Posts Tagged ‘Italy’
Reason #5367 to love Rome: Vatican stamp collecting
It’s the rare visitor to Rome who doesn’t make his or her way to the Vatican. Visiting St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museum are highlights of any visit to the Eternal City. As most visitors know, Vatican City is actually its own state, separate from Italy, with its own Head of State – the Pope.…
Read MoreVisiting seaside Termoli in Italy’s Molise region
Molise is a tiny Italian region, well off the normal tourist path. The region is squeezed between Abruzzo to the north and Puglia to the south. The region is more well-known for its interior, mountainous region, but Molise also has a short coastline on the Adriatic Sea. On a trip to Vieste, Puglia, we visited…
Read MoreA Rome day trip: The beach at Sabaudia
A little over an hour’s drive south of Rome, along the Tyrrhenian coast, is a lovely stretch of beach – Sabaudia. This is a popular destination during the summer months, since the sea is so much more beautiful than the water closer to Rome. I think it’s also a nice place to go without the…
Read MoreThe Gargano peninsula’s coastlines and beaches
You’ll want a car to explore the southern Italian region of the Gargano, in Puglia. The Gargano peninsula is the ‘spur’ in the heel of the Italian boot. The drives along its dramatic coasts are lovely. The road is high up and curving, but road conditions are pretty good. There are places to stop and…
Read MorePeace and tranquility on Lake Trasimeno’s Isola Maggiore
The central Italian region of Umbria is a wonderful place to explore, with its medieval hilltowns, picturesque stone homes shaded by cypresses, stunning art, and excellent food and wine. Umbria also boasts Italy’s fourth-largest lake (shared with Tuscany) – Lake Trasimeno (Lago Trasimeno). On your visit, it’s worth visiting Isola Maggiore, one of the three…
Read MoreAuthor Jhumpa Lahiri reading in the Roman Forum
Last week, I went to see an author whose work I admire read in the Roman Forum. The American author Jhumpa Lahiri is in Rome as the 2013 Writer in Residence at John Cabot University. I saw her introduce the reading with Italian author Francesca Marciano, where she she spoke about her love of Rome and the…
Read MoreAbdicating the papacy in literature
When, on 11 February, Pope Benedict XVI announced that he would be abdicating the papacy, a modest 13th century Italian monk became an unlikely feature bar in newspapers worldwide. That’s because, before Pope Benedict’s surprising news, the last Pope to have resigned from his office was Pope Celestine V, way back in 1294. Pope Celestine’s…
Read MoreReason #5366 to love Rome: Track and field stars at the Golden Gala
Every year in June, Rome hosts the Golden Gala at its Olympic Stadium. Rome held the track and field events from the 1960 summer Olympics here, and it is also here that Roma and Lazio, Rome’s two football (a.k.a. soccer) teams play their matches. But for one night each June since 1980, the stadium is…
Read MoreExploring Napoleon’s Empire: Elba – Part 2
Last week I wrote a post about what to see and do on the interesting Tuscan island of Elba, including a visit to the home of the island’s short-lived Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. This week I’ll continue with some places of interest to help you plan your Elba trip. Capolivieri: This Tuscan hill town has pretty views to…
Read MoreExploring Napoleon’s Empire: Elba
As a history buff, Elba has always been the place I associated with Napoleon’s short exile, but I’d never visited Italy’s third largest island until I received a wedding invitation. The weather was touch and go on this Tuscan island during our visit earlier this month. It was definitely too cold and windy to enjoy…
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