April 18 While on my way to Rome recently to pick up clients, I stopped in northern Tuscany to visit good friends Giulio and Elisabetta Salemme. We stayed the night in a simple but lovely Agriturismo within sight of a massive gray pile of rock which I learned was the Castello dell’Aquila. Giulio offered a […]
Tag Archives: italy
The Roman Forum
April 2 (From Wikipedia with photos by European Focus) The Roman Forum (Latin: Forum Romanum, Italian: Foro Romano) is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the […]
There’s no traffic in Rome these days
March 31 With fuel prices at an astounding $9 per gallon for unleaded, slightly less for diesel, the Romans are leaving their cars parked and taking public transportation. What used to be a white knuckle drive into the heart of Rome from the airport is now a breeze, with very few vehicles on the road […]
Experience Europe for 2012
We’re offering an itinerary full of our most favorite places on the European continent. This tour can be booked “as is” or it can be used as the nucleus for your own suggestions and ideas, which we will then incorporate into the perfect trip for you and your party. Remember, we never mix and match […]
Postcard from the Sudtirol
The ancient village was razed to the ground to make way for a large reservoir. All that remains of the 13th century church is the tower, poking up like a ghostly reminder from the waters.
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 […]
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.
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.