Steep hills and dead poets in the Marche’s Recanati

Recanati, Marche, Italy / Kimberly Sullivan

My son and I were traveling through Marche and actually stopped off in picturesque Recanati by mistake. Italy is one of those fabulous places when a wrong turn can introduce you to a fabulous hilltown filled with stunning views, art and culture. Every year, we are in Ancona for races, and often tag some time…

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The fried olives keep calling us back … to Ascoli Piceno

Ascoli Piceno, Italy/ Kimberly Sullivan

Can you blame us? Every time my younger son and I travel to Ancona, the regional capital of Italy’s Marche region, for his track & field races, we detour from the highway to visit the striking town of Marche’s Ascoli Piceno. While we greatly admire this picturesque town and its stunning architecture (you can see…

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Researching 1920s and 1930s Italy

Historical newspaper research/ Kimberly Sullivan

One of my writing projects is a novel I’d like to work on this year – a triple timeline story set in Rome, Italy and centered around sports. One of the timelines I plan on having in my story is 1920s and 30s Italy, the Fascist era leading up to WWII. I’m reading interesting books…

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The Eternal City is ready for its holiday close-up

Christmas in Rome, Italy/ Kimberly Sullivan

Rome is not the most spectacular city when it comes to Christmas decorations. BUT it does enjoy some amazing Christmas weather. I love walking around Rome over the holiday period and enjoying the Christmas decorations. Weather forecasts in Rome are looking pretty good for these next few weeks, so I’m looking forward to enjoying the…

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Christmas cheer in Montepulciano and Pienza, Tuscany

Pienza, Tuscany/ Kimberly Sullivan

Earlier this month, I was in Tuscany for a weekend with my family, and we enjoyed seeing the cheery Christmas decorations. They were especially pretty in the towns of Montepulciano and Pienza – two gorgeous Tuscan hilltowns.   Montepulciano is a steep medieval hilltown (bring good walking shoes), known for its long wine tradition. Montepulciano…

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