Posts Tagged ‘Europe’
Surrounded by masterpieces in Rome’s Barberini Gallery
As frequent visitors to Italy may know, the first Sunday of the month means free museum access for some museums. We always take advantage of this for getting back to favorites. On a recent visit, my husband and I returned to the Barberini Gallery. We’ve both been many times over the years, but it had…
Read MoreNovel research in San Gregorio da Sassola
My new novel, Rome’s Last Noble Palace, will be releasing 6 December. You can learn more about that novel and see early reviews here. Although most of the novel takes place in contemporary and 1896 Rome, a small portion of the 1896 timeline takes place in the tiny town of San Gregorio da Sassola, specifically,…
Read MoreViews from the medieval belltower, in Todi
I recently spent a lovely day in Todi, a picture-perfect medieval hill town in Italy’s region of Umbria. I have been numerous times, but it’s always fun to get back. On this visit, I climbed the San Fortunato belltower to enjoy stunning views from the top. And what a view it was! This is the…
Read MoreExploring Florence’s Boboli Gardens
I have been many times to Florence, but had never been to the Boboli Gardens of the Palazzo Pitti. I visited recently, and after spending almost five hours in the Uffizi, admiring (for the umpteenth time) many of the masterpieces of art, I went out into the beautiful day and decided it was perfect to…
Read MoreHitting the beach in Cagliari, Sardegna
Last week, I wrote about a fantastic weekend trip to Sardegna’s capital of Cagliari – my first time there. You can see my Cagliari post here. Cagliari is a fascinating city, with plenty to see. But if the weather is as good as it was when we were here, you’ll want to spend at least…
Read MoreSqueezing out those last drops of summer in Cagliari, Sardegna
My husband had a work conference in Sardegna’s capital of Cagliari. Since it was the last weekend of summer, and I had never been to Cagliari, I decided to join him for the weekend. I am always happy to travel and to discover new places, but this wound up being even better than I bargained…
Read MoreTuscan beaches
Discovering new beaches is always fun… This summer, we had my son’s national track championships up in Grosseto, Italy, and the heat led us to carving ina little beach time. Some of that we spent on the wide beaches of Marina di Grosseto, just a few kilometers from the medieval hilltown. The other beach was…
Read MorePadova’s spectacular San Antonio Basilica
This past winter, my son and I took a few weekend trips to Padova, in Italy’s northern Veneto region. It was also a great opportunity to see the Sant Antonio basilica once again. This spectacular basilica was constructed beginning in 1232, a year following the death of St Anthony. It was completed in 1310. Like…
Read MoreWatching over Ancona’s port each morning
These past years, I’ve gotten to know the Marche’s region’s capital of Ancona. I came here regularly because the small city hosts an indoor track, and my sprinter son would compete here. Whenever we would stay, I would book my favorite hotel, with its views over the Ancona port. Ports are interesting places, and it’s…
Read MoreArt, architecture and sport in Tuscany’s Grosseto
We had a great weekend at the end of July in the Tuscan town of Grosseto. It was my first time there, but I enjoyed the old town (even because, on a Saturday at around 2 pm, the hottest hour of the day), we had it almost to ourselves… Grosseto is a small city of…
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