Tag Archives: Italy

Rome’s Taxis, Tourists and Tiramisu

  Emerson once admonished readers “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” The taxi driver on our first day in Rome apparently reads Emerson. During the short trek from our hotel to the Coliseum I believe he hopped three curbs, zipped along the sidewalk a half mile in a congested area and displaced several dozen startled tourists, cussing loudly at other drivers he deemed in his way. He was also terribly interested in participating in whatever conversation we tried to have, a fascinating spectacle since he spoke no English. He helped himself to my chewing gum, and ... [Read More]

Aspirations, Aviation and Auberge

  Do you have a bucket list? If not, make one. No matter how possible or impossible, expensive or cheap, practical or silly our dreams may seem, we should all have a list of aspirations and goals, things we’d like to accomplish or do before our time on this earth expires. Life is too short and lately I have been reminded how abruptly it can end. Why put off til tomorrow what can be savored today? When I was in my early twenties (not so recent a time as I would like) I added to my bucket list a visit to Italy for my 30th birthday. I was absolutely ... [Read More]

The fat pigeons of Venice

The nice thing about getting lost in Venice is that there's always a new gorgeous discovery around every corner. This is fortunate, since by my count I've already gotten lost 127 times. Or, from a different point of view, I've gotten lost just once, beginning the moment I stepped off the train and ending once I left town. If I had been so lost whilst driving I'd probably still be there, on the side of the road somewhere, cussing up a storm. Thankfully in Venice, you can't drive. In fact, I was originally going to entitle this blog "A city without cars," but an experience with Soo ... [Read More]

Vatican Opulence

St. Peter

I've already offended Muslims this trip. Might as well get the Catholics, too. I wasn't a fan of the Vatican yesterday. I'm less so today. The Vatican is astoundingly gorgeous. The towering columns of marble and gold, hall upon hall of priceless artwork, and chambers filled with cultural artifacts from the past two thousand years or so – it's all beyond magnificent. I can't begin to conceive of the total value of the treasure held within the Vatican's walls. And it bugs the crap out of me. I can't help but be as outraged as I am awed by the opulence of the place. I can't stop myself from ... [Read More]

Wrong about Italy

Ask just about anyone which country is older - the United States or Italy – and most would answer Italy without hesitation. They would be wrong. Italy, as a nation, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. (The United States was working on its 16th president and warring over whether slavery was really a good idea when Italy was born.) The Kingdom of Italy had a rocky beginning, with many lands being reclaimed from colonial powers like France, Prussia and the Austrian Empire over the middle decades of the 19th century. Italy shed itself of a monarchy and flirted with fascism under Mussolini before becoming the republic it ... [Read More]

A Visit to History

“Ruins of Pompeii.” That was all I needed to see. The list of tours available to Princess Cruises passengers included lots of fascinating destinations, but there was only one that jumped off the page for me. It was June 6, 2010, day five of our Mediterranean cruise odyssey, and I was going to the magical, mystical, legendary Pompeii. No matter that the early summer heat would be stifling. No matter that I wasn’t totally comfortable with my new hip: A visit to Pompeii was something I had dreamed about doing since elementary school. The Pacific Princess arrived in the Bay of Naples and docked at Sorrento, a ... [Read More]

E-solated and abandon-ed in Cinque Terre, Italy

I’m going to do my best to keep this blog from being about our tour guide (bless her heart, she tried), because Cinque Terre deserves better. (Oops, I failed already.) June 9 had a beautiful beginning: It was day two aboard the Pacific Princess on a 12-night swing through the Mediterranean. We had left Rome, jet-lagged but enchanted, the evening before on our way to Portofino and the Italian Riviera. We had high expectations: The whole region is known for its beauty, and we were going to tour Cinque Terre, a UNESCO-protected national park famous for picturesque villages clinging to cliff-sides amid glorious arrays of flowers, ... [Read More]