These Old Shoes
These old shoes have been through a Venetian deluge in San Marco Square, and foot-swelling heat in the Roman Forum. They've taken me on the Via dell' Amore dirt trail in the Cinque Terre and the Via...
Catanzaro Calabrese Waves
It's no joke that I'm in the "presidential suite" at the Palace Hotel, in the region of Calabria, the town of Catanzaro Lido. The waves of the Ionian Sea are rolling in just off my private balcony....
Straits of Messina
Haven't you always heard of "the straits of Messina"? Today I took a train from Taormina, about halfway down the east coast of Sicily, up to the northeastern point of the large island, at Messina. I...
To Share a Filet
May 9 Journal Entry. Taormina. I need an attitude adjustment. I just don't do "the tourist thing" and am feeling finished, ready to go home. Without someone to taste wine with at the enoteca, to...
Ancient Theater of Taormina
It's the layering of history, so pervasive throughout Italy, that stuns me every time I make a turn and come upon some incredible, very old site/sight. It usually leaves me speechless. From...
Taormina to See
Along the eastern shore of the large island of Sicily, south of Messina, in view of Mt. Etna to the west, lies Taormina high above the shore of the Ionian Sea. It offers ancient Greek history and...
American Pie
Sitting in a hotel lobby using the wifi network. Italian game show on the TV next to me. Don McClean singing "American Pie" on the sound system. I hear more American Pop music here than Italian,...
Monreale Mosaic
Hardly a long drive as-the-crow-flies from Palermo, but a long time through traffic, Monreale is southwest from Palermo, and is worth the trip whether flying-like-a-crow or driving. The gold mosaic...
Cefalù Journal Snippets
8 May - In the "centro storico" - historic center - of this little seacoast town east of Palermo, on the north shore of the island of Sicily. The narrow, climbing, maze-like streets remind me of the...
Markets of Palermo
Palermo is renowned for its old street markets, some of which have been in the same spot as early as the 10th century! As far as I know, each one is open every day (except Sunday). Some vendors have...
On the Streets of Palermo
"Contrasts". That word describes Palermo best of all. (Probably in more ways than I've yet discovered.) Contrasts in style, in degree of polish and repair, in level of "refinement". The...
Unpolished Palermo
In short, I love Palermo, and look forward another visit. It offers plenty of dazzling sights to wow any visitor. But it remains "unpolished" (to my eye). It is genuine and without pretense, as were...