Rajasthan, Delhi, Agra and Varanasi

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NEW DELHI: a good starting point for visiting Rajasthan. Already from the airport you breathe the pulsing life of this splendid country. The congested traffic. Cars, rickshaws and scooters with the deafening noise of their horns signalling their right of way. The cows that, indifferent to the chaos around them, rested in the middle of the road. Incredible India. And this is only a small taste.

VARANASI (Hotel Alka, fantastic location. Very humble but with an incredible view over the Ganges.): the holy city among the holy cities of India. Benares or Varanasi, its current name meaning "the city between the two rivers", the Varuna and the Asi, is the reference place for all Indians who want to make a pilgrimage. It rises on the western bank of the sacred river: the Ganges. SARNATH: a few km from the noisy Benares, a small oasis of peace and greenery. Here in the Deer Park, the Buddha gave his first teaching after his enlightenment and later Buddhism spread throughout India. The DHARMARAJIKA stupa, about 30 m high, now in ruins, was built by the emperor Ashoka 200 years after the Buddha's death. When it was destroyed, inside it was found a green marble casket containing the ashes of the Buddha.

AGRA (Tourist Rest House): - TAJ MAHAL: one of the two reasons for visiting Agra, known to all. The splendid Taj Mahal. In 1634, on the death of his beloved wife, Shah Jahan had the Taj built for her as their final dwelling. Known by Indians as the temple of love, this enormous construction entirely made of white marble is topped by an enormous dome and flanked on its four sides by minarets; some walls are adorned with verses from the Koran. We recommend visiting it at sunset. - RED FORT: built between 1565 and 1573 on the right bank of the Yamuna. Shah Jahan embellished it with the royal palaces, the audience hall and a mosque. A truly splendid construction. Along the road that leads from Agra to Jaipur we recommend two stops: - FATEHPUR SIKRI: this is an abandoned city built entirely in red sandstone by the great Mughal Akbar as his residence.

It was abandoned a few years later for lack of water. With its palaces and richly carved buildings, it is an architectural pearl without equal. - GALTA: less touristy (at least in 2004 it was) and very suggestive. It is a temple completely immersed among rocks and vegetation. There are pools in which Indians, men and women, bathe separately.

JAIPUR (Hotel Jaipur Inn/ Samode): founded in 1727, it is the pink city, capital of the state of Rajasthan. It is the seat of rich carpet and jewel merchants. - HAWA MAHAL: the "palace of the winds", a building with a beautiful pink sandstone facade, stands in the crowded bazaar. The facade, with a total of 953 niches, allowed noblewomen to watch the bustling life of Jaipur. - CITY PALACE: the various rooms show brocaded clothes and fabrics full of embroidery belonging to the royal family, and also weapons, carpets and paintings. - AMBER FORT: just outside Jaipur, on a hill, stands this marvellous fort. Following the tradition of the ancient maharajas, you can climb on the back of peaceful elephants along a scenic road and, having reached the Jai Pol, the gate of victory, you enter the great courtyard.

Temples dedicated to the Goddess Kali and the God Ganesh, the audience hall adorned with precious carpets, entertainment rooms, the personal apartments of Jai Singh, his Arem and also the marvellous hall of mirrors whose walls are completely covered with small mirrors.

FATEHPUR: about 4 hours by car from Jaipur, in Shekhawati, there is the land of the havelis, the dwellings of the local lords, beautifully decorated with frescoes reproducing scenes of life from the colonial period. You can visit the villages of Fatehpur and Mandawa.

BIKANER: an entire day of travel (8 hours) among rural villages and the beginning of the Thar desert. It is the northernmost of the desert cities, surrounded by 7 km of imposing walls with five entrances.

JAISALMER (Hotel Sona): built in 1156, it is one of the most fascinating Rajasthani cities, deeply sunk in the Thar desert. Arriving at sunset, its buildings, the bastions and its walls built in yellow sandstone reflect a golden light that has earned it the name of "golden city". - THE FORT OF JAISALMER: it rises from the sea of sand that surrounds it, also known as "Sonar Kila", the golden fort. You also visit the Jain temple Parswanath Temple, the oldest and most beautiful of the Jain temples inside the fort. Just outside the palace there is the bazaar called Manek Chowk: it is worth taking a walk through its narrow alleys to observe, besides the little shops, the typical buildings.

- THE HAVELIS: leaving the citadel, you head for the city proper to visit the Havelis, richly decorated yellow sandstone palaces built by rich merchants and nobles: Salim Singh ki Haveli, Patwon ki Haveli, Nathmalji haveli, and the Tazia Tower. - LODURVA: 15 km outside Jaisalmer; once the ancient capital, it is an important pilgrimage site for the Jains. In the temple there is a hole from which, it is said, in the evening a snake comes out to drink the milk left for it as an offering, but naturally it can only be seen by those who enjoy a particular blessing. - SAND DUNES: about 40 km from Jaisalmer you can enjoy an incredible panorama, the dunes of the Thar desert with a camel excursion just before sunset.

You can choose, as we did, to spend the evening in the huts in the desert of the village of Khuri, where houses of mud and straw are decorated with motifs similar to those of Persian carpets. Watch out, you need a looot of spirit of adaptation. JODHPUR (Sandhu Palace Hotel): the blue city, nestled deep in the Thar desert, is today the second city of Rajasthan after Jaipur. It is still today one of the most important centres for wool, livestock, camels and salt.

PUSHKAR (White House): it is a small village situated on the edge of a lake and surrounded by hills. It is a place of pilgrimage dedicated to the god Brahma, the only one in all of India. During the camel fair, at the full moon of the month of Kartika, the village fills beyond belief with livestock traders, devotees and tourists. During the rest of the year it remains a very pleasant and quiet place. You visit the temple dedicated to the god Brahma, take a little stroll around the lake and a visit to the very nice bazaar.

BUNDI: a welcoming little town, it still preserves the medieval atmosphere, thanks to the absence of the hordes of tourists who favour the better-known destinations. An enormous fort from the Rajput era overlooks the valley where the city rises; at its feet an imposing palace houses the famous Bundi paintings. Several blue-coloured houses similar to those found in Jodhpur are visible in the old part of the city.

UDAIPUR (Poonam Haveli): "the white city", founded in 1567, is described as "the only one in India that stimulates the imagination of poets, artists and writers". Surrounded by hills.