Haven’t you always heard of “the straits of Messina”? Today I took a train from Taormina, about halfway down the east coast of Sicily, up to the northeastern point of the large island, at Messina. I wondered how this would work, since my train ticket included going up the northwest-facing shoreline of Italy. There was [...]

May 9 Journal Entry. Taormina. I need an attitude adjustment. I just don’t do “the tourist thing” and am feeling finished, ready to go home. Without someone to taste wine with at the enoteca, to share a filet of grilled swordfish or a plate of caponata, without someone to marvel with over the historic sites [...]

Sitting in a hotel lobby using the wifi network. Italian game show on the TV next to me. Don McClean singing “American Pie” on the sound system. I hear more American Pop music here than Italian, both oldies and contemporary. It always amuses me, but doesn’t introduce me to Italy’s sounds.

8 May – In the “centro storico” – historic center – of this little seacoast town east of Palermo, on the north shore of the island of Sicily. The narrow, climbing, maze-like streets remind me of the towns of the Cinque Terre, rooted into the spaces at the bases of their hills. Navigation must come [...]

Veal guts were caught in my teeth. Coming back from a day trip up the hill to Monreale, I got off the bus at Piazza Indipendenza and started walking home to my B&B. Off on a low side road, I saw smoke and smelled grilling meat. “Milza“? (Sicilian, cooked organ meats.) No. It was skewered [...]

In pushing myself to “pack light, pack light, pack light”… in wanting to ease any worry about leaving my laptop behind in my hotel room while out exploring for the day… and in urging myself to go as “unplugged and off-the-grid” as I can stand, I left my laptop with a friend in Milan and [...]

Stepping outside the doors at the airport in Palermo, Sicily, I smelled the salty, sea air. Riding a bus from the airport into Palermo, the Mar Tirreno – Tyrrhenian Sea – was on our left, and this rocky mount on our right.

Always an exercise in “packing light”, I keep removing things from my one-and-only carry-on bag for two weeks in the south of “The Boot”. After a week in Milano, I’m heading to south to wander around. First, I’ll explore Sicilia for a week. Then I’ll take a train along the “sole of the boot”, to Puglia, [...]

Given a beautiful, 70-degree, blue-sky, springtime day in Italy, it was a joy to get out on a bike again for a ride along the canal! It’s been 9 months, and I’ve missed it. That ride, and being on two wheels, invigorates me and makes me feel so alive. And I love the still and [...]

I had seen this woman selling fresh eggs at the Saturday Market last year, too, but neglected to shoot a video because I was standing there spellbound. She grabs a large square of egg carton, slices the needed size, then plucks and places the eggs requested. I marvel at how fast her hands fly and [...]

It’s mid-April and COLD! Every morning at about 9:00 I look out to the thermometer on my back porch and it says 40 degrees. That’s only 8 degrees above freezing! Yesterday it was even colder at 36! And we had a crashing dump of 1/4 inch hail in the afternoon. Where is our springtime, warming [...]

Hour and a half. A slow 4 miles. Beach. Hill trail. Neighborhoods. Wind, rain, hail, sunshine. Singing birds and seaweed. I needed that.

While you’re shopping for Chocolate Pudding Mix, don’t forget the garlic! Really? I’m still scratching my head over this one. I asked the guy stocking shelves and he said they hang garlic all over the store. OK…

On a rainy day in Seattle – there have been so many lately – the car in front of me was branded “Milan” and my thoughts flew around the world. I’m 25 days away from returning to the land of “ciao” and dear friends that I look forward to sharing aperitivo with.

While all around the community people were wearing kelly green and mylar shamrocks on Thursday, a few friends of mine here, and a whole nation halfway around the world, added white and red to their color scheme. March 17 was the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy. Happy Birthday, Italia! Auguri! [...]

Ten years ago today, the earth shook both Seattle and my life. “Scared to death” is not just a figure of speech.

In spite of the snow and hail that keep passing through… and the continued temperatures in the 30s, signs of springtime surround the observant ones here in Seattle. Swelling buds on trees and daffodil stalks. Wild violets blooming. Lenten roses braving the cold. And deciduous catkins popped open, lengthening out and pendulous. A year ago, [...]

While waiting to meet with a client, I stopped in a book store to browse and get a coffee. This man was in line in front of me. I smiled. Fun to encounter little reminders of Milano and Italia and my friends and time there.

The most beautiful thing I saw today. The scene: a building along the west of a busy mall parkway in south Seattle, with a drive through and plantings along the roadside. The headlights from westbound traffic in the right-hand turn lane across the street, are intercepted by this low, trimmed tree and then play across [...]

Buon Anno. Tanti Auguri. Happy New Year. Many Good Wishes. L’anno duemilleundici. The year two thousand eleven. Vi auguro buona salute, curiositá e contentezza nel anno nuovo! Un abbraccio affettuoso a tutti i miei amici. I wish you good health, curiosity and contentment in the New Year! A warm hug to all my friends. – [...]

The inspiration of living in Italy will likely continue on for a very long time. I recently split fresh figs and stuffed them with a wedge of goat cheese. I wound them with jackets of prosciutto slices and garnished them with young leaves of basil. The plate of appetizers disappeared in 30 seconds. Late-comers were [...]

My neighbors are so wonderful. They show up at my back door with slices of fresh, cold watermelon. They loan me pasta machines. They invite me over to sing camp songs along the shoreline. They tote my garbage and recycling bins up the steep driveway. They chat at the roadside with me, in front of [...]

I’m grateful for the little reminders of Italia that I encounter here in Seattle, going about my day. Names for cookies and chips. Old ladies wearing tavern jackets in the “pot pie” frozen food section. “Proud to be Italian” License plate frames. Even shrink-wrapped prosciutto piques my nostalgia, though it’s a far cry from having [...]

“We’re having a crab feed on the beach tomorrow night. Do you want to come?” There’s only one answer for that question. “Of course!” This is a great neighborhood: wonderful people in a beautiful setting. I’m back in this little piece of paradise with longtime friends. (I know few people that actually KNOW their neighbors; [...]

Ahh, nothing like kickin’ tires on a used car lot on a sunny, summer day! I’ve been carless for over a year, relying on my own two feet and good shoes, my two-wheeled “bici“, subways and trains. I’ve planned my comings and goings based on how far I could walk and where the nearest Metro [...]

This post comes with caveats. Yes, these thoughts are generalizations. Yes, there are exceptions. Yes, stereotypes paint a broad swath rather than acknowledge the individuals. This is a list, in no particular order, of some confounding quirks I encountered in Italy. They were sometimes treasured, sometimes tolerated, (sometimes jaw-dropping and infuriating). These are traits that made [...]

This return is both emotionally and mentally harder than I had expected. I had a LIFE and friends that I left behind. I had my patterns and my joys; I was wide open and received openly. My busy zone in the city held familiarity for me. The unknowns had eased into old-jeans comfort, and the [...]

What have I been having a hankerin’ for while I’ve been away? What didn’t I find a substitute for to satisfy my yen? White, sweet corn on the cob. Salsa, avocado and cilantro. Rosemary bread. Convection-roasted, whole chicken. Sea-salt pita chips. Hummus. Guess what I bought at the grocery store in the first couple of [...]

Just because I’ve returned to Seattle, will my blog come to a halt? No. There’s still more to say. I have more mulling over to do. Comparisons to draw. Reflections to note… And having shot 16,314 photos in my close-to-14 months in Italy, I have more images to share. I’m not sure how often I’ll [...]

As Dorothy said, “there’s no place like home”. This spring, in anticipation of leaving Milano, I had my eye open for some symbolic “ruby slippers” and found these at a little street market for 20 euro. They’re not really for wearing, but rather to have as a visual reminder of what I’ve just done, where [...]