How to Eat 100 Steamed Mussels
Having spent the morning walking all over old-town Nice, on the jewel-toned Riviera coast of France, it was time to eat a bite… or maybe a hundred. Miriam and I passed many little cafés with people...
Porcini and Brooms
This is real Italian food. They're not over here just eating pizza and spaghetti. And they're NOT eating "Fettucine Alfredo"! (If you see it on a menu, it's only there for the tourists.) The range...
Talking Over the Fence
Standing in my skinny kitchen, washing the dishes, I heard a couple of women talking. I looked out my kitchen window and its security bars, across the long, common courtyard and saw two women...
Scented by Jasmine
Journal Entry - June 1, 2012 "How blessed and full of grace are these days, scented by the jasmine vine along the courtyard rail and set to music by songbirds! The hours are, at last, warm embraces...
Hurled Rain!
What rain in the night! The raindrops must have been a half inch apart and hurled at the ground with such velocity! And I haven't heard thunder, or seen lightning like that since living in the...
Enrica, My Courtyard Neighbor
I was sitting in my room typing today and heard "snip, snip, snip." I looked out my window into the little private courtyards to see a woman in her 60s, trimming in her garden which neighbors mine....
Brunelleschi’s Dome
When going into a new town, seek out the highest point from which to get the most sweeping overview. This will quite often guide your further exploration. In this case, I was back in Florence -...
Pope Benedict XVI Visits Milano
I saw the Pope today. Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Milano yesterday for an evening greeting to the citizens that welcomed him at the Piazza del Duomo (Milano's central cathedral). The event had...
Tricolore Gelato
As it turned out just by chance, my dish of gelato was my nod to Italy. Today is June 2, a holiday celebrating the formation of the Republic of Italy in 1946. The Italian flag is referred to as the...
Milanese Courtyard Birdsong
Who can identify this birdsong? Granted, the video's not great; it's not intended to be. Just close your eyes and listen to the sounds I hear in my courtyard, most of all, that wonderful, lyrical...
Neighborly Hydrangeas
Shortly after arriving in Milano, I had a nesting moment and went out to pull weeds in and around my little courtyard just to tidy it up and make it a little less jungle-like. It's really a pleasant...
Woman in White
Wandering the street market today, I saw this woman in white from head to toe, including white, fishnet gloves. She was beautiful! I tried to take some "stealth" photos, but kept getting just the...