Italians like to complain about the workings of their government and the quality of public services, and in many cases, there’s a lot to complain about … but not the health care. I have been in love with Italian health care from day 1 in Italy, and I’ve always been […]
Monthly Archives: March 2012
When we moved into our current house, our landlady told us that among the wild critters running around, there were badgers in these here hills. I wasn’t buying it. Italy is not known for its wildlife, perhaps in large part for the fact that in the North, the quintessential wild animal, the […]
Perhaps my favorite annual ritual in Italy is that of going around buying wine in demijohns directly from the producer and bottling it myself. It is a process that feels intimately rural, exquisitely traditional. Before wine became the billion-dollar snooty affair that it is, wine was simply something that everyone […]
The entire coastline of Liguria is dotted with its characteristic olive groves, vineyards, and citrus groves. Of these last, the lemon is king, and for micro-climactic reasons, the lemons in Monterosso are better than anywhere else, which is why the city celebrates them in its Lemon Festival, which takes place […]
This week, we’re highlighting the “Upper Route” of the Cinque Terre, a spectacular trail that runs 17 miles from Portovenere to Levanto high above the villages of the Cinque Terre and the coastline below. And we got some help in promoting it with Seattle Backpacker’s Magazine. Rather than repeat myself […]