Machine Guns and Fireworks
Journal Entry. 1 Gennaio 2017 (January 1, 2017) - Milano Day 3 of a cold that has kept me layin' low. Enforced rest. Certainly no kicking-up-my-heels last night. By 8:30 p.m. I was yearning for...
Liberty in Milan
How many times has someone said to me with a sneer, "Oh… Milan. It's so gray and industrial." They turn up their noses and dismiss it as merely a place to fly into as they transfer to their "real"...
St. Francis Would Rail at the Assisi of Today
High on a hill is the town of Assisi, home of Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, born in 1181, later known as Saint Francis, "San Francesco d'Assisi". But Francesco, one who relinquished all his...
Città di Castello
Our first stop on our road trip through Umbria, the region landlocked in the middle of Italy: Città di Castello - City of the Castle. Which "castle" they're referring to, I'm not quite sure,...
Under the Umbrian Sun
When friends start planning their trips to Italy, they immediately think of going to Tuscany - Toscana. And when they ask me about my time in Italy, they often say, "Oh! Like Under the Tuscan Sun!...
Home Away from Home in Milano
Stormy, wild wind and rain last night here in Milano. End of summer, early fall. But I arrived four days ago to a day that was fresh and bright and comfortable. The kind of day that makes one relax...
Hungry? Eat this!
For the record, "Italian Food" is SO much more than pizza, spaghetti, ravioli and fettucine alfredo. In fact, "fettucine alfredo" doesn't exist except in the restaurants catering to tourists away...
So hot I’m sweating in the middle of the night
Hand-sewn, vintage linen is not enough to help stay cool close to midnight on what was a 95-degree day with high humidity, now the windows closed up tight to keep the mosquitoes out, and a pair of...
Tongue on Rye at Katz’s in New York City
What tour of New York City would be complete without a tour through meat-lover's shrine, Katz's Delicatessen, at 205 East Houston Street? Just walk through the door and you're handed a...
Feelin’ Groovy in New York City
My perception of the enormity, diversity, energy and intensity of New York had felt daunting all these years, so I had never gone. "Oh, I can't just go to New York for a couple of days. How can I...
Charming Treviso
If you're heading toward Venice (Venezia), veer a little north to the charming town of Treviso (Tray-vee-zo). A canal-town much like Venice, inland and smaller scale, Treviso is not overrun with...
Magic and Marvel
Journal Entry - 2 June, 2013 - Milano Early Sunday morning and I've opened up the house to the first warm breeze since I arrived two weeks ago. Perhaps it will take the stone chill away so a...