“Been There, Done That” Sometimes Doesn’t Apply

I have a confession: Milan isn’t my favorite Italian city. In a sense, it isn’t really particularly Italian. They obey traffic signals, scooters park in delineated spots, and they’re very organized. I prefer the relative chaos of Italy to the south. That said, there are a couple things here that are well worth seeing. I […]

Visiting Milan with Me Is Hazardous

D is here! Well, technically, he got to Italy last night, having rerouted a day early to Amsterdam in order to avoid the big snowstorm that was headed for New York. He got in late and spent the night in a hotel near the Milan airport, while I finished my last night in Genoa. We […]

The Day The Museums Opened

Today was Tuesday, which meant that all those museums I missed yesterday were open. Of course, now that I knew they were open, I didn’t really want to go to the museums. The sun was shining and there was nary a cloud in the sky. Ivo, my host, had spoken reverently about the towns on […]

When Life Gives Us Focaccia

Well – it happened again. My penchant for not planning has reared it’s ugly head. Usually, it’s just one minor bump in the road — I go to a city, and some museum or other is closed on a given day, so I have to reorganize slightly. Even when well planned, I have had this […]

Sometimes It’s the Reassurances that Worry Us the Most

I have seen most of the tourist’s Bologna, but somehow missed this: the museum of Bolognese history. I had one real objective here today, which was to eat Lunch at Tamburini. Therefore I had to find a way to pass the morning until said goal could be accomplished. So I started with a late breakfast […]

Exhaustion and Joy

Walking down the colonnaded streets in the waning hours of the afternoon, I veered to the left. The crowds had been pressing in tightly on Via Independenza, and this street, whatever it was called, was less frantic. The name was irrelevant, as I knew it would take me to where I wanted and needed to […]