The Joys of Autumn
One day, everything is different. Growing up in Florida, then living most of my adult life in California, I’m used to a more gradual shift...
What the Italians don’t get about the holidays
Being in a mild state of panic seems to be obligatory around the holidays to us Americans, and we wondered if the Italians feel the...
Is it getting hot in here?
Yep, it’s hot. And here’s how I am coping in a land with almost no air conditioning and heat into the 100 degrees. Although we...
Discovering Lake Maggiore
Italy is sinking under the weight of tourists right now, and it’s not even high-season. I am not too affected by crowds living in such...
The ties that bind us
The echoes of WWII are all around us here. The war is not an abstract thing—I have a friend who found a bomb in the...
The Venice I love
When we first moved to Italy several years ago we lived in Venice for six weeks in August and ended up loving it more than ever. Several of...
Cheese made in heaven
Since I had such a memorable adventure on the Chamonix side of Mont Blanc I felt it was only fair to give the Italian side...
How designer shoes and bags are born
Once in awhile a handbag, or pair of shoes, catches my eye and I pick it up to discover a price tag in the thousands...