Enjoy Your Life
What started all this exploration of Italy? A nudging query from a friend. An internet search. And far too many reminders that life is much too short. Too many friends and family members have "had...
Knives vs. Dresses
Milano is a fashion maven's paradise: Prada. Dolce & Gabbana. Armani… etc. But dresses and handbags don't interest me much. I'd rather have knives and scissors. I'd rather have tools for making...
Mary and the Madonna
It was just starting to spit a little rain as I got off the subway at "Fermata Moscova" and walked toward the cemetery, "Cimitero Monumentale". It's a remarkable place, but what draws me now is a...
Macabre
At the Saturday street market yesterday, there were a couple of meat vendors selling rotisserie-cooked chickens, still rotating behind them. I stood in line with the rest of the crowd because the...
South Italy Tour
After my first week in Milan, I toured the south of Italy for two weeks, and then have spent the subsequent week writing about it and prepping photos! (I shot 2400.) What an amazing time. I met...
Summertime Hail
Seattleites delight! There's quarter-inch hail rocketing down at this moment in Milano! (And I've even worn a light sweater today.) the hail isn't just falling, it's being propelled to the ground...
No More Pickles!
It's hot and I've had too much salt. My fingers and toes are like little sausages. My skin is tight. I don't think I could put my shoes on if I had to. My sandals are uncomfortably snug. I've eaten...
Taormina Lemons
On a narrow, stair-stepped passage in the "centro storico" - historic district - of Taormina, there was a small shop that sets up fruits and vegetables outside. The lemons pulled me, looking like...
The Essential
"The essential is invisible to the eyes." Painted graffiti on a wall in Palermo.
Where Are We Going?
Ticka-ticka-ticka-ticka. The signs that indicate Milano's M2 green line subway destination were malfunctioning and rapidly rotating through all the options. It was amusing, but noisy with its...
Nesting in Milano
A pigeon wandered into the other bedroom, twice, off the balcony. A child was practicing lessons on a recorder flute, playing "Somewhere (There's a Place for Us)". The sound was amplified through...
Eating the South
In Italy, one can go 100 kilometers and find a very different food culture. There are dishes and combinations found in just one town, and certainly in one region, not others. What Americans think of...