Lenses for travelling

The Montgolfier brothers, inventors of the first balloon to transport people, could never have imagined it: the hot air balloon experience is still one of the most impressive for gliding through the sky. One of the best places to enjoy the magic of the landscape seen from above is the Göreme Valley in the unique historical region of Cappadocia. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, it is dotted with rocks of volcanic origin and religious architecture from pre-Christian times weathered by the ravages of time. The result is a surreal landscape. Impossible to distinguish myth from fairytale, not even the multifaceted forms carved into the rock, rebaptised the ‘fairy chimneys’, where the earth meets the sky, offer a solution. To enjoy the magnificence of the scenery, it is possible to take advantage of the bright morning light or the warm hues of sunset. To accompany the thrill of the flight, we refer to a legend in the world of eyewear: the aviator models once designed for pilots, still capable of surprising in the reinterpretations in the Marcolin collections. Combining a classic with contemporary design details.

Once upon a time there was the Habsburg Empire, the year was 1857. The inauguration of the line from Vienna to Trieste, the most important outlet on the Adriatic Sea, transformed the missing link into what would go down in history as the southern railway line and go on to enable the aristocracy south of the empire to land on the shores of the Adriatic, revitalising trade on both routes. Today, that railway line’s historic network has been restored, making it possible to reach Vienna from Trieste along the old route. This is slow travel. Watching the landscapes pass by, starting from the shores of Istria of yesteryear, across the rugged mountain ridge of the Simmering and then up through Styria, always window-side are the sights you will see under the lenses of your glasses. If art and culture are on your agenda this summer, once you arrive in Vienna, the highlight is the Austrian National Library, with its Gala Hall: you will not have access to the over 200,000 volumes on display, but you will be able to admire the baroque splendour of the court library, one of the most beautiful in the world. We suggest graduating the experience through understated, elegant frames, the result of the time-forged expertise of the Marcolin brand.

Cherchez la femme! urged Alexandre Dumas père, in his novel Les Mohicans de Paris, to imply that women are the direct or indirect cause of events, even if these events are apparently unrelated to the women in question. With the Women’s World Cup coming into full swing this August in Australia and New Zealand, we turn to Oceania. Following the Italian national team is an opportunity to travel around the Australian continent chasing waves, heading for beaches whose miles of sand or rocks make them a surfers’ paradise. For the more experienced, equipped with the best lenses to shield their eyes from the sun’s rays and wrap-around silhouettes to protect them from the water and salt, Marcolin sets up a rendezvous at Bells Beach, the birthplace of surfing in Australia and the setting for Point Break, the cult film for lovers of the most spectacular water sport ever. For mere inquisitive onlookers, however, there is the Australian National Surfing Museum and Hall of Fame near the beach to trace the history of surfing and its most iconic boards.