Travel
Nairobi National Park and Elephant Orphanage
On a business trip to Nairobi, I had the luck to have a Sunday free. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough time to fly to one of Kenya’s spectacular game parks, but it did provide enough time to see all the big game, all within the city limits. The 117-square- kilometer Nairobi National Park is mere kilometers…
Read MoreA sense of place
Maybe it’s all the fault of my travel addiction, but a sense of place is so important to me as an author. Also as a reader. As I wrote in a previous post, Context reading , when I travel, I make an effort to take along novels set in my destination. It helps the destination…
Read MoreThe “dying city” of Civita di Bagnoregio
The beautiful medieval town of Civita di Bagnoregio, about 100 km north of Rome – within the province of Lazio and just along the border with neighboring Umbria- is known as la città che muore (the dying city). Dying is, unfortunately, just what Civita di Bagnoregio is doing. The city, originally founded by the Etruscans,…
Read MoreI love Paris in the springtime…
… and all the time! I was just back in Paris for a long weekend. It’s a city I’ve adored ever since I was a girl and first visited it, falling hopelessly in love with the City of Lights. Since then, I’ve been back many times – including a long-ago semester abroad living with a…
Read MoreReason #5,356 to love Rome – The Palatine Hill in springtime
I have lived in Rome for – gulp – thirteen years, yet I still never tire of walking around and exploring my adopted city. Rome is a big, outdoor museum that has something spectacular to offer visitors – and Romans –seemingly around every corner. I live near the Palatine Hill and I walk by it…
Read MoreWish I were here now – Tremiti Islands, Puglia
I love the beautiful Tremiti islands (Isole Tremiti) that lay 22 kilometers off the Gargano peninsula of Puglia, in the Adriatic Sea. One of the (many) things I love about Italy is that its beach destinations are cultural destinations as well. The Tremiti islands are no exception – offering history, nature, sunshine and sparkling blue…
Read MoreWhere time stands still in Perast, Montenegro
I think that tiny Montenegro is a wonderful holiday destination. Once part of Yugoslavia, then Serbia-Montenegro, this Balkan country gained independence with a referendum in 2006. Although the entire country is less than 14,000 square kilometers, with a population of just over 600,000 people, its borders contain incredibly diverse landscapes: stunning coastline and an unspoiled,…
Read MorePostcard-perfect views in Santa Margherita and Portofino
I’ve already written about the interesting port city of Genova and the places of interest to visit there. The nice thing about Genova is that it’s also a great base for exploring the picturesque Ligurian seaside towns, such as Santa Margherita and Portofino. On a recent trip to Genova, we took the train from Genova’s…
Read MoreVisiting Christopher Columbus’ hometown – Genova
I’ve lived in Italy for years and have travelled widely in this beautiful country, but I’d never been to Genova, in northern Italy’s Liguria region. I used to live not too far away, in Milan. I’ve driven by it on the highways, but never stopped by to visit the city. Looking back, maybe driving by…
Read MoreReason #5,355 to love Rome – Cemetery of Artists and Poets
It might make one in love with death, to be buried in so sweet a place. These words, written by the English poet John Keats, refer to his final resting place, officially known as the Non-Catholic Cemetery for Foreigners in Testaccio, Rome. The cemetery, rarely referred to by its official name, is more commonly called…
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