When I was a young backpacker, I probably missed experiencing a lot of sights. My goal was to see how far I could get my dollars to stretch, so my money went toward accommodations and food – the basics. I chose local (often uncomfortable) buses over more expensive trains. I stayed in hotels as cheap Read More…
Italy
Italian-style Thin Crust Pizza Recipe
Before I can give you the recipe for my now perfected pizza, I have to first give a nod to the folks at Walks of Italy. At the end of a half-day tour of Rome earlier this year, we took a pizza making class by a master pizza maker at his restaurant. You might already Read More…
Eating Italy Food Tours in Rome
Given that I’m in Santa Fe at the moment with our Culinary Tour, and this week IS all about food, I thought it would be good to step back in time (not THAT long ago, just two months) and revisit Italy for a food tour there. When in Rome, I had a chance to join Read More…
Round the World (and back) this Spring ~ Photo of the Day
To say the least, my travels this spring have been surrealistic. In 2 months’ time, I was in Thailand, Bhutan, Italy, Germany and Zambia. Oh, and Texas. I haven’t done the math, but I might have racked up 60,000+ miles. The strangest moment came for me was when I was in Zambia looking over images Read More…
Booking a Room in Rome (via HouseTrip)
My recent trip to Italy was the first time I’ve ever stayed in a short-term apartment rental during my travels. I’ve Couchsurfed, GlobalFreeloaded, stayed in hostels, hotels, bed and breakfasts and pensions. But for vacation travel, I have a feeling that apartments stays are going to be my preferred accommodation from now on. Jon joined Read More…
Florence, Italy ~ Photo of the Day
Unfortunately, we had just 2 nights in Florence. Enough time to see some of the highlights and just barely soak up a bit of the amazing culture and art. One of the most symbolic pieces of architecture in Florence is the Ponte Vecchio – the ancient bridge stretching across the Arno River. It’s believed that Read More…
Renting an Apartment in Venice (with Roomorama)
I hadn’t considered staying in an apartment rental when I travel until I received some information from Roomorama a few months ago about their services. These folks provide short-term accommodation rentals for travelers by connecting them with homeowners. They are well-established in North America and Europe but are now expanding into Asia, South America and Read More…
Venice ~ Photo of the Day
Despite having seen a gazillion photos, paintings and movies that feature the canals of Venice, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this city. The audacity of its early residents to build the entire area on a lagoon! The city now consists of nearly 120 islands – all connected by footbridges and canals Read More…
Life’s Short… Dessert in Italy
Europeans have this amazing way of getting you hopped up on coffee and sugar – and nowhere is it more prevalent than in Italy where the coffee is fantastico and the sweets, well, don’t those cookies just make your teeth hurt looking at them? You can’t even imagine how delicious those little chocolate boats were. Read More…
Assisi, Italy ~ Photo of the Day
I’m staying at Valle di Assisi Hotel located in a valley just a few miles from Assisi itself. Yesterday, a few of us who are here for the Travel Bloggers Unite conference, walked into town (someone calculated our roundtrip walk at about 9 miles!). It’s been a long time since I’ve traveled in Italy (12 Read More…