Olives I have known and loved
Once again, it’s time to celebrate World Olive Day, November 26, 2025. Somewhere, deep in our family archives, there’s a photo of me sitting on a picnic blanket, about age 6 or 7, with my 10 fingers...
Portugal, South to North
How about a northward trip through Portugal, starting in Lisbon and ending in Porto? Twenty-five of us joined the Meany Arts, Culture, Food and Wine Tour 2025, in association with the University of...
Oh, I ate in Portugal!
Two-and-a-half weeks of eye-candy and belly-delight traveling northward in Portugal, from Lisbon up to Porto. Some solo time, plus lots of group time with fellow travelers from the University of...
National Tile Museum in Lisbon
I think that everyone visiting Lisboa - Lisbon - is awestruck by the omnipresent covering of the buildings with decorative tiles. So beautiful and decorative. The dominant color is cobalt blue,...
Bonita Lisboa!
LISBOA. Lisbon, Portugal. I’ll absolutely return to that beautiful city with its warm-hearted people. Four-and-a-half days merely introduced me, but inspired me for time to come. (I already envision...
Ahh Milano
Ahh, Milano… She enchants me still… after 17 years. Though I’ve now been in all 20 regions of Italy, what keeps me going back to Milano? So much stimulation, inspiration, satisfaction. It’s one of...
Italian Food: Eating in Italy
My number one recommendation when in Italy is to find out what the hyper-local food specialty is and choose that! There are foods you’ll find in one town, that are not available 50 kilometers away....
The Hospitality of Sardegna
Open-hearted people. I was welcomed with warm smiles and home-cooked meals… and they didn’t even know me! Sardegna. (Sardinia, if you speak English.) I flew out of Napoli (Naples), with a sight of...
The Feast of San Gennaro in Naples
The plan was to be in Naples in mid-September… so how could that plan NOT put us there for the the Feast of San Gennaro, the climax of which fell on September 19?! We missed the early morning mass...
Archaeology and Sculpture in Naples
It inspires awe in me to stand before a stone, carved with text, from the end of the 4th century B.C. To envision the people that crafted this work, who they were, what their lives were like. And to...
An Eyeful in Naples
Naples filled me to the brim in all the most satisfying and stimulating ways. My mind is still awhirl a week after having left that buzzing, frenetic place. One of the ways I was most captivated was...
Naples – Napoli, Napoli, Napoli!
Go. In 2009, I was in Naples for just a 45-minute taxi ride, from the train station to the marina, catching a boat to the Island of Ischia. Not nearly enough time! This time, FIVE NIGHTS in Naples,...