Category Archives: Italy and Greece 2016

Sunday morning here in sunny Sorrento began with a quick hotel breakfast at 7:30 so we could meet our shuttle to Pompei at 8:00 a.m.  One of the selling points for me for choosing this particular hotel in the early … Continue reading →

As we neared the end of our time in Tuscany, Irene Gren, the young woman that we adopted as a daughter the last time we were here and who has taken over with her brother Eduardo, the vacation rental property … Continue reading →

After a couple of hours back at the villa, we headed out for dinner about 8 pm.  We set out for a particular restaurant in a neighboring town but decided after a brief stint of driving exploration, that we were … Continue reading →

We set off for Pitigliano, or what is known as Little Jerusalem on Tuesday morning around 10:00 am.  Heading south out of our little village of Pergine Valdarno, we were armed with an Italian road atlas and our sometimes not … Continue reading →

On Monday here in Tuscany, after keeping a pretty hectic schedule the past two and a half weeks, we decided to hunker down and stay at our villa.  The weather was windy and rainy and was not very enticing for … Continue reading →

On Friday, May 20th, we arrived in Pergine Valdarno, a small village in Tuscany, after renting a car in the city of Chiusi where we arrived by train from Bologna.  This place is so enchanting and beautiful.  It is now … Continue reading →

We were sitting eating a sandwich for lunch on our last full day in Bologna near our hotel along a narrow alley where vegetable shops, seafood shops, and gelato places abound.  We were always getting hit up by healthy and … Continue reading →

We arrived in Bologna after a one-and-a-half-hour train ride from Venice.  Taking a taxi to our hotel, we found ourselves in the middle of the central historical district about a block from the Piazza Maggiore, the main plaza in Bologna … Continue reading →

Our three days in Venice was wonderful.  What a beautiful and enchanting city of no cars, just boats of all shapes and sizes.  Instead of streets, there are canals.  The public buses to transport you around the city are yes, … Continue reading →

Our 6:00 p.m. Italian cooking class in Milan on Thursday was three subway stops away from the Duomo subway entrance nearest to our hotel.  Trying to find an address in a city that is over 2400 years old can be … Continue reading →