Bruges, the pearl of the Flanders

The visit to Bruges was short, but still, the hours spent in this city were full of emotions.

We had the opportunity to visit a nocturnal, intimate Bruges, full of street lamps that illuminated the souls of the buildings. And then those alleys, full of art.. full of canals.

Perhaps not everyone knows that Bruges is nicknamed “The Venice of the North” and from a D.O.C. Italian like I am, I can tell you that the similarities are really clear. Romantic, poetic, intense in the alleys that embrace the canals.

In the heart of the city we find the Burg square where the majestic, impressive Town Hall Palace stands with its fascinating Gothic beauty. To outline the features of the square there are also the Old Chancellery and the Basilica of the Holy Blood.

The Beffroi, the symbolic tower of the city captures the gaze of every spectator with its dizzying height, emphasizing its grandeur and pride even at night.

The half-light of a city, that would have soon given way to the night, resounded full of life.

And then there, near the center, the canals begin with that scent of intimacy that resounds eternally. Those boats moored ashore waiting for the new day; that dim light that mirrored the shadows in the canal; those dull sounds that left room for the imagination, created a particular, visceral mood.

And then the pebbles, many many pebbles that accompanied you to every corner of the city, as to preserve that touch of rustic, reluctant to give way to international tourism.

This pearl of the Flanders, in Belgium, is now considered an UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the artistic, cultural and historical level makes it a real diamond.