A Day Among the Ruins
I chose Ostia Antica for a day trip from Rome, rather than the much longer trek to Pompeii. Aside from a few school groups, I had this remarkable place almost to myself. I realized that there’s a different crowd on...
I chose Ostia Antica for a day trip from Rome, rather than the much longer trek to Pompeii. Aside from a few school groups, I had this remarkable place almost to myself. I realized that there’s a different crowd on...
Italy's Alitalia, long among the weakest of the European "flag" airlines (it's been within days of shutdown repeatedly) has announced a "reboot" that will mix some cost-cutting with some major change and expansion fueled by funds from Abu Dhabi-based...
I’d looked online for an apartment for my week in Rome, until I was sick of the thought of going. At some point I came across a recommendation for a women’s hostel in Trastevere (Tras TAY veree), on what I came to think of as...
January 4, 2014: Frutta Fresca, Roma February 19, 2014: Herculaneum, 79 A.D. April 2, 2014: Gallery: Day Trip to Barga April 9, 2014: ...
I’d never been to Rome. I can’t tell you why, but for some reason I’d just never gotten around to it. I guess the best explanation would be to point out there are lots of places in the world. After a friend...
The Pantheon is a memorable building, whatever the circumstances of finding oneself there, but this day was particularly notable. Right after I took these pictures I turned and came face-to-face with a Dutchman, a stranger until the day...
My English friend and I left the beautiful apartment on the Anfiteatro in Lucca , she home to Bromsgrove in the West Midlands, and I toward Budapest and my old friends with a guesthouse near the famous synagogue. I was treating myself to...
I have visited a few artificial lakes on my travels but Lake Reschen tops my list - simply breathtaking. It is located in the western portion of South Tyrol, Italy, approximately 2 km south of Reschen Pass which forms the...
One evening as we were returning to our hotel near St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, slowly cruising down the Grand Canal on a vaporetto (water bus) , the sun began to set. In the last moments of daylight, that magical time of day...
To answer your question. Yes, Italians drink beer. It’s not a well-known pastime of Italy, however it is becoming more common. But before we get to Italy let me tell you about my beer adventure that led me to central Italy. I started the...
Mid-December and moving north from Egypt and Malta, Sorrento was our base for a few days before heading for Rome and home. The weather was mild, as the potted flowers on the doorstep attest, mostly overcast with an occasional shower....
A Russian tourist was recently fined 20,000 Euro for defacing one of Italy's most beloved national symbols, the Colosseum, in Rome. It's said to be the fifth act of vandalism to that ancient structure this year. The Russian man...
Almost at the end of a round-the-world trip, idling in Rome with nothing in particular planned until our flights home, travel pal Jim and I decided to take the train to Orvieto for a wander around on a gray Christmas Eve. The old town...
Well, the headline's not a joke. The city council has passed a law taking effect next May that imposes fines up to 500€ for dragging suitcases with hard wheels along the alleys and bridges of Venice. The claim is that the noise drives everyone...
On a trip to Italy, I had the good fortune of staying in an apartment belonging to a New York City publisher, on the Piazza dell'Anfiteatro in the center of Lucca. The name derives from its Roman origins, when it was an actual...