Livorno Italy, Part I: Classy Italian city with a clumsy English name Livorno is a lovely Italian city with an ugly English name – Leghorn (an English-language garbling of the city’s Italian moniker). Who wants to stop and see “Leghorn”? Almost none of the 3.5 million tourists who pass through Livorno every year while boarding …
Things to Do in Algarve, Portugal: 3 Day Itinerary from Faro to Lagos If you are heading for Portugal’s Algarve, you are in for a treat. From the westernmost point of Cabo de Sao Vicente to Cacela Velha in the east at the border with Spain, you find a cornucopia of sites. Beaches, mountains, thermal …
On the Hunt in Croatia’s Truffle Region There’s no mistaking when Mel picks up the scent. In a flash, the year-old black terrier scurries over to a small oak tree and begins furiously pawing at its base, her tail wagging excitedly. “Dobre, dobre!” Mel’s owner Višnja yells in Croatian. “Good, good.” Here’s where it gets …
Serravalle Outlet near Milan: Don’t Just Come for Shopping! Think Serravalle invites visitors to “think (different)” about a small Italian community with big attractions and even bigger ambitions. The Serravalle Outlet is well-known (Europe’s largest) and so is Cortese di Gavi, a world-class wine. Yet it has more to offer its visitors, as long as …
Many people who consider Portugal’s Algarve as their holiday destination, will think about the dramatic coastline, with breathtaking rock formations, alternating with fine, sandy beaches. But that is not all that Western Algarve has to offer. Discover Monchique in Western Algarve What’s not so well known are the treasures of the Algarve Hinterland, with the …
Dora Stratou Dance Company in Athens I am sitting in a quiet wooded park area at the foot of Philoppaou Hill near the Acropolis in Athens Greece. It’s a warm September evening and the air is fragrant with pine. Overhead the night sky is littered with stars. On a stage in front of the tiers …
A Tuscan Winery Experience at Guardastelle There is something life-affirming about finding a place where it is apparent that a dream, hard work, perseverance, and commitment to excellence and family values can come together to create a unique place. Even though the future is uncertain (Irpide), and we know we will encounter little troubles (Tzibilotto) …
Camino de Santiago: A pilgrimage across northern Spain to the sanctuary at Santiago de Compostela is the finest journey in Spain.
A triangle of villages in southern Tuscany contain treasures undiscovered by American travelers. Sorano, Sovana, and Pitigliano nestle 50 miles southeast of Grosseto, close to the border with Lazio, and offer much to visitors above and beyond what you expect in southern Tuscany, i.e., good food, great wine, medieval village charm. Sorano Sorano has all …
For most foreigners, a tour of Tuscany means Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, and maybe Lucca. While these well-known cities and towns exemplify the Tuscany region’s medieval treasures, its history encompasses far more than the Medici, Michelangelo, and all that. The enigmatic Etruscans were a major civilization of ancient Italy, and a little-visited region …