Luras, Sardinia — We checked into a lovely, isolated B&B the other night, Lonely Planet recommendation, very nice, my compliments. While chatting with the owner, she said that we might want to check out the Museo Etnografico Galluras in Luras. I have to say that they have one of the most unusual exhibits there that we […]
The Gallura, Sardinia — My Goodness. Was it just yesterday that I was sitting in traffic, raging in Sartene? Indeed it was and today has been a stark and comforting reminder that things can also go well. This morning we made our first foray into the Sardinian countryside and from that first kilometer forward we basically […]
Chiavenna, Italy — My apologies. As you may have noticed, nothing’s been posted for the last couple of weeks. It is not that there was nothing of interest to note. In fact, quite the opposite. Traveling the hidden corners of Corsica and Sardinia, it swiftly became apparent that wireless Internet access is a mainland phenomenon. One […]
Savona, Italy — So here we are at 10:00 p.m., standing under the harsh lights of the port of Savona along with a few hundred other confused travelers. No one really has a clue as to what is going on and it takes an hour before we realize that our ferry hasn’t even shown up yet. […]
Alpe Grande, Italy — It is the quintessential Italian Sunday outing. Everyone piles into three cars and promptly becomes separated. This is only a problem because only one car knows where we’re going. We drive for an hour surrounded by hordes of dueling motorcyclists and stop at a cafe for an espresso and to phone our […]
Capitan’s Blog, Camogli, Italy — I’m very happy to report that little has changed here in this charming fishing village just south of Genoa. There are no chain stores or luxury boutiques and the cafes and restaurants remain firmly in local hands. In the late afternoons, I like to stroll down to the port cafes and […]
The Chiavenna Economic Forum (CEF) — “Italy is broken,” says Giuseppe Balzeretti, a respected architect here. “It is financially, politically and morally bankrupt. And, in its present state, it is an embarrassment to the great civilizations that have preceded it.” I am paraphrasing here, leaving out a lot of profanity, shortening it by about 12 paragraphs […]
Naples, Italy — This is not a story of “Luxury Walking, Wining and Dining.” It is a story of greed and addiction and, believe it or not, it’s pretty amusing. Too good not to pass along really. A friend of ours was recently on his way home from Capri and had an hour or so layover […]
Chiavenna, Italy — There is nothing glamorous about international air travel, but it’s still a miracle. Thirteen hours after hopping into a cab in Queens, we were lugging the suitcases up our Italian path and into the garden. The fatigue of jet lag adds to the cloudy and magical effect of plopping down thousands of miles […]