travelling-www.balistrieri.com site under (re)construction!

www.balistrieri.com site under (re)construction!

travelling

On February 11, 2023 I had visited 92 countries and territories.

From the early trips with my family as a kid to nowadays membership to frequent flyer programs I always enjoyed travelling :-)

Especially during university times I have I travelled mainly throughout Europe (almost all countries), but after either for work or for the eager to expand my views beyond I have extensively travelled in other continents.
One of the key factors of my extensive trips to Europe was my active involvement, in my late years of university, in European-wide student projects carried on by the NGO AEGEE through which I acquired a very big network of friends, contacts and experiences useful either to travel for my own pleasure or to develop an internationally minded professional profile.

My European mobility has become more a lifestyle than a holiday planning, I can say I feel a real European citizen and the amount of times that I visited regularly some countries is almost countless.
I have had also the chance to live in different countries, I am back to Milan since a long now, certainly in my future plans there is still the same lifestyle, travelling in Europe naturally as if it was like taking the tube in your own town and beyond to explore other parts of the world which I haven't seen yet and who knows maybe moving somewhere else again.
Of course life changes, you make up a family and now besides the pleasure to travel with my wife, the aim is to pass on this passion for exploration to my son Amir.



Countries visited Maps

Countries Visited list: 

 

Albania 4

Andorra 2

Argentina 3
Armenia 1

Azerbaijan 1

Austria #

Bahamas 1

Belgium @#

Bosnia-Herzegovina 3

Brasil 2

Bulgaria 6

China 1
Cile 1

Costa Rica 1

Croatia *
Cuba 1
Cyprus *
Cyprus * (North, see note 1)
Czech Republic 5
Denmark 7
Dominican Republic 1
Finland 5
France #
Germany #
Georgia 1
Gibraltar 1

Greece #

Greenland 1

Egypt 1
England * (note 3)
Estonia 1
Hong Kong 1

Hungary #
Iceland 1
India 1
Indonesia 1

Iran 1

Ireland 2
Israel 1
Italy @# (home country)

Japan 1

Jordan 1

Kazakhstan *

Kirghizstan 1

Kenya 1
Kosovo 4 (note 2)

Latvia 1
Liechtenstein 3

 

Luxemburg *
Lituania 1

North Macedonia 4

Malaysia 1

Maldives 1

Malta 5
Mexico 4
Moldavia 1

Monaco *
Montenegro
2

Morocco 1
Netherlands @#

Northern Ireland 1 (Note 3)
Norway 2

Oman 1
Panama 1
Paraguay 1

Philippines 1

Poland 5
Portugal *
Romania *
Russia 1
San Marino 7
Scotland 2 (note 3)

Serbia *
Singapore 2

Slovakia 5

Slovenia #
South Korea 1
Spain @#
Sri Lanka 1

Sweden 5
Switzerland #
Thailand 2
Tunisia 1
Turkey #
Ukraine 5
United Arab Emirates 3

United States @5

Uruguay 1

Uzbekistan 1
Vatican 2
Venezuela 1

Vietnam 2

Wales 1 (note 3)
 

The number of times I have visited each country is shown on the right (* = 10-20 times, # = more than 20; both approximate, according to my memory!) those I have lived/stayed for more than two months are marked by @ . 
Note 1 : The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is only recognized by Turkey, I thought it was worth mentioning the distinctions of my visits because of the peculiarity of the Political and Cultural Division that the country has to face and the fact that I could experience the problems, cultivate friendship on both side during my studies and in my professional career (see my University graduation thesis on the "Cyprus problem", only in Italian though). Nevertheless I count the country as one, wishing soon the two sides will have one flag!
Note 2 : Same apply for "Kosovo", which I visited on personal and business basis. First time it was in March 2000, so after the dramatic war and crimes which devastated the area and left it in a sort of international protectorate, until recently when it has been proclaimed as an indipendent state...many are not recognizing it yet
.
Note 3: Yes, I know I should consider Great Britain countries as one, but since I am a great supporter of the concept of national identity rather than the political division of the countries, I count them as 4 (so that I can also claim 3 more in my list :-)