Another fabulous trip! We squeezed in too much for 8 days, but it was all wonderful. Tuscany was definitely a highlight. Here’s a photo from one evening in Montepulciano, but it doesn’t begin to do justice to the beauty of the actual scene.
More about our trip in the coming weeks!
Photo source: personal collection.
Trips to Italy involve daily gelato for me (luckily for my wasteline, I was able to give up this habit when I actually lived in the country). There is excellent gelato to be had all over this country, and all over the city of Milan, but there’s one gelateria that’s so special it’s worth going a little out of your way for: Chocolat.
Chocolat is located near the Castello Sforzesco (at Via Boccaccio 9), and serves up some amazing stuff. As the name implies, the many chocolate flavors are their specialty, but really all the flavors are yummy (at least all …read more
This NYTimes article broke my heart today – to hear that the waste disposal problems around Naples are negatively affecting the quality of some buffalo mozzarella, one of Italy’s most beloved cheeses. Una tragedia!
The owner of Obiká, a mozzarella bar which is one of my favorite restaurants in Milan (and Rome), is interviewed for the article, and he makes it sound like establishments such as his, who only deal with high-quality sources of mozzarella, can still be trusted. Whew.
I love reading books during my travels that are somehow connected to my destination. I’m not talking about travel guides, but rather pleasure reading to entertain me on planes, trains, or simply while soaking in the atmosphere at a local cafe. Fiction or non-fiction, books set in the city I’m exploring can help enhance my experiences of the location and the book.
One great city-and-leisure-reading combination is the book When in Rome, you guessed it, while vacationing in the Eternal City. When in Rome is actually primarily a history of the Vatican, written in a charming and entertaining voice. The author, …read more
Europe is chock full of fine art, but for today’s Photo Friday I thought I’d show you one of my own humble creations. This painting was inspired by the Navigli area of Milan, a hip neighborhood with a couple romantic canals running through it. Navigli is especially known for its lively night life, and the canals are lined by outdoor cafes perfect for enjoying an evening aperitif after a day of sightseeing in the city.
See more art-themed entries in Photo Friday here. If you’re interested in seeing more of my work, you can check out my artist’s website or my …read more
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Looking for a good overview of the highlights of Rome? Check out this video to whet your appetite for a Roman holiday:
Have a travel video to recommend for Europe String? Let me know!
Piles of fruit sculpted out of marzipan, a sweet almond paste that sometimes looks better than it tastes, on display in Milan, Italy.
Sometimes the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is referred to as the world’s first indoor shopping mall, but that’s a comparison that doesn’t do this magnificent structure justice. It connects the Piazza del Duomo to the piazza in front of La Scala opera house in the center of Milan. The ceiling consists of a glass dome, while the floor is sumptuous marble.
While most of the shops (including Prada’s flagship store) in the galleria are pretty high-end, the galleria does offer one great budget-travel activity (besides being an attraction in and of itself): a good luck spin on the bull’s balls is …read more
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