Budget airline Sky Europe is launching two new services to Krakow. The chosen link cities are Brussels and Turin, the latter having gained a burst of interest with the hosting of this year's Winter Olympics.
Turin, famous for providing the backdrop for the cult film 'The Italian Job', bears more in common with Krakow than initially might appear. Both are of course Catholic cities with a great respect for tradition. And as it was, Bona Sforza, an Italian princess born not far from Turin, once sat on the Polish throne. She married Polish King Sigismund the Old, who presided over Cracow's golden age. Nevertheless, Queen Bona was not especially popular, and she developed a reputation for poisoning people who she viewed as being problematic.
All the same, many of Cracow's most outstanding buildings were built by Italian architects, employed by Polish nobles in the sixteenth century.
Krakow and Turin also share a penchant for sweet things. Turin is the chocolate capital of Italy, and the birthplace of the legendary 'gianduja' a cream hazelnut chocolate that has chocoholics in rhapsody.
Besides the increasing popularity of Krakow amongst Italian travellers, business is also a key factor in the creation of this novel route. Business between Northern Italy and Southern Poland is now on the up, and it is hoped that the new service will further this trend.
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