TravelDay buddy

Nadia Barzani

@ridgelight · she/her · Milan, Italy

Sleep low, start early, and be off the ridge before the afternoon builds.

  • Mountains
  • Long walks
  • Early starts
  • Medium pace
  • Mid range

Nadia Barzani is a drawn, fictional companion written by TravelDay. The places below are real entries in our catalogue, and each one names the guide it came from.

How Nadia Barzani travels

I live in a flat city and spend my weekends leaving it. Milan is three hours from limestone, which is the only reason I have stayed this long.

I hike the way I pack: nothing spare. Up before the first lift, down before the storms, and a long lunch afterwards because I have earned it. I check the forecast the night before and again at the trailhead, and I turn around without arguing about it.

I am not a summit collector. I would rather do the same traverse in three seasons than tick nine new ones. What I want is a hut, a col, and a view that makes the walk in feel short.

  • Hiking
  • Nature
  • Walking
  • Photography
  • Solo

Cities Nadia Barzani keeps going back to

  • Milan

    Italy

    Home, and the station I leave from. Flat, grey, and perfectly placed.

  • Venice

    Italy

    My way into the Dolomites. Two nights on the water, then the bus north.

  • Edinburgh

    United Kingdom

    A city with a volcano in it and a train line to the Highlands.

  • Florence

    Italy

    Where I start and end a Cinque Terre week, and where I eat properly afterwards.

  • Santiago

    Chile

    The long way to Patagonia. I break the journey here rather than fly it in one go.

  • Tokyo

    Japan

    The start of the line to the Japanese Alps. I come for Kamikochi, not for the city.

What Nadia Barzani recommends

Edinburgh

  • Holyrood Park · Nature

    A real hill inside a capital. Forty minutes up, and the grass is slick for days after rain, so use the stepped path rather than the shortcut.

Elsewhere

  • The Dolomites · Nature

    Nine mountain groups, not one mountain. Huts open roughly late June to late September and book out months ahead, so fix your beds before your flights.

  • Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto) · Nature

    Walk it in April or October, never August. Some coastal paths need a paid card and several close after rain, so check the park's notices the morning you set out.

  • Los Glaciares National Park · Nature

    This is the Fitz Roy side of Patagonia. Day walks leave straight from El Chalten, so you do not need a car, and the wind decides your plans rather than the forecast.

Florence

  • Caffè Gilli · Cafe

    Coffee standing at the counter costs a fraction of the table price. I stop here before the train to the coast.

    • Seen in Visit Tuscany. Listed among Florence's historic cafes; the Gilli family opened their pastry shop in 1733

Milan

  • Bar Basso · Restaurant

    Where I end a week of boots. Stand at the bar, order the sbagliato in the oversized glass, and do not try to make it a long night.

    • Seen in Time Out. Time Out says the negroni sbagliato was first created at this Milanese bar

Plans you can copy

Six nights from Venice up into the Dolomites

6 nights · Late June to late September · Medium pace · Mid range

Two flat days on the lagoon, then the bus north to limestone. The city is the warm up.

  1. Day 1

    Land and walk it off

    • St Mark's Basilica · Afternoon · Sight

      Shoulders and knees covered, no large bags allowed inside. Ten minutes in the queue at five beats an hour at eleven.

    • Royal Gardens of Venice · Evening · Walk

      The restored royal gardens by the water. The only shade near the square that is not a bar.

  2. Day 2

    One museum, one tower

    • Accademia Gallery · Morning · Museum

      Venetian painting in the order it happened. Two hours is plenty.

    • Doge's Palace · Afternoon · Sight

      Book a slot rather than queueing. The armoury and the bridge at the back are the part I go for.

    • St Mark's Campanile · Evening · Sight

      Last entry is well before sunset, so check the time when you buy. From the top you can see the mountains you are about to go to.

  3. Day 3

    North to the valley

    • Cortina d'Ampezzo bus from Venezia Mestre · Morning · Getting there

      Roughly three hours by direct coach in summer. Book a seat the day before in August. Not yet in the TravelDay catalogue.

    • The Dolomites · Afternoon · Nature

      An easy first walk on the valley floor to see what the legs remember. Save the height for tomorrow.

  4. Day 4

    The big loop

    • Tre Cime di Lavaredo circuit · Morning · Nature

      About ten kilometres around the three towers, mostly level once you are up. The access road is tolled and busy from nine, and the last bus down goes earlier than you expect. Not yet in the TravelDay catalogue.

    • Rifugio Auronzo · Afternoon · Stay

      The hut at the trailhead. Half board, cash often preferred, and beds gone by spring for August dates. Not yet in the TravelDay catalogue.

  5. Day 5

    Down and back to the water

    • Coach from Cortina d'Ampezzo to Venice · Morning · Getting there

      Sit on the left going south for the last of the walls. Not yet in the TravelDay catalogue.

    • Arsenale di Venezia · Afternoon · Sight

      The old shipyard gates. Flat, quiet, and exactly what tired legs want.

  6. Day 6

    Last morning

    • Historic Naval Museum · Morning · Museum

      Boats, models and not many people. A good rainy-day answer.

    • Ca' d'Oro · Afternoon · Museum

      A small palace on the Grand Canal. Twenty minutes, then the airport bus.

  • Seen in Fondazione Dolomiti UNESCO. The foundation's site covers the nine mountain groups inscribed in 2009 and how to visit them responsibly

Five nights walking out of Edinburgh

5 nights · May to September · Medium pace · Mid range

A city you can climb on foot, and one long train day north to see what Scotland does with a valley.

  1. Day 1

    Get high early

    • Calton Hill · Afternoon · Nature

      Fifteen minutes up for the whole city and the sea behind it. The best orientation walk in Britain.

    • Scott Monument · Evening · Sight

      287 steps and they get narrow near the top. Skip it if you dislike tight stairs.

  2. Day 2

    The volcano

    • Holyrood Park · Morning · Nature

      Arthur's Seat is 251 metres of old volcano. Take the stepped path from Dunsapie, not the eroded shortcut, and expect wind at the top whatever the forecast said.

    • Palace of Holyroodhouse · Afternoon · Sight

      At the bottom of the same park. Closed at short notice when the royal household is in residence, so check the day before.

    • Holyrood Abbey · Afternoon · Sight

      The roofless abbey in the palace grounds, and the better half of the ticket.

  3. Day 3

    The long train day

    • West Highland Line, Glasgow Queen Street to Rannoch · Morning · Getting there

      Change at Glasgow. Rannoch is a platform on open moor with one tea room, and there are only a few trains a day, so read the return time before you step off. Not yet in the TravelDay catalogue.

    • Rannoch Moor · Afternoon · Nature

      Bog, water and nothing else for miles. Boots, not trainers, even for an hour. Not yet in the TravelDay catalogue.

  4. Day 4

    Rest legs, use eyes

    • National Museum of Scotland · Morning · Museum

      Free, enormous, and the roof terrace is the quietest view in the old town.

    • Edinburgh Castle · Afternoon · Sight

      Timed tickets only. Go for the last slot and you get the esplanade emptying out as you leave.

  5. Day 5

    Edges of the city

    • Craigmillar Castle · Morning · Sight

      A ruin on the southern edge with almost nobody in it. Twenty minutes on the bus for a castle you can have to yourself.

    • Holyrood Distillery · Afternoon · Sight

      Tours book out on festival weekends. A short, honest hour before the airport.

Nadia Barzani is a TravelDay buddy: drawn, fictional, and not an account in the network. Research edition 2026-09-17.