The land that we bought 5 years ago on a ridge high up between Monterosso and Levanto was once carefully cultivated by a kind old man whom I had the opportunity to meet twice. Ernesto had worked this land since before the war, clearly remembering the time that he and […]
Levanto
79 posts
There are innumerable things about living in a small town that can inspire or infuriate. Because I happen to love my small town (nb: Levanto, Italy), I usually tend to find myself on the inspirational side. Today, after schlepping up four flights of stairs to the offices where I hold […]
On October 11th, I promised that I’d be writing an update on my reading habits as soon as I finished the mammoth Bleak House by Charles Dickens. On that day, I hypothesized that I probably wouldn’t be finishing it anytime before the summer, given my slow-poke reading pace and the […]
A few years ago, while visiting Ireland, we stopped at the home of my wife’s close friend Dave. He’s got an amazing place near the coast in County Sligo, where he lives with his twin daughters. Among his activities, he fishes for food, has started participating in old-fashioned bartering fairs, […]
The beauty of the sea oftentimes lies above the water-line. The salty air that sticks to your skin and clears your lungs. The colors that the sun takes on as it finishes its daily journey toward the horizon. And on the clear days when the wind has whisked away all […]
Much consternation has been expressed by our friends and family members about our black cat Bagheera in her new home in Levanto. Whereas in Parma she was a pampered indoor-outdoor cat, coming and going as she pleased, at all hours of the day or night, often returning for nothing more […]
One of the greatest advantages of living on the Mediterranean coast is that it doesn’t freeze here. Ever. Water pipes are laid carelessly above ground because they will never burst, citrus trees stand full of fruit in mid-December, plants have no need of greenhouses. For all those who say that […]
It’s pruning season here in Levanto, and that means time to get out your shears and get chopping. From where I stood today on my hilltop, I could hear the unmistakeable sounds of one chainsaw, one band saw, and one electric hedge-trimmer all going at the same time. It all […]
There really is no end to the infinite wonders of the world, and anyone cynical enough to believe that they’ve seen it all have very little imagination indeed. Here’s one for you: My local butcher Sandro, while grinding up some beef for Erica‘s enviable ragù sauce, tried to get me […]
Here in Levanto, there’s an apartment building in town with glassed-in balconies. On one of those balconies, the owner has painted over the glass with the paints that you always see used on shop windows. It is a bright, child-like scene of sky, sun, birds, clouds, and water … could […]