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 […]
On the Bay of Silence, Sestri Levante
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 […]
I love the Italians
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 […]
Bloggone Internet Access in Italy
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!
A Walk Around Rome
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 […]
A typical Roman dinner
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 […]
Rome
Arrival in Rome around 1 this afternoon and the blood pressure starts to go up along with the intense traffic. I’m always happy to be driving a van in the rough and tumble world of Roman driving. Seems like those behind the wheel of a Fiat are much less likely to cut in front of […]
The Season Starts – the long road to Rome
Leaving Rothenburg en route to Rome to pick my my clients on a bright, sunny and warm day I completely forgot to take along a jacket or even a sweater. Not too smart for a seasoned traveler. That night, I wished I had one as the temperature dropped with every 100 kilometers I drove south […]