May 20 We spent the day in one of the most scenic valleys of Austria, the Oetztal, near Innsbruck. The Oetztal is perhaps best known for the discovery of the “snow man,” nicknamed “Oetzi,” found frozen in a glacier high above the valley floor. Oetzi is now in a museum in Bolzano, across the border […]
Author Archives: jim
The Cinque Terre is Alive and Well After Flooding of 2011
May 18 News hit the world like a flash. The beautiful Cinque Terre of Italy’s Ligurian coast was destroyed by terrible mudslides in October, 2011. Torrential downpours had reduced the villages to colorful versions of Pompeii. Well, not entirely true, as we found out on a recent visit to this sparkling part of Italy. Two […]
A Day in Montepulciano, Tuscany
May 12 We’re on a slow ramble around Tuscany with two nights in Montepulciano, one of the prettiest of the Tuscan hill towns. Also one of the steepest, we’ve determined, after visiting others such as Siena, Montecchiello and Pienza. Montepulciano is famous for its palaces around the main square, its unfinished church (they ran our […]
Abbey San Salvatore in Tuscany, Italy
May 12 On our way from Orvieto to Montepulciano we took a diversion and drove high up into the mountains to the ancient Abbey San Salvatore in the town of the same name high in the mountains of the Val di Orcia, Tuscany. The abbey is small and not particularly impressive from the exterior unless […]
Jewish History in Pittigliano, Tuscany
May 10 There was once a flourishing Jewish community in this fortified Tuscan village. Kicked out of the Papal States (those areas immediately surrounding Rome) by Popes in the 16th century, a large settlement developed in Pittigliano where they were given protection by the local ruling family. In ‘Little Jerusalem’ there can be seen many […]
Enjoying Italy by Visiting Orvieto, Umbria
May 9 Just off the plane at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport, George and Susan Then from Florida were welcomed by guide James Derheim for their second trip with European Focus. Last year, it was Germany and George’s ancestral towns of Amberg and Nurnberg. This time, it’s Susan’s turn with visits to Orvieto, Tuscany, the […]
Micro Group Tour Offer for Germany and Prague
Using inspiration from a recent tour plus some reliable favorites of our clients over the years, we are happy to present this amazing opportunity to experience some of Europe’s many delights in an intimate group of no more than six persons. Micro-Group Tour in Germany, Czech Republic and Austria 11-day trip Small Group Tour Offered […]
Interesting Architecture Abounds in Prague
May 5 It’s just amazing how gorgeous and interesting an ancient European capital city can be as long as it is not bombed to smithereens every fifty years or so. Prague is a city which survived World War II and the immense destructive power of aerial bombardment totally unscathed. The result is block after block, […]