Venice for the Day
A couple of days ago I went to Venice for the day just because I could. In a few days it'll no longer be so simple to do. My fourth or fifth time there, this visit was entirely different. I wasn't...
Dirty Corner
Visitors to the show were required to sign a release form. They might become quite disturbed (read: freak out!) when walking through the pitch-black tunnel titled "Dirty Corner". Milan is hosting...
A Ticket to Ride
"I think I'll go to Venice for the day…" It's so outlandish to say that, and it's not often that I CAN just go to Venice for the day, that I'm going to! I bought train tickets for tomorrow and will...
Octopus Lesson
Such dear, dear people. I feel so welcomed by Agnese, Ninni, their son Erik and Ninni's sister Bea. They greeted me so warmly and then said goodbye with hints of visiting Seattle this year! It was...
Sauerkraut in Italy
The next time you eat sausage, thick pork chop, sauerkraut, polenta, hot mustard and horseradish, think northeastern Italy. Delicious and nothing like what Americans think of as "Italian Food"....
Way Up North
It began with a Campari bottle. A classic design they've used for decades. Hmm. Curious. I googled it and found that the bottle was designed by Italian artist and designer, Fortunato Depero, in...
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 finger-of-a-peninsula that juts into the south end of Lago Di Garda - Lake Garda. I...
Enjoy Your Life
What started all this exploration of Italy? A nudging query from a friend. An internet search. And far too many reminders that life is much too short. Too many friends and family members have "had...
Knives vs. Dresses
Milano is a fashion maven's paradise: Prada. Dolce & Gabbana. Armani… etc. But dresses and handbags don't interest me much. I'd rather have knives and scissors. I'd rather have tools for making...
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 cemetery, "Cimitero Monumentale". It's a remarkable place, but what draws me now is a...
Macabre
At the Saturday street market yesterday, there were a couple of meat vendors selling rotisserie-cooked chickens, still rotating behind them. I stood in line with the rest of the crowd because the...
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 writing about it and prepping photos! (I shot 2400.) What an amazing time. I met...