Italy
October 14, 2009
- Author Donna Leon pens delicious mysteries -- all set in Venice and all centered on the delightful detective Guido Brunetti. Ms. Leon, an American, spent her early adulthood traveling the world as a teacher, but she settled in Venice and has lived there for decades. Her books are international bestsellers and are translated into 20 languages, but they were not readily available in the United ...
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October 12, 2009
- Reading in anticipation of a trip is one of my greatest pleasures. As I've been preparing for my trip to Venice, here are a few books I've been reading lately... Guide Books DK Eyewitness Top 10 Venice by Gillian Price The DK books are heavy on photos and strip the text down to the essentials. However, I like the thematic approach to Top 10 Venice. Using the lists you could spend a day ...
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October 9, 2009
- I'm headed to Venice next week which has me in a rather sensual mood. Venice is a city for the senses -- the paintings of Titian... the waves lapping against stone... fish pulled from the lagoon and served steaming hot... not to mention it is the city of Casanova, too. But Venice is also a city of music. For centuries musicians have written about Venice. The city has launched scores of ...
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October 8, 2009
- Look up "pleasure" in the dictionary, and you are sure to find "eating in Italy." Food is fresh, prepared simply, and truly sensual. Each region cooks a bit differently -- rich, earthy foods in Tuscany including cingale (wild boar) and truffles, incredible sea food in Venice with lighter flavors and hints of both Austrian and Middle Eastern influences. But in Rome -- Rome is ...
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October 2, 2009
- In those in-between days when I am not in Italy, I do all kinds of things to maintain my dolce vita lifestyle... drink vino, read about Italia, eat fabulous pasta with homemade sauce... and I garden. My husband and I have worked for years transforming what was once an empty backyard into an urban paradise. And our goal has always been to make it feel as Italian as possible down to our choice ...
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September 9, 2009
- I'm taking a break from my vacation to ask for your help... My book, A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome (ArtPlace series), has been entered in a contest for best travel guide at GuideGecko.com. If it wins, I get to go to the Frankfurt Book Fair to promote it -- that's a huge deal! But I need your votes... To vote: Visit the Michelangelo's Rome page at GuideGecko: ...
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August 27, 2009
- To introduce the next of my Palestinian crime novels, THE FOURTH ASSASSIN, my friend videographer David Blumenfeld filmed in New York (where the book takes place). His montages are mainly from Brooklyn's Bay Ridge and Coney Island sections. He then recorded me, looking sweaty and frankly a bit doped up, in my favorite seedy cafe in Jerusalem's Muslim Quarter. You can view it here, and if you ...
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August 19, 2009
- On a hot, sweaty day nothing is more refreshing that a cool flute of Prosecco. Light, often slightly sweet with just a hint of citrus, Prosecco is Italy’s most famous sparkling wine. Made from grapes by the same name, Prosecco hails from the Veneto -- the region surrounding Venice. And given the sultry summer days that can descend on the Veneto, it is no surprise that they have developed a ...
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July 28, 2009
- I wake up this morning and refuse to open my eyes. I can hear the rain as it pelts off the house and the wind rattling the slates like insane ghosts stuck in a dungeon. Out of nowhere a cup of coffee is placed on the bedside table for me. It is hot and pungent. I open my eyes-the day awaits. Talk awhile with husband, I say to him; tell me what is your day like? When do you work? Who will ...
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July 26, 2009
- The wind-chimes yell out exhausted by their relentless peal andthe trees are break dancers on speed,the dogs cower by the back door freedom refused Clouds hurl shadows acrossthe roof tops and sodden fields and the sky hosts a weird slide show ofimperfect profiles;a mouth gapes without a chin, a nose as long as Italyand a half drawn map of France swims into a poodle with a ridiculous coif that ...
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