Magical Caribbean

For the second time in the Caribbean; for the second time an island of the Greater Antilles; for the first time the Caribbean spirit as I understand it. In fact, after having visited Cuba far and wide, my return to Italy had left me with the image of a land of still untouched beauty and the memory of the warmth of its people, accompanied by the melancholic flavour of shared suffering and hardship. Landed in the Dominican Republic, you immediately breathe the truly festive Caribbean spirit. Already at the airport Merengue and Bachata welcome you and this rhythm accompanies you throughout the holiday. Our starting point was the resort of Bahyaibe; here we had our village and from here we set off on the daily excursions. We retraced the history of the island by visiting its capital, Santo Domingo (the oldest city of the Americas), with its alcázar, its walls and its colonial part.

The visit to Altos de Chavon, a replica of a Spanish village on top of a hill, turned out to be rather disappointing as it's an unreal imitation that has nothing to do with the surrounding landscape. From the top of this hill, however, you enjoy a beautiful view of the Rio Chavon, famous for being the filming location of "Apocalypse Now". We then went back up the river in some launches and this navigation let us appreciate the wonderful nature of the interior. What really leaves you breathless, though, are the beaches and the crystal-clear sea. The coast is bordered by an infinity of coconut palms and royal palms, and all this majesty with every glance at the surrounding horizons reminds you that you're in a true tropical paradise.

Dominicans really love their land and try to express this feeling in every way; the most evident is the quantity of Naive paintings found in every corner of the country. They're very simple paintings but they fully represent the spirit and colours of the Caribbean: it would be a shame not to take a little piece home!! NOT TO BE MISSED: the view of Saona Island. An almost uninhabited island (there's only a small fishing village), it has no tourist facilities inside but in exchange offers turquoise water, white sand and coconut palms.....what more could you want!