Today is a crucial day for rescue workers desperate to find survivors trapped in the rubble from yesterday’s deadly earthquake in central Italy. The death toll is now at 241. Here’s the latest from CNN: Italy earthquake rescuers in desperate search for survivors as toll hits 241 What I really want to share with you today…
Author: Stacy Pollard
Prayers & Piazzas: part travel guide, part travel journal, celebrating all things Italy.
Earthquake in Central Italy
Very saddened to hear news of the earthquake which hit central Italy around 3:30 am this morning, August 24, leaving the small town of Amatrice, about 100 miles northeast of Rome, devastated. “The town is no more,” said Mayor Sergio Pirozzi. At the time of this writing, at least 73 people are dead and dozens…
A Moveable Feast
Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic Last Supper, inside the refectory of Milan’s Santa Maria delle Grazie Even though seeing this capolavoro (masterpiece) has long been on my wish list, I didn’t expect to be so moved by it when I finally saw it in person. I. Was. Wrong. The Last Supper pulled me in, enveloped me, took up…
Finding your Way
Hard to get lost in Arezzo. — I invite you to sign my guestbook, and to join me on Facebook. This post first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas.
Art History Appreciation
Art is much more powerful when it jumps from the pages of a book and you can enjoy it face to face. We found Masaccio’s masterpiece, The Holy Trinity, sitting quietly inside Florence’s Santa Maria Novella church, a peaceful and cool oasis from a crowded summer day in the city. This work is considered “one…
Trovare
Trovare (verb): To find also: to locate, to uncover Unlike many Italian words which I have to look up over and over again in order to remember, trovare has always been easy. It reminds me of the word trove, as in treasure trove, which evokes the image of a treasure chest, and what does one do…
Sounds of Italia
Ciao a tutti — hello everyone! Yesterday marked my three-year blog-iversary and what would have been my beloved father’s 73rd birthday. I feel fortunate to have spent the day in southern Italy, in the heel of the boot, with his (our) cousins, carissimi cugini! It’s been an incredible three weeks in Italy. I can’t believe I’ve been…
Morning in Firenze
One thing I love best to do when visiting a busy city is to wake up with the sun and take to the streets while they are free of travelers and traffic. Here’s a few snapshots from Florence this morning, while the others slept and the sun’s rays were still gentle. Taken from the Ponte…
Beautiful, Breathtaking Bellagio
Sopra: un vicolo bello a Bellagio. Sotto: i luci a crepuscolo. Above: a beautiful alley in Bellagio. Below: the lights at twilight. Bellagio, Italy, spilling down onto the shores of Lake Como. Grateful to be posting from Italy this month! Keep up with me here or on Facebook.
Alla Stazione: Helpful Italian words for train travelers
Roma Termini “Roma Termini (in Italian, Stazione Termini) is the main railway station of Rome, Italy. It is named after the district of the same name, which in turn took its name from the ancient Baths of Diocletian (in Latin, thermae) which lie across the street from the main entrance.” —Wikipedia Train stations in Italy can…
Prayers & Piazzas 