The room I now occupy in Florence functions as a bedroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and closet all in one. The studio apartment combines all areas of living. Coffee is just two feet from the bed. My new desk where work will take place merges with the relaxation a couch and TV provide. There are no walls keeping one room’s role out from the other. As I chatted with my landlord about the space with 24 hours of no sleep hanging over, she told me how it served as the library of her old family villa. She recounted just where all of the books were stacked against the walls. Today, books Continue Reading
Traveling With Full Passion, Easier Said Than Done
Exactly one year ago on June 8th, I boarded a flight to Rome, Italy. This June 8th, I will board a flight to Rome. No, I am not some weirdly superstitious person that can only fly to Rome on June 8th. It all happened by coincidence, except this time, I hope and know, my mindset, goals, and experiences will be the antithesis of before. I often refrain from getting too personal on this site. I do not think everyone wants to know what I ate for breakfast or what my middle name is. If you do, drop me an email. I would be happy to shell out the dirty details on what falls in my cereal bowl. I Continue Reading
Ortigia Wishes You Were Here
I wrote an article for On UR Way Magazine last week about the lessons I learned while living in Ortigia, Sicily. I would love for you to give it a read, but in the mean time, I thought I would share some views of Ortigia by boat. One of my first few days in town, I took a boat tour around the jutting little old town center of Siracusa. The lighting was almost too perfect, not quite night and not quite day. Seeing the town from the water seemed to yield a greater insight into Ortigia than wandering its streets. No man may be an island, but Ortigia certainly made me want to consider striving Continue Reading
Sitting On Italian Church Steps
When the chaos of the outside world grows, expands, and engulfs everything in my travel path, I head not to a museum, hotel, or restaurant for respite but rather to a church. Throughout Italy, a Catholic church seems to be the requirement in every town, along the same lines of having a supermarket or a post office. Those without are normally towns along the side of the road merely consisting of a café, bank, and tabacchi, the religious rejects if you will. The outside world whizzes on by. Cars honk loudly and vespas interject throughout most side conversations. When I need a break from that Continue Reading
Riomaggiore Wishes You Were Here
While I tend to downplay Cinque Terre, known as the five towns in Italy strung out on the Liguria coastline, their beauty is undeniable. Sure, I might appreciate the area more without all of the crowds, but this view is something crowds can’t wreck or ruin. My grumpy nature for these five towns may have something to do with how I arrived to Riomaggiore. Traveling with a friend who just arrived from the US to visit, we ended up waiting 6 hours in the Florence airport for his lost bags. Just barely making the last train to Cinque Terre out of Florence, our train connections were hop-on, Continue Reading
Costa Verde, Sardinia Wishes You Were Here
It is no secret that I love Sardinia. The island just below Corsica and to Italy’s west yields those corny, take-your-breath-away moments. While I have yet to get up north and see what northern Sardinia is all about, I did spend some time exploring southern Sardinia’s scenery, filled with secluded beaches and peachy-colored, rocky mountains. What did I conclude of these visions? Well, I know why Sardinians live so long. This is what they wake up to every morning. Continue Reading
Mount Vesuvius Wishes You Were Here
There is an uneasiness that comes over me when I enter a scenario out of my control. It is similar to that of receiving a test and realizing you should have studied. That piece of paper is out of your hands, yet physically in them, and most likely going to meet an over zealous red pen. Your stomach reverts inward. Heaviness comes over you. You must just guess “C” and move on. This uneasiness met me one day in Italy. I was entrenched in a scenario out of my control. I just had to trust in nature that everything would turn out as it should. I entered into the situation just like a test. I Continue Reading