We were stunned the other day when we noticed this relief of what we are certain is a young woman enjoying an ice cream cone on one of the support pillars of the Doges Palace, Venice. We wondered if it was pistachio or cherry?
Visiting a glass factory on the island of Murano, Italy
Dennis and Melissa Cain of Rockwall, Texas wanted to purchase a piece of glass art from the gallery of Murano Vitrum in the San Marco district of Venice. They’d spotted a beautiful piece on a stroll the evening before, and we returned on Friday, July 15 for a closer look. We met salesman Ivan Liguori. […]
Civita di Bagnoregio
This lost village on a high, crumbling hilltop was founded by Etruscans over twenty-five hundred years ago, but has seen its population dwindle to just fifteen residents over the course of the 20th century. Cività was the birthplace of Saint Bonaventure, who died in 1274. The location of his boyhood house has long since fallen […]
Skip the lines in Florence with a little preplanning
We always feel so terrible as we walk past the long and winding line to see the statue of David in the Galleria dell’Accademia of Florence. Yes, we truly feel sorry for the tourists who are burning up valuable sightseeing time waiting in the summer heat, fanning themselves with whatever they can come up with […]
Pizza in Bella Italia
Where does one find the best pizza in Italy? In the mom and pop-owned and operated Trattorias of Italy. We found one the other day in Bolsena, not far from our homebase in Orvieto. The Cain family loved their margarita pizzas while the rest of us had lasagna, or a salad or a seafood starter.
La Taverna di Masaniello great place to eat in Amalfi, Italy
We were referred to this friendly little Ristorante tucked away on a back street in the medieval heart of Amalfi by the receptionist at our hotel. We loved La Taverna di Masaniello so much that on the first night, after our plates were cleared and we pushed back with warm and satisfied bellies to make […]
Postcard from Ravello
Bougainvillea at Villa Rufalo, Ravello, Amalfi Coast.
View from our hotel in Amalfi
We don’t want to leave this place, but tomorrow we must. We’re moving on to visit Pompeii, then up to Orvieto, Umbria for two nights at a country inn. The highlight of a stay there is dinner. Look for mouth-watering images soon.