Posts Tagged ‘Europe’
Braving the rain and mud in Paliano, Italy
If it’s early Sunday morning and you run into me in some little town in Lazio wearing running sneakers caked in several layers of thick mud, chances are I’m accompanying my eight-year-old to one of his state running competitions. My Sunday morning under the pounding rain in pretty Paliano, was no exception. My son had…
Read MoreBrainstorming at the Spa 2014
I’ve heard so many great things about the Brainstorming at the Spa event held each year in Matera, Italy. This year it takes place 4-7 April 2014. This is an event organized by the Women’s Fiction Festival I write so much about, held each year in September in Matera, southern Italy. For the past three…
Read MoreFrom malaria-infested swampland to Fascist utopia: Latina, Italy
In the midst of a recent, stressful home move, I had to take a break from boxes to drive my eight-year-old down to a state competition (provinciale) for sprinting south of Rome, in the small city of Latina, in southern Lazio. My little one placed first in the 400-meter competition, making me awfully proud, and…
Read MoreShopping in Les Halles market, Toulouse
One of the (many) pleasures of traveling in France is wandering the stalls at the local markets. I’ve already written about some of my favorite markets in France – in the stunning mountain town of Annecy and the Cours Saleya market of the Riviera coastal city of Nice. If you’re travelling in France, always make time…
Read MoreGaudí’s spectacular Casa Batlló, Barcelona
I’ve already written a post about Antonin Gaudí’s first major commission in Barcelona, Spain – the Palau Güell. The Catalan architect’s work are on prominent display all around Barcelona – and one that should not be missed is the whimsical Casa Batlló. This home, also known locally as the Casa dels ossos (House of Bones) for its bone-like shapes,…
Read MoreStep back to the Middle Ages in Toulouse’s Musée de Augustins
I had a great time exploring the pretty southwestern French city of Toulouse with my family at the end of November. I already posted about the great, outdoor Christmas market we enjoyed. I’ve also posted about the day trip we made to Albi, to see the impressive Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. Another highlight to our visit was…
Read MoreReason #5371 to love Rome: Emperor Augustus
‘Marmoream relinquo, quam latericiam accepi’ – I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble. Okay, you may not love Emperor Augustus already (thought by many to be Ancient Rome’s greatest emperor), but you’re bound to enjoy the exhibition organized at Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale to mark the 2000th anniversary of…
Read MoreBeautiful writing and imagery in the film ‘Io sono Li’
A good book can often keep me up long past my bedtime, but I must admit that it’s extremely rare that television has the same effect on me. Still, recently I began watching a film late one night on Italian television, and simply couldn’t tear myself away. It was a simple film, with minimal action…
Read MoreReason #5370 to love Rome: The Appia antica
Even after years of living in Rome, I’m often struck by how truly beautiful it is. My son plays tennis at a club just off the Ancient Roman road, the Appia antica – the Appian way. When I see him play, I can also take a walk along these beautiful, ancient cobblestones lined with cypresses…
Read MoreAdmire Albi’s impressive Toulouse-Lautrec Museum
A few weeks ago, on a trip to southwestern France, my family and I spent a day in the beautiful, medieval town of Albi. Among the town’s many points of interest – its thousand-year-old bridge spanning the Tarn River, the largest medieval brick church in the world – Albi is known to art lovers as…
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