It is supposed to rain but it’s holding back. I wait on the ferry dock in Stresa for the boat to the Borromean islands. First is Isola Bella, with a palace and gardens built by Vitaliano Borromeo the 6th in the 1600s. The Borromeo family still owns the island and members sometimes stay in the …
The train from Genova to Parma travels by fertile agricultural fields. At the Parma train station, the elevator is broken. Surprise!! (hardly) and panic!! Usually the police at every station are there to help. But then I see a sign that says that the thoughtful Italian train service has provided a porter for just this …
I arrive in Lucca after a very long day of train travel. The train from Naples starts out late due to problems on the track, which makes me miss my other two connections in Florence and Pisa. Yet, I arrive in Lucca to find a graffiti-covered train awaiting, telling tourists to go home. Since I’m …
I spend most of today getting organized, because traveling this way requires some planning. But I have reserved a spot with Dominic Cioffi at his family-owned dairy, home and gardens for this evening. Sharing the experience is a Swedish couple, a woman from Romania, a young man from Egypt and another from Massachusetts. Dominic picks …
We visit several shops in Agnone known for artigian products. Carosella is an historic shop known for its prized sweets, in particular confetti, candies made from almonds and sugar. Anna shows us a vintage tool used to make sweets called ostia. The shop still makes the ostie in a traditional recipe going back to the …
Today we visit the town of Soncino and learn more about the history of printing by the Soncino family. Bepe, the director of the Soncino print museum, holds up a copy of the first page of the first Hebrew Bible. It was printed by the Soncino family in 1488. The Soncino family had moved from …
Last night I heard a lot of fireworks but was too tired to check them out. This morning from my window I see the colors of Italy’s flag, streams of red, green and white smoke, released by planes flying over Rome for the Republic Day celebration. It’s raining, and the buses have changed routes as …
With clothes washing done in the pleasant company of a traveler from Texas, I take the bus that stops right around the corner from my lodging to the Palazzo Doria-Pamphilj, thinking that this spot will have fewer tourists. I look up from the bus stop and see a building up on a hill that I …
Today I take off on a day tour outside of Rome. The weather is cloudy, and it might rain so I take an umbrella just in case. The bus passes by a boys’ school still yet to open. The makeshift awning captures much of Rome’s ambience from what I’ve seen. Work is underway for the …
Today I jump on the hopon hopoff bus to get a good idea of Valencia’s layout. It is quite a large city. The area developed as the City of Arts and Science and the Oceanografic Museum looks interesting, but I plan to spend my time in the historic center. I return to Valencia for a …