Search results for: Golden Day Ten (Page 12)

This title so appeals to me: Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl About Love. The book just came out in June, has been getting great reviews, and what I’ve read so far has been wonderfully entertaining. Author Justine van der Leun is a hip young New Yorker, working as a magazine editor, who flees that world to puruse amore in the rural farming village of Collelungo (central Umbria).  The love affair crumbles, but Justine ends up adopting a dog and thus becoming (in her words) “a weirdo” of the village.  Most Collelungo natives treat dogs as bestie, while Justine follows the American model, showering Marcus with tender loving care. I’m loving reading her honest, witty prose Read More →

I met Kit Burns, founder of Doorways Ltd (a villa rental company) on a group trip to Sardinia  and we instantly clicked. I’m sure you know how these things go. It’s much like kindergarten–wandering over to an easel, where you’ve sniffed out a kindred spirit to join you in fingerpainting. As far as Kit, we were on a mountain ridge at a shepherd’s hut having this amazing lunch–fresh ricotta drizzled with honey, grilled sausages, thin Sardinian bread and delicious cookies –it was all spread out on rustic wooden tables overlooking this gorge. GORGE–OUS! While everyone was happily yakking, buzzed from the great food and wine–I found myself drifting to aRead More →

I admired Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker as actors on LA Law–then I read Tucker’s memoir about their adventures buying a cottage in Umbria, and I became absolutely enchanted by this couple. In Living In A Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine and Love in Italy, Tucker sweeps you into the moment-by-moment drama, hilarity, and deliciousness of  their life in Italy. Especially wonderful sections are where his culinary passions are indulged, and we revel along with him as he savors such regional specialties as truffles, pecorino, lentils, and porchetta. At its core, Tucker’s book is a heartwarming love story–interlacing their marriage,  friendships, and ever-evolving passion for all thingsRead More →

When we think of Venice and going to the beach, the first place that comes to mind is The Lido.  My friend Pamela still talks about one August when she had what she describes as “The Great Gatsby” beach experience there–all so very luxurious, with an amazing seafood lunch, a huge pool, surrounded by loads of fashionable Italians–ladies in big hats and flowing caftans, etc. Then there’s my friend Angela, a Lido native born and bred, who says, “To get away from the crowds of the Lido in the summer, we go to Sant’Erasmo.” This is the island that lies between Murano and Burano. It’s calledRead More →

It took me several trips to Venice before I could tear myself away for the half hour train ride to Padua–NOW Padua and the Scrovegni Chapel have become a MUST on the Veneto itinerary. Padua is a jewel of a town, with a splendido open market and restaurants to match, AND The Scrovegni Chapel is at the top of my list as far as Italian masterpieces. In fact, if you showed me two doors and one was labeled SISTINE, the other SCROVEGNI…I would head for Scrovegni. Michelangelo surely got his inspiration from this chapel that was created centuries before his, by the blessed Giotto. YES the Sistine ChapelRead More →

A wonderful way to start a Venetian day is to visit the Rialto Market, following in the traditional footsteps of this magical city. The pescheria (fish market, closed Sun & Mon), tucked behind the bridge, has been a happening spot here for over 1000 years. Surrounding it are vegetable and fruit stalls. Some of the produce is local, from the nearby island of Sant’Erasmo, and some has been brought in on ships from afar. The whole scene under that stunning Venetian light: glistening fresh fish, and (depending on the season)  cabbage from Treviso, persimmons, or white asparagus–blends to make this one of Italy’s most tantalizing markets. Get there early, betweenRead More →

  Here is what led me to Nan McElroy: Italy: Instructions for Use, which she so cleverly created. I tell everyone I know who’s going to Italy that this is a Must Buy–a wonderfully designed pocket-sized quide and phrasebook that contains all the nitty-gritty details you’ll need–about making phone calls, taking trains, driving, etc.  And for anyone headed to Venice, as JoAnn Locktov wrote in Golden Day 22, you Must download Nan’s Vaporetto Map. Nan was an absolute joy and inspiration to meet the last time I was in Venice. She’s lived there since 2004 and has immersed herself into Venetian life bigtime–it’s fab to follow along with herRead More →

One of the wonderful things that happened while I was writing 100 Places In Italy Every Woman Should Go, was that I got connected to kindred spirits–people who are as passionate about Italy as I am. One of those wonderful people is JoAnn Locktov. JoAnn is especially passionate about mosaics, and has written a critically acclaimed book, Mosaic Art and Style, and co-written two others on the topic. Mosaics naturally led JoAnn to Venice, where the interiors of the San Marco Basilica and the Romanesque church on the island of Torcello are stunning examples of this art form. Thanks to JoAnn, on my last visit to Venice, IRead More →

To begin a trip to Italy with Venice is getting into the dream world immdiately. It’s the perfect place to slow down and surrender to Italian rhythms. You walk and stretch out from the plane ride, you listen to the church bells and the lapping of the water. You feel the softness of the water and melt into the fairytale. There is no better ride from an airport than taking the boat in from Venice. I remember my first time, how the fantastical island appeared out of the fog–a place I’d seen in so many postcards, now was right there in front of me…REAL… I’dRead More →

Even if I’m only changing trains in Florence, I have to check my bags and make a dash to this nearby most amazing store: Officina Profumo Farmeceutica di Santa Maria Novella It was once a 14th century Gothic Church, founded by the Dominican Friars, who were part of that whole medieval bunch of holy men who started gathering Italian flowers and turning them into health and beauty potions. Thanks to those gentlemen, we have one of the most gorgeous shops on earth, that turns a shopping trip into a mystical experience. It’s one jewel box of a room after another, staffed by chic women whoRead More →