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A Voyage of Discovery

Recent guests reminded me that limitations are arbitrary lines and challenges to them are what make us strong....

Flea Markets and Bargains Galore

I’m typically not a flea market kind of person.  I’m good for about 10, maybe 15 minutes, then I’m ready to hit the road.  However, our friend Michelangelo told us about a place near Citta di Castello that is only open on Sunday mornings and is kind of a...

Gelato, Pasta, Pizza, Pizza, Pasta, Gelato

I’ve said yes to gelato.  After my first smug refusal, I have since had gelato three times.  Would have been more if I had found some handy gelato place a couple of times.  Gelato is a marvel of nature.  I can go forever in the US without having ice...

Of Breezes and Mona Lisas

I am befuddled by this language.  I know that English is a hard language to learn and we have many words that are the same but mean very different things (like “mean” – can be an adjective or a verb, pronounced the same, spelled the same, but completely different...

I Turn Down Gelato and Other Tales of the Unimaginable

We made it! We completed Step Number Five in our easy Five Step Plan to move to Italy. I can’t say it was the easiest of the Five Steps, but it was the last one and for that I was grateful. Our trip was long and frustrating, but otherwise...

From Pandemic to Italy in Five Easy Steps

People did a lot of crazy things during the pandemic. When faced with so much introspection, there’s no telling what you might come up with to keep yourself sane. How many people cleaned out closets, basements, attics? What about all the cooking that went on? We looked inside ourselves...

The Last Day

We’re back in Atlanta now.  Our last couple of days in Italy were a whirlwind and I was often without internet access so I couldn’t post in real time.  It seems cheating a bit to write about my time in Italy when I’m sitting in my living room in...

An Italian Festival Weekend

Our interlude with Tim and Julie has come to an end.  It was an action packed few days and I think we may have done irreparable harm to their digestive systems, but it was great fun.  Friends make everything better, don’t you think? Food.  We ate so much of...

Italy by Italians

TIm and Julie have been here three full days and we’ve spent each day with different Italian friends.  Seeing Italy with Italians is a completely different experience than seeing it with a guidebook.  Don’t get me wrong, seeing it with a guidebook is wonderful.  But there’s something very special...

Good Company

They’re here!  Tim and Julie arrived Tuesday afternoon at about 4:00.  They arrived as everyone does after that trans-Atlantic flight – tired, hungry, dazed and feeling grungy.  Yet looking miraculously glorious.  Not only did they have to endure the flight, they also took the train from Milan to Florence,...