IL Postcard

Unless you’re a desert nomad craving endless damp, the weather is not the usual draw for visitors to Ireland. They say here that it only rains twice a year: once from January to June, and a second time from July to December. But I’m not making fun really…I remember spending the coldest July ever on the west coast here, and the continuous drizzle did nothing to detract from the gentle beauty of the countryside and the constant kindness of the people I met. I’m always happy to return to the Emerald Isle—even for a week of solid meetings. Doubtless, there’ll be an opportunity for some exploration in the evenings. You can look forward to a brief rundown of the best pubs in town next week, after I’ve done my research.

In this issue of The European we travel to a warmer clime to find out where to stay in style, especially if you want to take a certain someone along for Valentine’s Day…I’ll be telling you about three amazing modern art centers in this year’s European capital of culture…and you’ll learn about the ins and outs of hiring a professional broker in Spain—not to mention a tale of three castles.

Bests,

Leigh Fergus
Editor, The European

______________________________________________Belli Bellinzona: a tale of th

ree castles

by Lori Hein

The map says Switzerland, but Ticino, Switzerland’s palm-fringed, southern canton, feels like Italy. Indeed, dukes of Milan and Como once ruled the region. Ticino is home to the Riviera-like lake retreats of Lugano, Locarno, and Ascona, and, in their understandable haste to soak up the sun and scenery these places offer, many travelers whiz through Bellinzona, Italian-speaking Ticino’s dramatically sited capital, without so much as a ciao.

Bellinzona, inhabited since Roman times, rewards those who stop with sweeping valley and mountain views, tasty Italian fare, elegant Renaissance squares, and fine medieval architecture. While most ancient European towns would be proud to have one castle, Bellinzona boasts three. Castelgrande, Montebello, and Sasso Corbaro command three successively higher hilltops, and the castle trio, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has guarded the approaches to nearby alpine passes like the St. Gotthard since the Middle Ages.

Castelgrande is the oldest, lowest, and largest castle. Visitors can follow a footpath to the castle and its intact ramparts and towers, but the futuristic, air-conditioned elevator that leaves from the rock-bound piazza del Sole in Bellinzona’s historic center is arguably more fun. Like something from Star Trek, it transports you in seconds through a rock face and up to the fortress walls—the 21st century meets the 13th. Swiss architect Aurelio Galfetti designed the elevator as part of extensive castle renovations.

Once on top, walk the walls, take in the museum’s history and art exhibits, relax in the park-like courtyard—where open-air concerts and movies are hosted in summer—or enjoy regional dishes and Italian wines at the al fresco terrace restaurant built into the ramparts. Eat under a vine-topped pergola while enjoying gorgeous views of the two higher castles and, below, the baroque splendor of Bellinzona’s old town and the 16th-century Church of Sts. Peter and Stephen.

The middle citadel, Montebello, is accessed by a steep road that starts near the train station. Walk, drive, or take the postal bus from the station. The castle complex is comprised of an imposing 13th-century chateau and courtyards with rich 15th-century additions, and houses an archaeology and history museum.

Continue up the road to Castello di Sasso Corbaro, Bellinzona’s highest and youngest stronghold, built in 1479. The view from here is spectacular and extends across the lower Ticino valley and surrounding Alps all the way to Lake Maggiore, which Switzerland shares with Italy. The castle’s museum showcases regional costumes and crafts.

As you stand on Bellinzona’s magnificent medieval heights, you’ll pity the travelers racing along on the highway below, eager to get to the lakes and unaware of the majesty they’re missing.

Useful websites: www.bellinzonaturismo.ch; www.ticino.ch; www.SwitzerlandIsYours.com

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Sorrento in style

by David Block

The jaw-dropping beauty of the Amalfi coastline and Sorrento have been attracting visitors ever since Ulysses made his legendary stopover. These days the tourist hordes are easily beaten back by the locals simply brandishing “full up” notices when the town gets overrun in the summer season. A ravishing town, girdled by breathtaking countryside and glorious seascapes, it’s usually packed with Italian tourists. There's still some room for the rest of us, but you must reserve early for the best hotels and restaurants. Sorrento does its tourist trade from March through October, closing the other five months to enable the locals to restore and refurbish their town—and themselves.

Here are my recommendations for the only way to stay in Sorrento—in style:

Five star hotels
The Hotel Parco dei Principi, website: www.hotelparcoprincipi.com is built on 18th-century foundations, its hundred or so rooms overlooking either a dramatic seascape or the majestic Bourbon-inspired gardens. Each room has a different floor-tile design to complement the ceramic pebbles and Melotti Majolica plates. A long descent takes you to the hotel's own beach, which serves mostly as a rocky annex to the canopied full-menu restaurant.
Grand Hotel Cocumella, website: www.cocumella.com : "Once upon a time, there existed a magic garden favored by the gods... amidst lush hillocks, grottos and tree-lined paths, an ancient secret preserved as a precious gift for those who seek it... " Pretty poetic for a hotel brochure but in keeping with this enchanting palace built on the foundations of a 17th-century Jesuit retreat. Among former guests were Goethe, Wellington, Hans Christian Andersen, and Sigmund Freud. Roman emperors themselves might have felt overindulged in one of the canopy-bedded suites. It's also the only such hotel with direct access to a sandy , rather than a rocky, beach.

Excelsior Vittoria, website: www.ila-chateau.com/vittoria, was opened in 1934 and became a deluxe hotel in the 1890s. In three recent consecutive years it has been voted one of the Best Italian Hotels by Condé Nast Traveler. Highlights include the fabulous Pompeii Suite decorated in concert with the Roman archaeological site that has been recently discovered on the hotel premises. Striking a high note is the suite named after the great tenor Enrico Caruso who lived here just before his death in 1921—it contains a piano he is said to have played during his stay.

Top four-star hotels
Sometimes four-star hotels try even harder to please than their loftier peers. Among them are the charming Hotel La Residenza , currently undergoing extensive but unobtrusive refurbishment, and the understatedly opulent Grand Hotel Royal, one of the resort's oldest established luxury hotels. Rebuilt in 1984, and completely refurbished in 2003, it is planted amid a large centuries-old park offering romantic walks, a tennis court, and belvedere terraces on which are held romantic dance parties and buffets.

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Putting art back in Europe's heart

by Leigh Fergus

Luxembourg may not be the first place that springs to mind when the subject of modern art comes up, but during a brief visit last month, I found more than enough to keep aesthetes happy. Here are my suggestions for a cultural tour with a difference…

First stop: the train station. Follow the ubiquitous blue reindeer that now symbolize the country’s position as European capital of culture this year. The surreal animal should direct you over a footbridge leading to the Rotondes on the other side of the railroad tracks. These are restored and converted stone roundhouses, originally used for turning and maintaining steam engines in the 19th century. Today they house temporary exhibitions or are used as a unique stage for contemporary performances. Rotonde 2 will host a whole season of events aimed at a younger audience this year, including Traffo, a performing arts festival, as well as Art Basics for Children—supposedly the most innovative cultural program for kids in Europe. Currently you can see Martin Parr’s Assorted Cocktail photographic exhibition in Rotonde 1, including his specially commissioned series on Luxembourg that I covered in January (Issue no. 8).

Next stop: the Casino! No risk of losing your shirt here as this casino, in downtown Luxembourg, is a forum for contemporary art. This month the Casino is involved in a tri-part exhibition, ON/OFF, housing 15 light installations and venues in Metz and Saarbrücken (some of the city’s landmarks are given a luminous treatment as well). The building itself has its own story to tell—Liszt gave his last public recital here in 1886.

But the highlight for me was discovering the Mudam, or Museum of modern art, on the periphery of town, by the EU offices and the Philharmonic. Apart from being a beautiful building in its own right, designed by I.M. Pei (he of the Louvre glass pyramid fame), this spacious, er, space is a welcome breath of fresh air to a city with a tendency to play the quaint cutesy card. Airy and light, the museum is perfect for viewing the current retrospective exhibition of native son Michel Majerus.

Majerus’ work brings pop, installations, and minimalism together in a gutsy, brash, energetic way, guaranteed to catch your eye and provoke a reaction—one work has a title I cannot print here; others seem familiar until you realize they are like remixed lyrics: a cartoon figure here, advertising logos there. Don’t be put off by this show, and be sure to explore the rest of the venue. I found Wim Delvoye’s re-visited Gothic chapel particularly fascinating (a very different look at stained glass windows reminiscent of Gilbert and George), and the museum shop is quirky and truly original, like a Christmas market, except that it is stocked only with items that tell a story.

Addresses
La Rotonde 1,62 rue de Bonnevoie (behind the main train station), L-1024; Martin Parr’s exhibition runs until April 8, 2007.
Casino Luxembourg,41 rue Notre Dame, BP 345, L-2013; tel. +(352)22-5045.
Mudam Luxemburg - Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, 3 Park Dräi Eechelen, L-1499; tel. +(352)45-3785-1.

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Is it worth paying a broker fee?

by Lisa Hartwell

Only three years ago, there were about three local brokers offering to assist with the arrangement of mortgages in Spain. Today, dozens have sprung up, but not all are serious professionals.

Why contact a broker?
By going through a professional broker you will automatically have access to numerous banks. Your broker should do the legwork for you and source the best and the most varied products available on the market. This can save you time and money. For instance, banks occasionally change their criteria. Although your estate agent or solicitor may have recommended a particular bank in the past, your application may be refused because of the sudden change. A professional broker will always submit your application to at least four banks to prevent this from happening. He or she can also prevent loss of your deposit: if you only apply to one bank, you could lose your deposit if you don’t close on the date set in the contract.

A broker should be happy to arrange for a mortgage in principal for you. With mortgage approval, your offer will be significantly strengthened when you find the property of your dreams. This would not normally be possible if you approached a bank as an individual.

Fees? What fees?
The broker fee varies considerably. Some brokers say they have no fees, but this is probably not true. The broker is likely to have an agreement with a bank whereby the bank set-up fee is unusually high. On these accessions, the broker may receive the majority of this set-up fee as commission from the bank. This may cost you more than the average broker fee and you may not be given a choice of products either.

Beware
How can you choose a serious broker? Here are a few pointers to help…
- Be wary of a broker who doesn’t charge a fee—as mentioned above, you may end up with a more expensive deal, so that the broker can get a cut
- Exercise caution if the broker only has a mobile number and no fixed landline or verifiable company address, offering to come to you rather than receiving you in an office. We have heard of “brokers” who tell you that your application has been approved and all that is needed is the valuation. You pay the “broker” the valuation fee and never hear from him or her again. This “broker” is likely to have a pay-as-you-go phone card
- Make sure the broker has a registered company
- Check to see that the broker you have chosen accepts credit cards. That way you’ll know he has been carefully vetted by the company that has supplied this facility.

My advice is to play safe and use a professional broker.

[ Editor’s note: Lisa Hartwell works for Orange Finance, and is happy to answer any questions you may have. E-mail her at lisa.hartwell@orangefinance.eu.com. Orange Finance has special arrangements with financial institutions that are not available directly to the general public.]