Once again, it’s time to celebrate World Olive Day, November 26, 2025. Somewhere, deep in our family archives, there’s...
Olives I have known and loved
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Blog Articles
Portugal, South to North
How about a northward trip through Portugal, starting in Lisbon and ending in Porto? Twenty-five of us joined the...
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...
National Tile Museum in Lisbon
I think that everyone visiting Lisboa - Lisbon - is awestruck by the omnipresent covering of the buildings with...
Bonita Lisboa!
LISBOA. Lisbon, Portugal. I’ll absolutely return to that beautiful city with its warm-hearted people. Four-and-a-half...
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...
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!...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
Matera, a Marvelous Rabbit Warren of Stone
Matera, Basilicata, at the “instep” of the “the boot” of Italy. It’s been on my list for several years since I saw an...
Puglia to Basilicata
We left Puglia (Apulia in English) and headed to our next destination in the region of Basilicata: Matera. We stopped...
Twinkling Toes in the Ionian Sea
For my birthday several days ago, I REALLY, REALLY wanted to dip my toes into the Ionian Sea at the tippy tippy tip of...
Bari, Puglia, in the Heel of the Boot
This is a southern Italy tour for me, to include the regions of Puglia (Bari, Polignano a Mare, Santa Maria di Leuca,...
Home again in Italia!
Flying into Milano yesterday evening, (after a very long day of cancelled and delayed flights) I felt emotional and got a little teary-eyed. This is my seventeenth year of making this journey, coming back for a month or more to see friends, visit new and treasured places, and eat some of my favorite dishes as well as venture untried regional specialities.
Take Me with You!
Uh oh. Tango sees the suitcases wide open on the floor. Something’s up. “Take me with you!” He pleads. No, the Kitty...
Italian Stone: Show of Fine Art Monoprints
Merging my multiple loves for expression, I have pulled from my 15 years of travel and 60,000 photos in Italy, and...
Signage, Graphics and Street Art Around Milan
My Designer/Artist's eye thrills at the strong visuals of signage – old and new – graphic elements and street art that...