Art holds up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Built originally as a lighthouse (Pisa was a port) the tower started leaning almost immediately, even before the fourth level was added. The rate of tilt has been dramatically slowed thanks to modern engineering. If the tower ever gets completely straightened, millions of plastic leaning towers sold […]

Portofino is one of the treasures of the Ligurian Coast. The vivid colors of the old fishing village are best appreciated while cruising into the bay by ferry from nearby Santa Margherita. That’s what we did on a sparkling warm day recently. Climb the stairs to San Giorgio for the best overview of the town.

There’s a bit of vital information left out of most guidebooks which include the Cinque Terre of Italy. The “walk” between villages is not for the faint of heart. OK, one short stretch is easy. That’s the stretch from Riomaggiore to Manarola and then beyond that to Corneglia, where you have the option to walk […]

We’ve just left Sestri Levante and four unforgettable nights at the Hotel Helvetia on the “Bay of Silence.” It’s very appropriately named. While other Italian towns and cities have the non-stop buzz and racket of an active nightlife, people outside enjoying the cool of the evening, young Casanova wanna-be boys trying to impress the local […]

Sitting in a bar tonight in Sestri Levante, catching up on e-mail and this blog. My laptop doesn’t catch a good signal back at the hotel. I’m surrounded by the swirl of activity and conversation that is their version of happy hour, which last from around 6 to around 8 or thereabouts. My goodness, I […]

Sorry Blogophiles, but it just is not an easy thing to get access to the world wide web sometimes in Bella Italia. I’ll get caught up on the adventures on this first trip of the 2009 season when I can so please stay tuned!

The season’s first guests arrived this morning at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport after their overnight flight from Newark. Art and Carol like to hit the ground running. As a special service, I had made arrangements with the hotel so that their room was ready immediately on our arrival at 9:30. A couple of hours […]

The old gentleman at my hotel reserves a table at Il Bucatino in the Trastevere district for me. It’s an easy walk down the hill in the last of the evening’s light. On arrival, I announce myself as “Giacomo da Hotel San Pio,” and find that I have a table with my name on it […]