Category: Italy
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I Puffi
Or, How I Fell in Love with the Kilogram Scale I burst out laughing when I saw that the Italians call “Smurfs” “Puffi”. Or, to take the grammar to its proper usage. A “smurf” would be a “puffo.” Or, “puffa” (feminine). It became the leitmotif of my culinary – how you say – overindulgences. You…
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Everywhere You Look
I cannot believe it has taken me this long to visit Lake Como. I guess I thought it was only for the elites. Certainly, it has a rich history of being the relaxing playground of the rich. But, Varenna – where I am staying — has its own history. Once a fishing town, its only…
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Still Moving
I am on vacation and I have yet to stop moving. 24 hours door to door with a 7-hour layover in Bruxelles – turns out there is a cost to a $500 round trip to and from Roma. Oh, did I mention, I had a center seat to BRU and no seat – in fact…
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An Afternoon with Signora Maria
Visiting the cugini in Bologna, I had two missions: to enjoy the company of family, and to get my very own Signora Maria! Anyone who calls Signora Maria a terra cotta figure has clearly not met this delightful, whimsical character. Her creator is Anna Tazzari, an exquisitely talented artist in Bagnacavallo (outside Bologna). My first…
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Little Tiles of Ravenna
What a lovely little Italian town is Ravenna. My Italian friends say “oh, che belli mosaici!!” (pronounced moh-ZAI-ih-chee). And yes, the mosaics here are unbelievably beautiful. The little tiles of Ravenna are abundant and extant. Colorful and glimmering – golden little chips festooning the ceilings, the walls. Beautiful, indeed. Ravenna has it – and it knows it.…
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On the Street
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! The latest in street performers in Rome. What are these people looking at? This is a street performer unlike any I have ever seen on the street. Perhaps this pediatric attraction has been around for awhile, but not in my experience. I happened upon little big blue…
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Hurry Up and Wait
I have often said, the Italy of my dreams is the Centro Storico. Not necessarily the real Italy. Here I am smack dab in the middle of the train station in Milan. Just one of the Great Unwashed. Oh yeah: fair Italy — where is the goddam romance now. The plan seemed pretty solid. To…
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Ah, Rome. A Roma.
Ah, Rome. In Rome. One would not expect Rome, being centuries old, to change that much. But, this visitor can certainly look at the Eternal City with fresh eyes. I see two styles of travellers. Those who explore new cities every time they set out, and those who return to the place(s) they love. That…
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City of Water
How did the chicken cross the road in Venice? By riding on a little commuter boat called a vaporetto. A commuter’s gondola: a traghetto, like this one. A water taxi. Or, a gondola. After awhile I stopped taking pictures of the things they transport on boats in Venice: commuters, tourists, garbage, police and firemen, furniture, water and…
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Musings on Getting Lost
Getting lost is a sore subject with me. I do it easily and often. It causes me anxiety. So, what do you do when you find yourself someplace unfamiliar? What else — you get lost. There is this chocolate shop in Rome that I adore. It’s called Moriondo & Gariglio. I try to visit it every…