A Moment In Ortigia

Sometimes, when I travel, it’s good not to have an agenda. It’s good to just be. To be in the time, and in the place, and to wander whatever city I’m visiting. Surprises happen on days like this. Sometimes. But usually they don’t. The world doesn’t stop or anything as dramatic as that. In fact, […]

In Which I Encourage Canine Misbehavior

As I have stated before, there are numerous animals here on the farm. The dog’s name is Billi. There is another dog, Rocky, that we don’t see much. The cat is Micci and the donkey is Ciccio. But Billi is a trouble maker (who doesn’t like to stand still for photographs). When I walk outside […]

It’s Not A Valley. Why Do They Call It That?

The ancient world calls to me, again and again. It has beckoned me since I was a child, as I checked every book on Greek mythology out of the library at our elementary school. I studied ancient history in junior high school and high school, with the Greek tales part of my studies of Western […]

On The Road to Southern Sicily

As you walk to the south east along via Maqueda, you will come to via Cavour which is where the grid of Palermo’s newer streets ends and the more chaotic ancient layout of the old city begins. Here, at the corner, stands Teatro Massimo. Teatro Massimo is unmissable, as she stands grandly in her square, […]

Sometimes You Gotta Know A Guy

There are some experiences that I only have when I travel with D. For example – we got to visit a car impound lot this morning. Not everybody gets to do that. Our day had begun with a walk past the opera house (Teatro Massimo) to the Capo Market, in search of local specialties such […]

Let The Race Begin

We had been standing outside the pizzeria for well over an hour, when D said we should give up, and I agreed. We were approaching the temporal limits of being able to get some pizza from Antica Pizzeria da Michele and still catch our flight to Palermo. Periodically the host would come out and rattle […]