When you read that the most beautiful village in all of Italy is just a few miles away, you can't fight the urge to go and judge for yourself. Italy crawls with villages that could easily be the most beautiful in all of the country. Locorotondo in the country’s southern Puglia region has the coveted title of one of the borghi piú belli d’Italia, otherwise, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. I had to go and see for myself. Coming up on Locorotondo, my skepticism got the best of me. It didn’t look like much, a city on a hill but not one a pilgrim would write home about to Continue Reading
The Unexpected Benefits to Solo Travel
Before I left for Ireland, I knew there would be benefits to traveling solo. These benefits I likened to a new-found independence, ease in social situations and confidence. While I didn’t assume these positives would come out of solo travel, they were aspects to traveling I suspected I would gain. In the end, I did find a new sense of confidence. I also discovered just how much more independent I could be. Talking with strangers became much easier for me after a month of solo travel. However, there were a few surprises in the solo travel department. Perhaps you have traveled solo and found Continue Reading
The Dingle Peninsula, Ireland Wishes You Were Here
A pile of stones is never just a pile of stones in Ireland. It is a facet of history, a connection to times long since past, someone’s former home. On the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland, the landscape is speckled with homes and forts of residents who might have just grunted to communicate, too preoccupied with getting food and surviving and nothing more. The Dingle Peninsula rests above the famous Ring of Kerry. It has a quiet over the Ring of Kerry as it lacks the steady stream of tour buses. There are tour buses making the Slea Head Drive, but they are few in number. The peninsula centers on Continue Reading
The Aeolian Islands of Sicily Wish You Were Here
This week’s Wish You Were Here post comes from Matt McCall. As the weather is finally warming up, I find myself often daydreaming of past trips to the Mediterranean. On one trip to Sicily in the early Spring, I ventured to the Aeolian Islands to the northeast of the mainland. Only having one day to make it out to the islands, I was able to see the islands of Lipari and Vulcano. The ferry took me from Messina to Lipari, the largest of the seven islands. Immediately after departing the ferry, I was greeted by people wanting me to book any combination of boat ride offers. I normally do not Continue Reading
Redhead Reviews: A Moment in Italy—Original Photography and Custom Cards
Full Disclosure: I received these products free of charge, but my thoughts and opinions are my own. Not everyone can travel indefinitely. If you are like me, you travel throughout the year, but you also have a home base. When I am at home, I like to soak up the comforts of home, but I also like to be constantly reminded of travel. I have old suitcases functioning as side tables. Guidebooks fill my bookshelves. If I don’t have that constant reminder of travel in my home, it would be difficult for me to pass time in between the next great adventure. Rosann Evans asked me to take a look at Continue Reading
Lisbon, Portugal Wishes You Were Here
The tram cables create a crisscrossing web over the city. Looking up to the sky, you see their haphazard pattern and it appears you are stuck here. Having heard of Lisbon’s devastation earthquake in 1755, I can see why the city needs all the protection it can get. Apart from being a protective web, those cables serve a purpose: to effortlessly glide yellow trams up and down Lisbon’s seven hills. I hop on Tram 28, the historic route packed with tourists and pickpockets. The driver of my cutesy tram is not the cutest of drivers. He steers the tram through Lisbon as though he is out for Continue Reading
The Churches in Europe Wish You Were Here
With Easter Sunday just days away, I am reminded of all of the houses of worship I have seen. In Europe, one church after another starts to blend together, especially if you are on some whirlwind tour. Regardless, these spaces evoke a silence and calm away from the rest of the world. Even if you aren’t a religious person, you can appreciate the architecture, history and peace that comes while sitting in a pew. St. Kevin’s Church, Glendalough, Ireland St. Kevin’s Church in Glendalough Ireland has that rugged appeal. The saint set up a monastic site here around 570 A.D. In the Continue Reading