New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam – one of the craziest cities in Europe!

Again, the decision process was tough; more than 500 comments…yes, it was really time consuming, but someone needs to do the dirty job!

Ok, ok; I’ve already spent enough time trying to keep the suspense high; now it’s time to announce the winner!

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Who will walk on the Ramblas?

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Gigi

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As promised, today we are going to announce the winner of our latest contest: win a 2-night stay at the 4-star Hotel Barcelona Universal on Las Ramblas!

Thanks to all our fans who participated to this contest; we had more than 400 comments.  It was really difficult for us to pick up the winner and, as always, I asked all my colleagues in Easytobook to help me pick the best answer to our question: why do you deserve a 2-night stay in a 4-star hotel in Barcelona?

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Win New Year’s Eve in Amsterdam!

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Gigi

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This contest it’s over now, please check this blogpost

For all our fans and customers we have a really nice present; another contest – a flash contest. The prize is a 2-night stay in Amsterdam in the famous Hilton Amsterdam Schiphol Hotel, an amazing 4 star hotel, on the 30th and 31st of December!

Yes, we are giving you the opportunity to win a 2-night stay in Amsterdam for New Year’s Eve! The Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Hotel is a perfect location for a short vacation in Amsterdam, especially for New Year’s Eve. The hotel is close to  Schiphol Airport, is well connected to the city centre, and offers, like all the Hilton Hotels, high quality service for all guests!

Posted in Competition | Tagged | 77 Comments

Geek Travel Gadget

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Gigi

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I’m not the only one in easytobook.com’s marketing department that defines himself as a ‘geek’. Like everyone at easytobook.com, I’m also an addicted traveller. If you combine an expert traveller and a geek what you get is a kind of mythological animal that goes searching for a Wi-Fi connection regardless of whether he’s in New York City or in a small town in Southern Italy.

To help this traveller I decided, with the help of other geeks, to make a list of the top useful geek gadgets to carry when travelling.

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