Italy
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A Unique Spot in Verona: Piazza dei Signori
More Details: A Unique Spot in Verona: Piazza dei SignoriThe Piazza dei Signori (or, “Piazza of the Gentlemen”) is right next to the more famous (and impressive) Piazza delle Erbe in the heart of Verona, Italy. It likely earned its name as it is surrounded by important buildings or “palazzos”. It is not as old as the Piazza delle Erbe – and it is…
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Dante, Dante, Where Are Thou? (As in Alighieri)
More Details: Dante, Dante, Where Are Thou? (As in Alighieri)Dante Alighieri‘s Divine Comedy is a masterpiece of allegory, sharing with us the growth of the main character (Dante himself) as he traverses hell, purgatory and heaven. It has inspired many through the centuries (many centuries) since it was written. Including The Masquerade at Excelsior Mill in Atlanta with its three epic levels of hell,…
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Hiking to the Best Views of the Dolomites: Lagazuoi
More Details: Hiking to the Best Views of the Dolomites: LagazuoiAfter spending a great night at Rifugio Kostner, who could be blamed for not wanting to leave such a cool spot? But, that is the trekking life, not staying in one spot. Destination: Lagazuoi So off we went to get to Lagazuoi, a mountain known as much for WW I history as for its beautiful…
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The Best of Venice – Get Lost in Its Neighborhoods
More Details: The Best of Venice – Get Lost in Its NeighborhoodsIn a prior post, I shared some images of Venice‘s majestic boulevard: its Grand Canal. From the modern pedestrian bridge near the train station to the iconic Rialto Bridge to St. Mark’s Square – and many palazzos in between, that post showcased Venice but now, the best of Venice! However, I enjoy Venice a lot…
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Venice’s Splendor Is Best Seen from Its Grand Canal
More Details: Venice’s Splendor Is Best Seen from Its Grand CanalVenice must be one of the most photographed cities in the world and the views from the Grand Canal, the wildly curvy main thoroughfare of the city, are likely the main object of such photos. In this “postcard” post, I will share Venice’s splendor from its great waterway. Many of the buildings along the way…
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Challenge in the Dolomites: Hiking the Rosengarten
More Details: Challenge in the Dolomites: Hiking the RosengartenMy first day of hiking presented a neat challenge in the Dolomites taking us from Carezza / Karersee to Rifugio Passo Principe (Grasleitenpasshütte). There we would spend the night after traversing the iconic Rosengarten Massif, near Bolzano, Italy. The massif contains several peaks with its highest elevation being at 9,849 ft (3,002 m). The trek…
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Monticchiello: Charm in the Middle of Tuscany
More Details: Monticchiello: Charm in the Middle of TuscanyA few years ago, in one of my trips to Italy, we spent a few days in Tuscany. We opted to rent apartments in a small mountaintop town called Monticchiello, a charming place, sandwiched between Pienza and Montepulciano (lucky folks!!!). We truly lucked out: the town was quaint, quite small, and its location was central…
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Photo of the Week: Viewing Venice from my Window Seat
More Details: Photo of the Week: Viewing Venice from my Window SeatVenice, Italy is such a unique place. It is almost out of Disney’s mind. But it is not. It is truly unique and a sight worth seeing once in your life. I have been fortunate not only to have seen it, but to have been there twice. It can be a maddening place with the…
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Photo of the Week: Two Sides of the Coin
More Details: Photo of the Week: Two Sides of the CoinWhile visiting St. John Lateran in Rome, Italy, I ran into a group of tourists posing in front of the basilica (it is one of the four main basilicas in Rome, along with St. Peter, Santa Maria Maggiore and St. Paul Outside the Walls; however, it is the oldest and actually has the highest rank…
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The Timeless Capitals: Rome, Athens, Cairo
More Details: The Timeless Capitals: Rome, Athens, CairoI have traveled to a good bunch of countries and hope to add more over time. Most of the time, that means I have visited their capital cities even if briefly. Rare is the case where I have not visited a capital city of a country I have been to. Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican…
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Photo of the Week – A Church on Rome’s Tiber Island
More Details: Photo of the Week – A Church on Rome’s Tiber IslandLast year during my one week in Rome, I did the usual when in cities as incredible as eternal Rome: walk, walk, and walk. Sometimes with a clear objective, sometimes just meandering and seeing what the walking will uncover. On this gray day, we found ourselves crossing the Ponte Cestio into Tiber Island as we…