I’m not going to pretend like I never curl up in bed and watch pirated Netflix for hours and hours, because I absolutely do. But my #1 guilty pleasure is taking a weekday off to go exploring small Italian hamlets. Cobblestones, towers, crypts and general small-townyness — Offida fits the bill perfectly. With only one thing on […]
Category Archives: Italy
24
Sep
Sep
Rome has no shortages of landmarks: Colosseum, Pantheon, St. Peter’s Square, Pyramid of Cestius, Circus Maximus… But one of my favorite landmarks of all is the bright yellow FORNO sign on Via dei Chiavari. Antico Forno Roscioli is a Roman institution. Locals come here for their daily bread, a few brutti ma buoni biscotti, and […]
14
Aug
Aug
To me, Campo de Fiori is a meeting spot. It is a place to agree to find each other so that you can move on to somewhere else. It is not that I don’t like the market there, it simply is not my market. Neighborhood markets are, by definition, in your own neighborhood. I wouldn’t […]
26
Jan
Jan
The house is in shambles. I ping pong from one project to the next, dropping whatever I am doing as soon as I notice a potentially more pressing task sitting across the room. Nothing is done. Everything is everywhere. We are moving. Again. It’s a happy move. It’s an impulsive move. A move undertaken due […]
20
Jan
Jan
Roman rain is dreary in January, which is why we escaped to slightly-warmer Spain over the weekend. The Barcelona jaunt was short lived and being back in the land of unpredictable downpours and unreliable transport has me longing for summer in Tuscany. Rome is photogenic if you get below its chaotic facade, but Tuscany is […]
30
Nov
Nov
I love November in Tuscany. November in Tuscany is cozy. It means olio nuovo, which is one of things I can’t live without! The days can be rainy, or they can be surprisingly sunny, though always with a chill that nips straight through and makes you long for hearty soups and evenings by the fire. […]
31
Oct
Oct
Did I tell you about that one time my sister came to Rome? My big little sister (so called because while I have several years on her, she has been taller than me since she was 14). When I asked her what she wanted to do in Italy she came up with: 1. arial yoga […]
29
Oct
Oct
You can do Siena in a day from Rome. You can do it, but you will be tired. I know this because I did it and regretted it slightly… we probably should have stayed the night. Siena is large enough to draw crowds (especially during July and August when the Palio is held in the […]