Posts Tagged ‘Italy’
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas … in Verona
Fitting for a Saint Nicholas Day post that we start taking a look at Christmas decorations. This day (or 8 December – The Immaculate Conception) is when many Italian towns begin decorating their centers – although the date is constantly being pushed earlier. Luckily for us, the decorations were up at the start of December…
Read MorePalladian splendor in Vicenza, Italy
I adore the northern small city of Vicenza, in Italy’s Veneto region. I first came here many years ago, and had not been back in years. When my youngest son had a cross-country race nearby, I jumped on the change to get back and visit this jewelbox of a town. I was not disappointed to…
Read MoreTaking my novel, In The Shadow of The Apennines, out to meet its setting
My newest novel, In The Shadow of The Apennines, is set in modern days – in the Abruzzo mountain town of Marsicano, and in the nearby town of Pescina at the eve of WWI. While Pescina is very real, Marsicano is an invented Italian mountain town. However, it bears a striking resemblance to the real…
Read MoreAbruzzo’s WWI Memorial soldiers in In The Shadow of The Apennines
An important symbol in my newly released novel, In The Shadow of The Apennines, is the memorial soldier statue found at the high peak of the Italian mountain town that serves as the setting of my story. My novel’s protagonist, Samantha, is an American who moves to the tiny Abruzzo mountain town of Marsicano, hoping…
Read MoreEnjoying fall foliage on an Abruzzo getaway
I was in desperate need for a weekend get-away out in the mountains, and so was my son. The weather forecasts were perfect, and we decided to take a short get-away to our favorite mountain hamlet in Abruzzo – Ovindoli. It was exactly what we needed: fresh mountain air, long walks, fall foliage, and fantastic…
Read MoreHappy Publication Day to In The Shadow of the Apennines!
It’s here….!! I am so excited to announce that my new novel, In The Shadow of The Apennines, officially launches TODAY! As fellow writers know, it takes a lot to get a novel out into the world, so, even if there will be a million details to handle and assessments to make, launch day is…
Read MoreThe stories behind my new release, In The Shadow of The Apennines
I am so excited my new novel, In The Shadow of The Apennines, releases one week from today. I’ve explained a bit in my acknowledgements section what inspired me to write the novel. But – even if, as an author, it pains me to say it- if a picture is worth a thousand words, perhaps…
Read MoreMy new novel, In The Shadow of The Apennines, launches in two weeks!
So excited that my third novel, In The Shadow of The Apennines, will launch in just two weeks. This is a story I have wanted to tell about a region of Italy I love – the mountainous region of Abruzzo. This story within a story follows Samantha, a modern-day American woman trying (rather haphazardly) to…
Read MoreSqueezing out those last drops of summer – on the beach in Sperlonga
I love summer. And yet, it’s the season that always seems to race by fastest. So when my younger son asked me if we could go on a beach get-away for our last summer weekend, he didn’t exactly have to twist my arm. I was happy to make a weekend escape to Sperlonga, one of…
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,…
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