Traveling in Italy during Easter can be wonderful or perilous. Before you decide, read my story. Perhaps this is a funny story. I’m not sure. Tragic might be the more appropriate description. The first time I spent Easter in Italy, we stayed in a beautiful villa, an ancient palazzo, in the south. I’d spent a carefree …
The first time I drank Italian grappa I was lost in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome. My girlfriend and I eventually found a bar and we took the only two seats outside. I asked the owner what he recommended. Italian Grappa he said. Ever since that first experience, I’ve admired the strong liquor that is known …
After hiking around the Acropolis, eating spanakopita, and watching the changing of the guard, there was one more important cultural aspect of Athens that my friend said that I needed to see: the cafes. It was mid-afternoon on a sweltering day in May. The temperature was over 100 degrees and I wasn’t so sure that …
Puglia’s Cuisine is seafood rich and fresh, and that includes Puglia’s antipasti. Ricotta-stuffed mozzarella, swordfish carpaccio, fresh ricotta wrapped with prosciutto and dribbled with balsamic, stuffed mussels, stewed sweet bell peppers, marinated octopus, and mushroom fonduta–the parade of antipasti seems endless when dining in Puglia restaurants. Commonly listed as Antipasto della Casa or simply Antipasti …
“How am I to send my postcards,” said a friend, “when I can’t even find the right person at the Italian Post Office to talk to?” Another friend lamented, “I usually send my postcards with ‘I’ll be seeing you before you read this.’” It is true that the Italian postal service, called the Poste Italiane, …
Oria is an ancient, hilltop town in the south of Italy. Located in the Puglia region, the town was thriving as long ago as 200 B.C., when it was named Hyria and was part of the Messapian civilization. Today, the city retains its beauty, if not its abundance of activity, and provides visitors with …
With only two hours of sleep, I arrived in Brindisi, Italy at 6am on a night train. Brindisi, located in southeast Italy, is one the final stops on the Train Italia rail system, with Lecce being the only major city further south. Having a large, natural port on the Adriatic Sea, Brindisi has a significant history filled with …
When I first visited Italy I didn’t understand the ins and outs of using phones while traveling. I thought that you needed to purchase an expensive plan from your cell phone provider. While traveling, I quickly discovered how hard it could be to operate Italian pay phones and to find internet call centers. Luckily, …
Having visited the palace of Versailles in France, I had a feeling that I would not be impressed by King Frederick II’s Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany. Sure enough, when we pulled up to the old villa, I thought, well this is pretty good, but it isn’t so much. Then our tour guide told us …
The Italian city of Genoa is not recognized for its beauty. Its massive industrial port blocks views of the Mediterranean, and I wouldn’t recommend getting too close: the strong stench of fish and diesel is enough to keep even old salty dogs onshore. Before I went to Genoa, a friend described it to me as …