Italy
November 20, 2009
- Medieval and Renaissance Venetians often built exterior staircases on their homes to save precious living space. But the architects of the Scala Contarini del Bovolo -- or staircase of the snail shell -- took the art of floor-to-floor mobility to a new artistic level. Peter Contarini added the staircase and series of loggias to his palazzo near the end of the 1400’s. The staircase and ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
November 19, 2009
- Novelists aren’t journalists. Research for a novel isn’t the same as researching a journalistic article.I’d have thought that was too obvious to need stating. But then I became a published novelist, and I realized that people thought the two things were rather the same.I was a journalist for almost 20 years before my first novel was published. THE COLLABORATOR OF BETHLEHEM is a crime novel ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
November 13, 2009
- Our discovery of this second Italian store was a lucky accident. We were walking back home and literally stumbled across it. It was the small chalkboard outside declaring that they had white truffles for sale that attracted my attention. Ever since a trip to Alba we have had a passion for very fresh white truffles. To read more .......
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
November 13, 2009
- You all know how much I love brides, and on this last trip to Venice, I watched a particularly gorgeous wedding party having their photos taken in Piazza San Marco. They were happily chatting in both English and Japanese. The mother of the bride's kimono was absolutely gorgeous. And look how delighted they all seem to be!To see more photos of the wedding party, check out my home ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
November 11, 2009
- While the history of the Bellini is as clear as a glass of Prosecco, that of the Spritz is much like that of Venice -- colorful and mysterious. Cocktails much like the Spritz are common in parts of Austria, so most agree that the Spritz owes its origins to the Austro-Hungarian influence on Venice. And to those 18th century Austrian occupiers, we can all say, “Grazie!”To read more about ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
November 10, 2009
- There are two cocktails which are irrevocably identified with Venice: the Spritz and the Bellini. The Bellini was born in Venice’s most famous watering hole: Harry’s Bar. Owner and barkeep, Giuseppe Cipriani, created his bubbly celebration-in-a-glass in the 1930s. When he reopened his bar after World War II, he resurrected the cocktail and christened it “the Bellini” in honor of Giovanni ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
November 6, 2009
- In 1630-31, the plague devastated Venice. One third of the population -- 95,000 people -- died during the outbreak. In October, 1630 as the plague had Venice on her knees, the Doge and the Senate vowed to make a holy processional each Saturday for fifteen weeks. And he also promised to dedicate a church to the Virgin Mary as a plea for her help. Soon thereafter the plague outbreak ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
November 5, 2009
- Pisa, the Italian Riviera, Switzerland, and Home to Prague: a photojournal The opportunity to drive to Italy for a family vacation was truly a dream. Not only did we experience the grand mountains of the Alps, but also saw things we did not expect to see: countless castles, gravity-defying vineyard terraces and hillside towns, and sailboats dotting the azure Italian Riviera. It was surely a trip ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
November 5, 2009
- Italy: Tuscany and Rome, a photojournal Our October vacation in Tuscany, in the Maremma region in sight of the Argentario peninsula, was spectacularly refreshing. Not only was the beach completely deserted, but we were so far out of civilization we were without television or internet during our stay. The silence felt deafening, at first. But soon, the hum of modern noise faded away, and all that ...
- Continue Reading » 2 Comments
November 4, 2009
- Leonardo: The Vitruvian Man Between Art and Science October 10, 2009 - January 10, 2010 Wandering the calles and campos of Venice where a good photograph lurks around every corner, I sometimes have trouble dragging myself inside. But on my last trip to Venice, I made a special point to visit the Gallerie dell’Accademia -- or Academy. Why? Because Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” ...
- Continue Reading » 0 Comments
