Posts Tagged ‘Europe’
Cooling off in Rome’s Piscina delle rose
Anyone who knows Rome, knows that Rome is hot in summertime. And this summer was no exception. To cool off this summer, my younger son and I were often spending Sundays ar Rome’s outdoor public pool, Piscina delle rose. This pool was built in 1960 – the year in which Rome hosted the summer Olympics.…
Read MoreAdmiring the Roman aqueducts during cross country races at Rome’s Tor Tre Teste
For years, I would rise early morning Sundays in the fall and winter to take my youngest son to compete in cross-country races. Now he competes exclusively in track and field, which means early weekend mornings are at tracks instead of cross-country sites. Kind of a shame because the cross-country sites in Italy are spectacular,…
Read MoreWatching the cross country runners around Veneto’s Fimon Lake
Last October, my younger son had a cross-country championship up on northern Italy – near the spectacular town of Vicenza, located in Italy’s Veneto region. I decided to drive up to watch the race – and lucked out with a spectacular, sunny weekend. The 5K race itself was held on a beautiful course – along…
Read MoreYay! Outdoor cinema 2022 kicks off again on Rome’s Piazza Vittorio
Summers in Rome are hot. VERY hot. But we are fortunate to have mostly comfortable, and sometimes downright breezy evenings. Cue in the Roman tradition of outdoor cinema. There are various venues around Rome, but one of the ones I enjoy most is the annual Notti di cinema a Piazza Vittorio – at Rome’s Piazza…
Read MoreStretching my legs in Modena, Italy
I was driving from northern Italy down to my home in Rome. Anyone who knows Italian highways know they are replete with Autogrill reststops, which offer clean bathrooms and ridiculously overpriced, tasteless food. So when lunch time rolled around, I was more than happy to escape rest stop food in order to stop in one…
Read MoreDazzled by the stars in the Galla Placidia Mausoleum, Ravenna
I‘ve already written about the amazing San Vitale Basilica in Ravenna, Italy. But another UNESCO Heritage site lies just across the lawn from that basilica – the Mausoleum of Galla Placida. This mausoleum was commissioned in 426 AD, by Empress Galla Placidia. Galla Placidia was the daughter of Emperor Theodosius I (379-395) and sister to…
Read MoreLiving like a noblewoman in Ravenna
I usually do all our holiday planning, so I was pleased recently when my husband took over and planned a weekend escape to beautiful Ravenna, Italy, in the Emilia Romagna region. He discovered a hotel I loved in the center of Ravenna: The Palazzo Galletti Abbiosi. This was a noble palace built in the 1700s…
Read MoreEnjoying a piadina on Ravenna’s picturesque Piazza del popolo
Okay, so not only do you live and learn, but you travel and learn. I’ve eaten the Italian piadina many times, but I never realized it was a specialty of Emilia Romagna, and particularly the Romagna region – from the area of Ravenna, Rimini, Forlì. But now I know. A piadina is a type of…
Read MoreFinally made it to Rome’s Botanical Gardens
I have been living in Rome for – ahem!- over two decades. Yet it is only recently that I crossed the city to visit Rome’s Botanical Gardens (L’Orto botanico di Roma). Am I glad I did! I can’t believe it took me so long to get there, especially since it’s an easy location to reach,…
Read MoreSometimes all that glitters is gold: Ravenna’s San Vitale Basilica
It has been years that I’ve wanted to visit Ravenna and its spectacular early Christian churches with their stunning moasics. Of course, I had seen all the photos, but somehow nothing prepares you for visiting in person and taking in all that beauty surrounding you. In San Vitale, all that glitters most certainly is gold!…
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