I studied abroad when I was a junior in college in Ortigia, Sicily. Ortigia is a small town, the old town center of Siracusa in southeastern Sicily. I spent over four months living and “studying” in this picturesque location. My program was smaller than the Duggar family of just 15 students. We all came to know one another, much like family. More often than not, it felt like we were on a reality show, 15 strangers living on a island. Will they survive? Ortigia was home and a little American family possessed it for a few months. I went back to Ortigia for a week around this time last year. I Continue Reading
I found Papier-mâché Paradise at Carnevale in Viareggio
A woman with a plunging neckline welcomes visitors to Carnevale in a Tuscan town. As if her dress does not showcase enough free spirit, her billboard hands flail in the air, hinting at the mandatory carefree atmosphere that surrounds. Confetti covers La Passeggiata, a long stretch in the seaside town of Viareggio. Papier-mâché floats conquer this stretch throughout January and February as people come from all around the world to dress up in outrageous get-ups. Shots ring out. These are not gunshots but rather quite the opposite, innocent shots of silly string. Children and adults with silly Continue Reading
Where are you going? An evening stroll through Cagliari’s Castello Quarter
Tonight, my feet have brought me to the streets of Cagliari on Sardinia’s southern coast. Cagliari, a port city founded by the Phoenicians in the 7th century B.C., remains the island’s capital, filled with a mixture of modern and ancient architectures. The city lies in the middle of the Golfo degli Angeli, in other words, the Gulf of the Angels. The heavenly aspect to Cagliari at first glance may seem hard to find with run-down buildings and moderately sketchy accommodations, but the angelic quality to Cagliari seems to be perched a flight of stairs above the town in the Castello Continue Reading
Where Are You Going? Plant your Feet Overlooking Urbino, Italy
What many of us forget about travel is our feet. Without the ability to move, travel would fail to exist. These places around the world we view most likely at a standstill. We are usually standing tall or with bad posture, viewing a place on foot. As a part of this travel site for 2010, posts of the week deemed “Where Are You Going?”, a place viewed on foot while traveling, will be featured, predictably every week. The goal of this segment is to expand the idea of travel, that no matter where your stinky, clean, pedicure, no pedicure, aching feet take you, places will always exist that have Continue Reading
My Christmas Card: Holiday Travel in a Rare Sicilian Form
For the holiday season, I can only think of one photograph to share with my readers that represents the essence of holiday travel. While I could slap up a picture of squawking people at the airport or pushy shoppers edging you out of the latest deal, I selected this particular photograph showcasing the ultimate holiday journey. The baroque creamy buildings look almost as if they are glowing. Gazing down from my Sicilian balcony, I think the buildings really are radiating light. Streaming lines of uniformed men follow an angelic statue to Mary. It is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Continue Reading
Closet Italian Designer Keeps Her Designs in the Closet
Lounging on sapphire-blue colored sofas while watching countless hours of Italian game shows, movies, and jewelry infomercials, a former Italian designer modestly but willingly entertains my unending questions about her life. One question after another she responds almost as though no one has ever asked her about herself before me. Her chatter fills the unbearable humid air of a summer day in Florence, Italy. She may not be as well known as Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, or Dolce & Gabana, but she easily could have been 40 years ago. Sharing the famous street in Florence that could be named Continue Reading
Sorrento Serenades and Charades
For a month in Italy’s hot Sorrento sun, I woke to vespas whizzing down the narrow streets outside my window and occasionally what sounded like a number of Italians yelling when really they were just excited to begin their day. I rose to shower, however, I found my shower resembled that of a large sink-like chair with a long hose attached. I stepped outside my narrow room to my balcony. I faced another apartment building where a little grey haired lady always hung up her laundry and where neighborhood kids would practice their soccer skills in the ally below. I would head to the kitchen for my Continue Reading