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In our journey roundup this week: why British Chinese meals is baffling to Americans, the couple who purchased an Italian mansion sight unseen, plus who’s staying in North Korea’s luxurious lodges.
Vito Andrea Racanelli’s ancestors migrated from Italy to America in the late 1800s. More than a century and a half later, he and his household determined to do it in reverse, selecting Tuscany as their dwelling. Racanelli, a Denver-based legal professional, spent greater than $1 million on a sprawling farmhouse in Radicondoli.
“Buying real estate in Italy is completely different,” he tells NCS, suggesting that overseas consumers rent assist with navigating the course of, fairly than making an attempt to deal with all of it on their very own. Read the full story of the renovation for what else he learned.
For NCS subscribers, we have now two extra tales of property-buying overseas.
Texas couple John Alan and Vicky Ambrose purchased the empty shell of a Piedmont mansion for 140,000 euros (round $160,000) with out even seeing it.
They then launched into a three-year renovation, spending an extra 150,000 euros to remodel the property right into a boutique luxurious house with two panoramic balconies. Here’s what it looks like now.
Mussomeli, in Sicily, is legendary as certainly one of the cities round Italy promoting off ruined houses for only one euro, or about $1.20. These bargain-basement houses are in want of an entire rebuild, however the challenge additionally consists of “premium” houses, which want fewer interventions, and are typically totally inhabitable, ranging from round $12,000.
Around 450 homes have now been bought in the city, reworking the neighborhood, the place the hottest properties with foreigners are these with hillside views. Here’s what locals, both established and new, say life is like there.
Here’s a reminder this Valentine’s Day that our hit sequence “Chance Encounters,” about extraordinary journey connections, is offered in podcast kind.
American Kerri Cunningham fell for Brit Dirk Stevens once they met as youngsters on summer time trip in Europe. They have been one another’s past love however lived on reverse sides of the Atlantic. Then nearly three many years later, they unexpectedly reunited. Listen here.
Mexico was the scene for yacht captain Bob Parsons and librarian Beverly Carriveau’s summer time romance that lasted by the many years. A “thunderbolt” handed between them in Mazatlán in 1968, recollects Carriveau, and their lives have been by no means the identical once more. Hear it in her own words.
Of course, it’s not simply lovers who go the distance on Valentine’s Day. That bouquet of roses you ordered can have made a protracted and chilly journey to your sweetheart’s door. Here’s where they’ve been.
For many years, Somalia’s title has been shorthand for battle, piracy and hazard. Yet, in opposition to the odds, the East African nation is now seeing a quiet rise in overseas vacationers. That’s regardless of most Western governments nonetheless advising in opposition to all journey. Here’s what’s behind the surge in tourism.
Over in South Asia, Bangladesh has tigers, tea plantations and seashores, nevertheless it’s by no means been a mainstream vacationer vacation spot. Just 650,000 worldwide guests arrived in 2024. Here’s what the obstacles are that are holding it again.
Finally, North Korea is busy constructing luxurious lodges, full of top-class facilities comparable to out of doors scorching tubs and ski-in ski-out lodges – however state media reveals few precise company. With nearly no overseas vacationers allowed, who’s truly staying in these fancy lodging? NCS’s Will Ripley breaks it down in this video.
In Angola, all the pieces tastes higher with funge
Eating funge, a staple of Angolan delicacies, requires dexterity and a willingness to make use of your fingers. In this video, NCS’s Richard Quest tries his hand at funge for the very first time.
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She spent every week on a South Pacific island along with her finest buddy’s husband.
Their time there was “incredible.”
A prison investigation. A landmark trial. A stroll for peace.
What do you bear in mind from the week that was?
Why British Chinese meals is baffling to Americans.
Sweet and sour chicken balls are a UK delicacy.