I hold in my memory certain summer days in Italy so oppressive and hot, I feared I might never know the relief of cooler weather again. But now, it’s February, and for much of the world, the luxury of a long, drowsy, sunshine-filled day feels very far away. Even further that dreamy day has you…
Category: Snapshots from Italy
Paestum: Ancient Greece in Southern Italy
While there are plenty of sites throughout Italy to time travel to Ancient Rome, in Southern Italy you can also experience magnificent ruins once touched by the hands of ancient Greeks. One such spot is Paestum, an easy day trip from Naples, Sorrrento/Amalfi or Salerno. Paestum is home to three incredible Greek temples dating back…
Snapshots from Certaldo: Tiny Tuscan Hometown of a Literary Giant
It’s a Tuesday morning. Seven young ladies, friends, gather. Hatching a plan. Needing to escape their current circumstances. Presently, they are joined by a few young men. The plan unfolds. They’ll escape together to one of their family’s second homes — thankfully they have this option — safely away from the threats of the city….
A Wander Through Venice
It is with a bit of a sheepish and heavy heart that I offer sincere apologies to all of those whom I have possibly influenced not to visit Venice. (Younger Son, I’m especially looking at you.) Last summer, after four visits to Italy which deliberately did not include Venice (my first trip there left me…
Seaside
What a luxury to take a break from steamy sightseeing to enjoy one of the many beach clubs dotting the Italian shoreline. This one is in Puglia, where many Italians head for ferie in agosto — August holidays. The soft, clear waters of the Adriatic Sea kiss the craggy shoreline, and at this beach club, many…
Snapshots from Italy, Framed
Above and below: Beloved Florence, Italy, as framed from the inside of the Duomo, during a climb to the very top of the cupola. Above: The river Arno framed by the Ponte Vecchio’s architecture. Below: Beautiful Verona. Finding inspiration inside the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence For the coming months, while crafting new content, Prayers and Piazzas will…
Snapshots from Italy, Ancient
Staying in the heart of Rome this summer, just due passi (“two steps”) from the center of the old empire, one word comes to mind: ancient. Leading directly to the center of ancient Rome is the Via dei Fori Imperiali, which can be translated as the Road of the Imperial Courts. This road stretches from Piazza Venezia…
Italy Gratitude List: History
To say I am grateful for the layers of history found across Italy would be quite an understatement. More accurately, I am overwhelmed with the history Italy offers in any given area. From ancient history to the Renaissance, the history that you can see and touch in Italy is at the top of my Italy…
Lake Como or Amalfi Coast?
A short question I was recently asked by one of my closest friends, “which do you suggest for us: Lake Como or the Amalfi Coast?” Although seemingly straightforward, for me, a proper answer requires some weighing of options and preferences. The differences in the regions are too varied to just pick without a bit of…
Postcard from Portofino
Portofino is a picture perfect little town on the Ligurian coast, not too far from the larger northern port city of Genoa and an easy excursion from our home-base of Santa Margherita Ligure. The cloudy April day meant sweaters for us travelers (a novelty for those more accustomed to travel in Italy in the height…
Prayers & Piazzas 