I think Palermo gets a bad rap. It’s a gritty, noisy city, similar to more than a few other cities I have visited. This was the first time I’d been to Palermo and, after two days, my verdict is it’s a great city! I read that it has undergone a few decades of self-improvement. Well, …
Continue reading Sicily 2025: Palermo. A lively city full of color, noise and plenty of cannoli.
I’d been in Sicily for just two hours and I already made somebody mad. Not being familiar with the Catania airport and arriving from an overnight flight, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get the 9 a.m. bus to Milazzo, a coastal town where one takes ferries to the Aeolian Islands, my destination. …
Continue reading Sicily 2025: Welcome to Salina, a star of the Aeolian Islands.
Two households, both alike in dignity (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene), From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents’ …
Continue reading Charming Verona: A Roman City with that Famous Balcony
And here we were, the last day of the trek and the weather was very much not cooperating. The forecast? Clouds, wind, rain. I did not see that little sun icon on my phone. Ah, so what. What’s another rainy hike up 5,000 feet? The day was pretty basic: we had a big climb …
Continue reading Mont Blanc 2.0: Day 4. Rain, fog, wind and then. . . Italy!
This was a big day. The trek would take us 13 miles over terrain that wasn’t much like the horrible, terrible descent from day two. It was more undulating and wide open. At the end, our accommodations for the night were at a refuge with no wi-fi and barely any cell service. That’s a lot …
I don’t think I can express the joy of seeing the sun shining on our second day. But there it was, peeking out from behind a mountain peak. Itinerary for the day was an eight-mile trek, which included two big climbs. But part of it was also a stop on a ridge, the Col de …
Continue reading Mont Blanc 2.0 – Day 2: Sushine and 360-degree views on a ridge
Welcome back to Mont Blanc. In 2023, I hiked the valleys around the eastern façade of this beautiful Mont Blanc mountain range. The trek: two nights in Italy, two nights in Switzerland, two nights in France amidst bucolic villages with waterfalls, steep climbs, panoramas of snow-capped mountains. You get the idea. Read all about it …
The second part of my outstanding 2023 vacation brought me back to Italy. I’ve been a bit obsessed with seeing Civita di Bagnoregio for a few years. I saw a photo of it online and decided “That’s something I must see.” I didn’t know its history, I didn’t know if there were ruins, Etruscan, Roman …
Continue reading Civita di Bagnoregio: A Gem on a Hilltop in Central Italy.
The last day of this fabulous adventure arrived. We had one more big climb, one more day looking at some of the most breathtaking and spectacular scenery I’ve ever seen. And the weather was perfect. This was the best day - warm and sunny and we hiked along a balcony path that paralleled several Mont …
Continue reading Mont Blanc Trek: Day 6. We end in Chamonix on a beautiful, sunny day
Today we left Switzerland and hiked to France. And it was a doozy. We hiked straight up to Col du Balme, a high mountain pass that sits on the border of Switzerland and France. We were up about 7,200 feet. We left charming Trient on a relatively warm morning. But, as anyone who hikes mountainous regions …
Continue reading Mont Blanc Trek – Day 5. Hiking from Switzerland to France way up high!
1cannolo, 2cannoli 