Lonely tourists in the Marche’s Ancona

Ancoma, Marche, Italy/ Kimberly Sullivan

I’ve already written about weekend trips we made to Ancona, in Italy’s Marche region, for my son’s indoor track season. Previously I wrote posts about the city’s bustling port, its Duomo perched at a panoramic point and its indoor track. Since we were here in semi-lockdown state, we wandered this strangely deserted city, almost entirely…

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A seagull’s-eye view over Ancona’s port

For runners, Italy’s Marche region is a well-known winter destination for indoor track. I’ve already written about Ancona’s Palindoor track. On a recent trip for a race with my son, we enjoyed the “front row” view of the busy Adriatic Sea Ancona port, pleased to see such steady traffic even in COVID times. Ancona has…

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The Adriatic seaside town of Trani, in Puglia

On a drive from Rome to Bari to catch a ferry, my family and I managed to make good time (never a given on Italian highways during the holiday periods), so we decided to stop off to explore the Adriatic seaside town of Trani. This charming port city, with its long history, is well worth a…

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Enjoying sunrises and sunsets on Albania’s coast

I was just in the Albanian coastal city of Durres, Albania for work. To be fair, there’s not that much to see in this city that served briefly (from 1913 to 1920) as the Albanian capital following Albanian independence. Unfortunately, the modern city  seems to have forsaken any pretense of urban planning. It’s  been built, quite…

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Visiting seaside Termoli in Italy’s Molise region

Molise is a tiny Italian region, well off the normal tourist path. The region is squeezed between Abruzzo to the north and Puglia to the south. The region is more well-known for its interior, mountainous region, but Molise also has a short coastline on the Adriatic Sea. On a trip to Vieste, Puglia, we visited…

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Looking for the picture-perfect beach holiday? Try Vieste

A photo doesn’t lie and Vieste, this lovely, perched seaside town located in the Gargano peninsula (the spur of the Italian boot) in the region of Puglia, honestly  is this picture-perfect. The area has ancient origins, evidenced by the 3rd century tombs and Ancient Greek vases discovered around the town. The town and the entire…

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Wish 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…

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Where 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,…

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