Discovering Finnish Lapland, between the unreal darkness of the polar night and the glow of the northern lights.
Dark. Unreal, fascinating, enveloping, silent and magical. It is the “kaamos“, the polar night that embraces the Finnish Lapland during its long winter, a darkness interrupted only by a warm sun that faces the horizon for a few hours a day in a sort of dawn (almost) infinite but also from the glare of the northern lights that illuminate the sky for over 200 nights a year. And that during the summer will leave the place to the “midnight sun“, when – in the most northern areas – the star will not fall below the horizon for almost three months. Fascinating contrasts of a young and ancient nation at the same time, where modernity blends with the traditions in the natural flow of the seasons.
Because Finland, which celebrated 100 years of Independence last December, is today considered one of the richest and most economically competitive nations in the world. A country with the best education system in Europe and, more importantly, with the highest quality of life. A country, at the same time, where this land of Lapland is in the balance between seasonal light and darkness cancels with its vastness the innate human self-centeredness. Because here one feels small and attracted by the feeling of harmony and unity with the surrounding nature, to become part of it, to let itself go to penetrate the ancient animist faith of the Sámi, the Arctic tribe and the only indigenous European people, in search of the history and the soul of all that surrounds us in the attempt to capture its knowledge and wisdom.
Not to be missed
- Santa Claus, you know, lives in Finnish Lapland and precisely in his capital Rovaniemi, which despite being located near the Arctic Circle offers the most modern services and countless activities to do throughout the year. Including the visit to the office of Santa Claus, in fact, that never goes on vacation and receives visitors all year round.
- If the thrill of seeing a northern light is priceless and if the midnight sun is absolutely fascinating, do not forget that during the autumn – in mid-September, for about a week – Lapland also offers the phenomenon called “ruska“, when the green leaves of the forests change color, from fire red to orange and yellow.
- In the Levi ski area, about 150 km north of the Arctic Circle and only 15 km from Kittila Airport, you can practice downhill and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling in the woods, ice fishing safaris, trips on sledges from huskies or reindeer and snowshoeing on top of Mount Levi (531 meters high) to enjoy the long sunrise before darkness takes over again. The complex has 8 hotels, 6 residences, 1 hostel and countless holiday homes. In the vicinity of the ski slopes, 55 restaurants offer the best of the tasty and savory Lappish cuisine: from salmon to cod, from potato bread to hot soups to desserts based on a berry called cloudberry.
- The Finnish sauna is definitely one of the most characteristic experiences. From the changing room heated through a chimney you go to the sauna room whose heat reaches 70° C and then you dive into the icy water of an outdoor pool or even in the snow. The temperature changes are attenuated to the point that the body no longer perceives neither cold nor hot. It’s simply fine.
Lapland by Finnair
Santa Claus in person welcomes visitors who disembark at Kittila airport, only a 2-hour flight from the Finnish capital. The daily connections from Milan and Rome (with a stopover in Helsinki) are operated by Finnair, whose extensive network connects 19 cities in Asia and 7 cities in North America with over 100 destinations in Europe. The one with Finnair is a true all-round Nordic experience, including food. Always committed to delighting business and economy passengers with exclusive menus designed by the finest chefs from Finland, this year the airline introduces its first Nordic collaboration with the best Swedish chef, Tommy Myllymäki, appointed chef of the year in Sweden, director creative of 5 Stockholm restaurants and Swedish representative in the prestigious Bocuse d’Or competition. Tommy Myllymäki will design the Signature menus for the Finnair business class and his winter menu will be served on all Finnair long-haul flights departing Helsinki from February, the 7th. Finnair has also renewed its business class by launching a new concept of business-class service and new Marimekko design elements for both cabin classes, celebrating its Nordic roots and offering customers a unique Nordic customer experience.
As part of its new concept, Finnair also introduces the classic Finnish tradition “Kahvikutsut“, a coffee service with seven different delicacies, for long-haul flights departing from Asia in the morning. This exclusive cafeteria service allows customers to spend quality time enjoying traditional Finnish delicacies such as Karelian pies, cinnamon buns, coffee cakes and traditional Finnish chocolates between the two catering services. The airline, a pioneer of sustainable flight, was the first European airline to pilot the next-generation ecological Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and is the first airline listed on the Carbon Disclosure Project’s Leadership Index worldwide. The only Nordic company with a 4-star Skytrax classification, Finnair has also won the World Airline Award for the best Northern European airline in the last eight consecutive years. Finnair is a member of Oneworld, the alliance of the world’s leading airlines committed to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent international travelers (www.finnair.com)
(Photo credit Lapland @Visit Finland – www.visitfinland.com)
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