Posts Tagged ‘Italy’
From the top of the world. The Pizzo di Ovindoli, Abruzzo
On a hot summer weekend, I took my kids out to our place in Ovindoli – in the mountains of Abruzzo, Italy. An hour and a half away in Rome, it was sweltering, but at 1400 meters/4500 feet from sea level, we could be active all day, without succumbing to heat stroke. My older son…
Read MoreEnjoying the passeggiata in Rieti
I’ve already written about the hillside town of Rieti, in the north of Italy’s Lazio region. You can read my earlier post here and learn how Rieti claims to be the town at the center of Italy. My younger son does track and field, and runs for Rieti’s team. Although he trains in Rome, we…
Read MoreAll lanes lead to Rome: Golden Gala 2019
Every year it rolls around again. All track lanes lead to Rome for the world’s top track and field athletes who descend on the Eternal City to take part in the Golden Gala each year. This is Rome’s edition of the Diamond League – the elite track and field meets that take place all around…
Read MoreOne year later -Remembering the Eternal City blanketed in white
This post is merely an excuse to repost some of my Rome-in-the-snow photos in this stunning new WordPress “big photo” template. One year ago today, Rome was blanketed in thick, white snow. I had just returned from a ski holiday with my two sons the night before. My kids were excited about reports of (rare)…
Read MoreBetween Italy and Austria in Bolzano
I’ve already written about the luck my family and I had visiting Bolzano on Saturday for market day and how we stocked up on all the specialties from Alto Adige/Austria. Bolzano is the capital of Alto Adige, the German-speaking half of Italy’s Trentino Alto-Adige. From the architecture and the language spoken around you, you’ll feel…
Read MoreDrove all the way to Ancona, and all I saw was the inside of the Palaindoor…
Unless you’re a huge track and field fan, most foreign tourists in the Marche region’s Ancona will never see its famous indoor track, the Palaindoor. But for Italy’s track and field athletes, their coaches and their parents, this is the mecca during the months of January – March. It’s the closest major indoor track for…
Read MoreCommemorating WWI soldiers in Abruzzo
On my recent ski escape, I was in Ovindoli, in Italy’s Apennine mountains of the Abruzzo region. Like most little mountain towns, Ovindoli has a memorial to the soldiers who died both in WWI and WWII. For those who know the region well, most of these towns have much longer lists for the First World…
Read MoreSnow was only okay, but the skiing was fabulous. Abruzzo
Is there anything more magical than the first ski run of the season? Even after all these years, it never fails to put me in a good mood. I’m generally loathe to organize complicated travel plans for the Christmas holidays, since I hate to travel at on of the most chaotic times of the year.…
Read MoreZipping around the aqueducts at Rome’s Parco degli Acquedotti
If it’s an early Sunday morning in the fall, there’s a good chance I’m out shivering in some Godforsaken park around Rome for one of my son’s cross-country races. Luckily, however, I do live in Rome, and some of those parks I discover on those early morning jaunts are truly spectacular. This season’s races opened…
Read MoreSheep, cows and horses, oh my! The perils of mountain biking in Abruzzo
My older son plays Varsity tennis each fall and is often traveling around Italy for matches on weekends. My younger son and I often use this as an excuse for a solo escape to the little town in the mountains of Abruzzo for some fall foliage and mountain biking. This year was no exception. Earlier…
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