Author: Cathy

Recently we got a memo from the city.  One was placed in every mailbox so we dutifully got ours and with the help of Google Translate, figured out the gist of it.  They want us to put white candles on our window ledges during the Christmas season.  I love...

Today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  It is also the day that Pope Francis opened the Holy Doors at St. Peter’s and declared this to be a year of mercy.  In Italy, this day kind of kicks off the Christmas season, so it’s a special day here...

We’ve spent a lot of time taking day trips around here, but we really haven’t been north of here much.  Today we decided to drive to the Casentino area, which is northwest of here.  This is an area that’s known for its food and beautiful national park.  How ridiculous...

All roads lead to Rome – at least they do for the visitors we’ve had.  They’ve all flown in and out of Rome, so at the end of everyone’s trip, we spend a night or two (or three) in Rome.  After the peacefulness of Anghiari, Rome is a dramatic...

Traveling around can be tiring, even when the trips are short.  Sitting in the car, stopping in random towns – it can make you a little weary.  We took a day or two just to stay around Anghiari and the general area.  This is a beautiful area with lots...

We spent a couple of nights with Tim and Julie near Orvieto.  We stayed in an amazing place with incredible views.  It was out in the country about a 15 minute drive from Orvieto.  We got in after dark, so all we could see were the lights from the...

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It’s open to anyone to celebrate – you don’t have to be a certain religion or ethnicity or creed to be thankful.  It’s a time for personal reflection on what matters most to you.  We should do this everyday, but, sadly, most of us...

We have several Italian friends who we met through our former business, Bella Italia.  We met them all right around the same time and have kept in touch with them over the years.  Some are contemporaries, like Michelangelo, and some are much younger than us, like Barbara, Ludo, and...

Recently we had dinner at Michelangelo and Rosella’s.  It was, as usual, fabulous.  We had antipasto of prosciutto, cheeses, and spreads that were so delicious I didn’t get a picture.  For dinner, she made polenta with pancetta, sausage, and mushrooms.  And because that was just not enough, she also...

You never know where a day in Italy will take you.  On Tim and Julie’s first relatively coherent day in Italy, we drove to Umbria and visited Trevi and Assisi.  Trevi is the olive oil capital of Italy (so they say – I’m sure many other towns would dispute...