Italy

Stunning pictures in STONE! Pietre Dure Museum
I was originally headed for somewhere different entirely, but ended up wandering off and exploring a most extraordinary museum! Along ...

Gucci Garden
The Gucci Garden Museum is dedicated to the iconic Italian fashion house, and includes classic Gucci clothing & handbag exhibits ...

Piazza della Repubblica
Complete with stunning architecture, live music, and a carousel, visiting the Piazza della Repubblica was a wonderful experience! "Piazza della ...

Ponte Vecchio
Walking across the iconic Ponte Vecchio was like entering another world... "The Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge", Italian pronunciation: [ˈponte ˈvɛkkjo]) ...

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistry of St John
It was truly amazing even walking toward this iconic cathedral There are countless videos, books, etc on how the dome ...

Basilica di San Lorenzo
The Basilica di San Lorenzo is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy. It is right near the centre ...

Museo di Palazzo Vecchio
The stunning Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It looks out onto the Piazza della Signoria (I ...

American Diner in the historic district of Florence?
Welcome to the 1950s! An American Diner restaurant in this historic district of Florence, Italy. One of the last things ...

Piazza della Signoria
Piazza della Signoria This amazing space was named after the Palazzo della Signoria, also called Palazzo Vecchio (or Old Palace) ...

Piazza di San Firenze
Piazza di San Firenze Located behind Palazzo Vecchio and close to Bargello, Piazza di San Firenze was named after a ...

Sometimes the littlest things can mean the most
[in case you're wondering, that's the Ponte Vecchio on the River Arno behind me - went exploring there on Thanksgiving ...

Basilica di Santa Croce
Heading out this morning, I went wandering to at first explore the Basilica di Santa Croce and the Piazza di ...

Museum of Leonardo da Vinci
An extraordinary outing - going for a walk to find the Museum of Leonardo da Vinci - and the museum ...

The Other Last Supper
Another beautiful day in Florence and I went in search of the 'other' Last Supper... The Other Last Supper I ...

Michelangelo Piazza
Michelangelo Piazza - the location for all those amazing vistas of Florence that have become so famous. The Piazza is ...

Si, sono solo!
My day started with sitting outside at one of the local cafes, happily working away as the world meandered by ...

Florence Loop – Post 3 of 3
This is the third in a series of posts continuing my loop of Florence... It is a glorious city - ...

Florence Loop – Post 1 of 3
Welcome to Florence! To get a general idea of the area, one of the first things I do in a ...

Welcome to Florence!
This was my last day in the glorious piece of Heaven in Suffolk. It was so hard to leave. There ...

Invitation: Venice Carnivale (Venuto Carnevale)
Join a group of friends and me in our own private villa for the incredible Venice Carnivale in February, 2020! ...

Exploring Vicenza and surrounds
It was a foggy morning when I headed off in the direction of Vicenza to see what I could discover ...

Exploring Dolo in provincial mainland Venice
Dolo rests on the Brenta River, the waterway that connected Venice/Venezia to Padua/Padova. During mostly the 1500s, the Venetian aristocracy ...

My Italian villa on the Riviera del Brenta
Welcome to my home for the next month... I even have my own mini-villa in the grounds of this glorious ...

Hello Italy and Lake Como
The first place I stayed was a delightful little family-run hotel near Lake Como. The next morning, continuing my drive ...

Ferrari-time…
Lovely morning to head off to drive a Ferrari or two... ...then off to the famous Restaurante Cavallino... ~ Bella ...

Cavazzone in the Italian hills of Viano
Beautiful drive up into the hills near Modena (home of the most glorious balsamic vinegar)... ~ Bella ...

Brescia to Parma, Italy
It wasn't until I was putting some food and drink items on my bucket list (such as eat bolognese in ...

Mille Miglia historic car race (post 2 of 2)
...continuation of photos from what some call the most beautiful race in the world... Time for dinner... ~ Bella ...

Mille Miglia historic car race (post 1 of 2)
The Mille Miglia (mille = 1000, miglia = mile) was an open-road, motorsport endurance race established in 1927 by the ...

Riva Boats trip and factory tour on Lake Iseo, Italy
I have wanted to take a trip on a Riva boat since the first time I saw one in an ...

Rum, Austria to Lake Iseo, Italy
I didn't set foot outside the hotel the entire week I was there... It was just magical sitting out on ...

Pinocchio’s Oak of the Witches
Off waaaaaaaay into the Italian countryside in search of a tree? But not just any tree... On the 7th of ...

Exploring Padua…
Next, off to explore Padua... - I had no idea the town centre was so beautiful! ...then back to the ...

Venice and the Venetian Riveria
Next stop - Venice! Well, sort of... we just at least drove as far as one can drive... will save ...

Strada della Forra – one of the most beautiful drives in the world…
It was an overcast day when we set off to drive the Strada della Forra, known as one of the ...

Vienna to Venice via the Weltmachine (World Machine)
Our adventure started before we even left the rental car place... I couldn't find where to release the parking brake ...

Castelli Romani
A few weeks ago, my friend Lehan and I drove up to Castelli Romani - in particular to Lake Nemi ...

Final day in Lido di Ostia
Well, after a fascinating stay of almost three months here in Italy, today is my last day before I relocate ...

Driving Holiday Along the Amalfi Coast in Italy
What an absolutely fabulous five days we had driving from Lido di Ostia down to Amalfi and Ravello, back up ...

A Cocktail of Cultures and Language
I am writing this while sitting at a Chinese/Thai restaurant near home here in Lido di Ostia. When I awoke ...

Glorious Day Exploring Rome!
Today I decided to go exploring Roma! First, it was a twenty-minute walk to the train station and what started ...

Market Day in Lido di Ostia
It's market day in Catona... Hmmmm, no, wait - that's the line in "Under the Tuscan Sun"! ...but that's what ...

Anti-Mafia Rally On My Street
Sitting out on my balcony, working on Bridgit's next book and I hear a commotion down on street level, getting ...

Ostia Update #2
It is another glorious day (Monday) here in Lido di Ostia! It is a little overcast, but the sun is ...

I love Ostia!
Welcome to Ostia Update #2... I have been here just under a week and the more I get to know ...

Ostia Update
As I begin this post, it is Monday here in Ostia (after arriving on Saturday and sleeping much of Sunday!) ...

First Class Overnight Train from Vienna to Roma
Ostia, here I come! My wonderful limousine company picked me up from the lovely hotel in which I stayed while in ...