My Italy adventures continued this summer with a trip to Piedmont, in the wine region of Langhe, home to two of Italy’s most famous wines, Barolo and Barbaresco. It’s the classic picturesque Italy I’ve come to expect – small hilltop towns that look like they’re right out of central casting for a romantic movie, manicured …
Continue reading A Weekend in the Langhe: Barbaresco, Barolo and Alba
The second week of my spring 2017 trip to Italy brought me back to Tuscany, to Siena, the beautiful Medieval city that has become my defacto home. I always try to see and do different things upon every visit. This time, I spent two wonderful days exploring the Tuscan countryside with my friend and author …
Those few hours in Bevagna trying to find the bus to take me to Montefalco were a distant memory once I was in my seat and heading into the hills of Umbria. The drive alone was worth it. We just kept going up, up and up. The view was wonderful. Upon arrival, I walked through …
Discovering the hilltown of Bevagna was on my Umbrian itinerary, day four. The small town, which experienced a revival in the 12th century, has maintained its Medieval structure as well as some Roman ruins. Getting there is easy: take the train to nearby Foligno, then take a bus to Bevagna and then from there, take …
I spent my second day in Umbria in the ancient city of Spoleto, home of the famous “Festival of Two Worlds,” an annual music/arts festival that starts at the end of June and runs 17 days. The festival showcases music, ballet, opera, plays and exhibitions. The final gala concert takes place in the piazza in …
Day one of discovering the hilltowns of Umbria started in the plain at the bottom of the hill looking up at Assisi. There sits the seventh largest Christian church, Santa Maria degli Angeli (Santa Maria of the Angels). I’ve been to a few basilicas in my day but there was something different here. Inside, under …
In addition to touring Medieval towns, centuries-old churches and taking in breathtaking panoramas of the Italian countryside, my trip to Italy had something new on the itinerary: visiting a YMCA. My base was Siena. While planning day trips to the Tuscan countryside, I discovered there was a YMCA branch in the nearby town of Grosseto. …
The first time I was in Assisi was the day after Christmas, 1986. I was living in Rome at the time and my mom had come to visit for the holidays. Then we traveled for a few days and Assisi was our first stop. When we arrived, we couldn’t believe the view: a snow-covered town …
After studying Italian in Italy last year, one of the first things I did when I returned home was seek out ways to maintain my progress. I continued the lessons with the school in Italy via Skype, but I also returned to the Italian language school here in Cincinnati, School Amici. The two hours a …
Continue reading School Amici – an Italian Haven in Cincinnati
I’ve had the pleasure and the privilege of spending a lot of time in Siena, Italy in the past year, as you’ve seen from these blog posts and from a “few” posts on Facebook. This Medieval city in Tuscany is beautiful, of course, but it really won me over with its history and the tradition …
1cannolo, 2cannoli 