Posts by Kimberly Sullivan
Feeling like royalty in a nobleman’s hunting palace
I’m often up in the Italian town of Rieti, in northern Lazio. My youngest son is a runner, and joined the competitive track and field team here, although his daily training is (thankfully) in Rome. His involvement with the team means I’ve had plenty of chances to explore this pretty medieval town about 90 minutes…
Read MoreFlying the friendly skies in the age of Corona virus
I used to be a seasoned traveler, but in the age of Corona virus, all bets are off. I took my first trans-Atlantic fight since this pandemic broke out, and it felt odd to be back in then skies. My first leg was a European flight within Shengen. The Rome airport was eerily empty, and…
Read MorePost-lockdown travel
As I come to grips with our post-pandemic life and beginning my travel blog once again, I’ve written in recent weeks about pre-lockdown travel and exploring Rome under the lockdown. This leads to the moment in June that (finally!) travel restrictions ended, and we could travel once again – first in our region, and then…
Read MoreDiscovering ancient literature & 18th century opera online
During lockdown, I found myself with a lot more time on my hands. I was teleworking, but with an inability to go out to take part in activities I usually enjoy, I was looking for something different to keep me busy and mentally active. Perhaps I’m late to the game, but I was pleased to…
Read MoreLockdown “travel”
Last week, I wrote about pre-lockdown travel, and the almost mystical imagery it took on (at least in our minds) during our time of Corona lockdown. For those who know Rome, it is a beautiful, lively city always full of people on its streets and picturesque squares. It was tough to experience it during lockdown,…
Read MoreBeach reading 2020
As everyone in the world has certainly realized during the first months of 2020, this is not a normal year … Usually I scramble for a free Saturday or Sunday in March to hit the beach, and to enjoy the annual tradition of cracking open a paperback while I breathe in the fresh, sea air…
Read MorePre-lockdown travel
It’s been a tough few months around the world, and I haven’t really felt up to keeping a travel blog going when the farthest one could travel in Rome was 200 meters from home. We’re cautiously optimistic here in Rome, and while we are not back to pre-pandemic rhythms, it’s good to be returning to…
Read MoreHappy first day of spring! Celebrating with beach reading. Or not
The sun is growing warmer, the birds filling the morning air with their chirping, and the flowers are beginning to bloom. It’s all gearing up to be a beautiful spring season. What I usually do at this time of year is grab my kids and make our first beach outing, usually going for a day…
Read MoreA Rome ghost town in Lockdown
I’ve been living in Rome for years, and I’ve never seen it a deserted as it’s been the past week. For just over a week now, we’ve been in lockdown from the corona virus. Lockdown was gradual. First it was school kids at home, then most workers were shifted to teleworking. Soon restaurants, shops, theatres,…
Read MoreLove (& life) in the time of Corona virus
With a nod to the brilliant Gabriel Garcia-Marquez whose title I shamefully borrowed and updated for our troubling times. But history (and literature) repeat themselves. Today’s Italy is beginning to feel like Florentino and Fermina’s unnamed city (Cartagena) in their unnamed Latin American country (Colombia). The lock-down has moved from Italy’s north to the whole…
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