Have library card, will travel
I’m always thrilled to return to New York, and one of the (many) advantages of my time in New York is whipping out my library card and having the chance to choose between 53 million books spread out across 92 New York Public Libraries across the five burroughs. My husband is an historian, and he’s…
Read MoreHanging out at Todi’s Porchetta Festival
Back in May, I went to Todi with my husband to take part in Todi’s Porchettiamo Festival for its sixteeth edition. Todi is a beautiful Italian hilltown in the Italian region of Umbria, and most of the festival was held on the town’s postcard-perfect medieval square, Piazza del popolo. Porchetta is a pork roast, where…
Read MoreJoining the Bookouture Book Tour for The Girl Who Took Flight
I’m excited to join the Bookouture Book Tour for The Girl Who Took Flight, part of The Airline Girls series. I’m pleased to be able to help promote Lizzie Page’s newest novel during its release week. As a devotee of travel myself, it’s fun to read this series set in those early, glamorous days of…
Read MoreKeeping cool in the mountain air of Abruzzo
It’s been a hot summer in Rome. But then again, every summer is a hot summer in Rome. Come weekends, my youngest son and I were often escaping the heat in the nearby mountains of Abruzzo. Our little town of Ovindoli is 1400 meters from sea level, das are warm but minus humidity, and evenings…
Read MoreSummer is perfect for short stories…
This week, I was finalizing a short story. I am one of five co-editors of the Feisty Deeds anthology – historical fictional tales of women around the world and across centuries. In addition to my editorial duties shaping the collection, I’m also a contributing author. Since submissions open in August, I needed to get that…
Read MoreCooling off in the sulfuric waters of Tivoli’s springs
Tivoli is a short distance from Rome, and the Acque Albule Springs (also called Terme di Roma) is a great way to cool down in summer. You can arrive easily from Rome by car or bus. The sulphur-rich thermal springs in Tivoli have been well known since the Ancient Roman era, and particularly at the…
Read MoreFeisty Deeds II on the Book Lovers’ Companion podcast
Super exciting to be back on the wonderful Book Lovers’ Companion podcast with my fabulous fellow Feisty Deeds editors and one of my favorite bookish podcast hosts, Edith from Vienna. Suh a treat to appear with my fellow editors Carolyn Korsmeyer, Christy Matheson, Elaine Schroller and Kay Smith-Blum! We discuss with Edith the highs (and…
Read MoreWhere time stands still, in Ushguli, Georgia
We had a great time driving around Georgia on our Caucasus roadtrip. But when we were staying in Kutaisi and planned to travel to Ushguli, Europe’s highest village, we decided to travel there with an organized tour and driver. And are we glad we did! If you have a four-wheel drive, you could probably manage…
Read MoreWhy not check into the Three Coins Inn?
It’s summertime. The cicadas ae chirping. The mercury is rising, making shaded terraces, refreshing pools and ice-cold aperitivi necessities of life. Luckily, you can enjoy them all if you check into the Three Coins Inn, based in a postcard-perfect hilltop town in Umbria. Although I’ve written a good number of novels, this is my first…
Read MoreBatumi, Georgia: Former Soviet-era Black Sea beach resort with an art deco soul
I’ve already written about our wonderful vacation last summer in Georgia and Armenia. While staying in the western Georgia city of Kutaisi, we took some enjoyable trips, including to Batumi on the Black Sea. Batumi was a well-known beach resort during the Soviet era – and you can see why. This was a great place…
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