Italy: Along the Appia

Italy: Along the Appia

Around six a.m., Sol Invictus awakens to greet Rome’s citizenry, his soft sunlight illuminating two thousand years of a parabolic empire. I too rise, my well-worn running shoes resolving into focus as I touch the window to get a sense of the morning’s chill. Outside, my journey awaits. Stones the color of old dimes – … Continued

A Chilled Chianti in Italy

A Chilled Chianti Above the valley, I drink in the multi-layered rolling hills, vineyards with a sampling of fall color, cypress trees edging the horizon, and a serpentine dirt road that descends toward my rustic farmhouse. Surrounded by this Tuscan beauty, I’m challenged to keep my eyes and my vehicle on the road as I … Continued

New Year’s Eve in Rome, Italy

Walking in Rome on a night in December, the first thing you notice is the lights. White, gold, and blue- they are strung across every street, and bathe everything in an otherworldly glow. Huge gold and silver orbs hang down on invisible strings. Outside the churches, there are life-sized nativity scenes made of wood and … Continued

The Green Heart in Italy

The Green Heart After celebrating our wedding anniversary on a ten-hour flight to Rome, my husband and I are in Spoleto, Italy. Spoleto is located in the region of Umbria, known for its verdant hills and vineyards, and aptly called, the Green Heart of Italy. As anywhere, the east blooms with light in Spoleto. But … Continued

Waterborne on lakes in Italy

There are two lake taxis that ferry travellers between towns on Lake Como (Lago de Como in the region’s rich and sexy dialect). The chuff-chuff of the fast boat can be heard well before you see it, heavy blue-and-white hull lurching over Como’s rippling blue waters like a skipped stone and gangplanks folded in like … Continued

I Dream of Italy in Rome

The train lurched to a stop and I double checked to make sure this was where I was to get off.  The sign read Colosseo.  I stepped off the train and stopped at a bench to find my map and directions as to what exit to take.  I was still a relatively new traveller, and … Continued

Eating and Drinking Around Acqui Terme, Italy

A couple decades ago, when I was just out of college, I moved to Italy to work as an au pair. Unlike most travelers, I did not end up in a city like Florence or Rome but rather a small town in the region of Piedmont where no one spoke English. I knew nothing about … Continued

Slow Cooked in Italy

If you thrive off the fast-paced, high-pressured lifestyle which most big cities subject you to, then don’t even think about living in Italy; a country where the trains never run on time, shop owners enjoy three-hour lunch breaks, places close without warning and every meal is slow cooked certainly isn’t for everyone. It took me … Continued

Relaxation In The Thermal Waters of Acqui Terme, Italy

While Acqui Terme is in the heart of Piemont, Italy, surrounded by some of the most famous vineyards, Acqui Terme is also known for its hot sulpher springs.  After all, the name “Acqui Terme” means “Thermal Waters.”  The hot sulpher springs, which bubble up at 167°F, date back to the Roman town Aquae Statiellae.  You can head … Continued

My Little Italy

While visiting Italy twelve years ago, I learned that using my time wisely in a new place didn’t necessarily mean getting a lot accomplished each day. There was much to see and do in each city my husband and I visited, however, it was not the amount of popular sights we trekked to that made … Continued

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