It began with a Campari bottle. A classic design they've used for decades. Hmm. Curious. I googled it and found that...
Way Up North
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Journal Articles
A Finger in the Lake
I bought some train tickets! Yesterday I traveled from Milano to Sirmione, an historic town at the end of a...
Enjoy Your Life
What started all this exploration of Italy? A nudging query from a friend. An internet search. And far too many...
Knives vs. Dresses
Milano is a fashion maven's paradise: Prada. Dolce & Gabbana. Armani… etc. But dresses and handbags don't interest...
Mary and the Madonna
It was just starting to spit a little rain as I got off the subway at "Fermata Moscova" and walked toward the...
Macabre
At the Saturday street market yesterday, there were a couple of meat vendors selling rotisserie-cooked chickens, still...
South Italy Tour
After my first week in Milan, I toured the south of Italy for two weeks, and then have spent the subsequent week...
Summertime Hail
Seattleites delight! There's quarter-inch hail rocketing down at this moment in Milano! (And I've even worn a light...
No More Pickles!
It's hot and I've had too much salt. My fingers and toes are like little sausages. My skin is tight. I don't think I...
Taormina Lemons
On a narrow, stair-stepped passage in the "centro storico" - historic district - of Taormina, there was a small shop...
The Essential
"The essential is invisible to the eyes." Painted graffiti on a wall in Palermo.
Where Are We Going?
Ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka. The signs that indicate Milano's M2 green line subway destination were malfunctioning and...
Nesting in Milano
A pigeon wandered into the other bedroom, twice, off the balcony. A child was practicing lessons on a recorder flute,...
Eating the South
In Italy, one can go 100 kilometers and find a very different food culture. There are dishes and combinations found in...
Dear People of Alberobello
Finding out about Alberobello, I itched to stay in a trullo for a couple of nights! Through an internet search, I...
Trulli of Alberobello
A few months ago, I heard for the first time about the "trulli" of Alberobello, in the Puglia region at "the heel of...
Destination: Lecce
Almost, but not quite at the tippy-tip of the "heel of the boot" of Italy, the city of Lecce (roughly pronounced...
Castles Don’t Have Wifi
In 1419, when they built this castle, they weren't planning ahead for wifi reception in the rooms. Three-foot thick...
Ionian Sea Shoreline
May 13 Journal Entry. Catanzaro Lido to Lecce. Training along the Ionian Sea shoreline: Red poppies. Cactus. Olives...
These Old Shoes
These old shoes have been through a Venetian deluge in San Marco Square, and foot-swelling heat in the Roman Forum....