Italy
Cefalu, Sicily November 17, 2018
We’re spending our last night in Sicily in the seaside village of Cefalu. It’s Friday night and the town is very busy with people strolling, shopping, and socializing. I’ve seen many gorgeous pictures of Cefalu and our photos turned out just as good!
Ragusa, Sicily November 15, 2018
We drove from Ortigia to the hill towns of Noto, Modica, and Ragusa today. The villages were declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites for their cultural customs and traditions. They are full of baroque architecture, cobblestone streets, and amazing local food including chocolate. We are staying in Ragusa Ibla at San Giorgio Palace. Our room is … Continue reading
Ortigia, Sicily November 13, 2018
We flew from Malta to Sicily today and are spending two days on the island of Ortigia in Syracusa. We’re staying at Palazzo Gilistro, which is within walking distance of everything on the island. Since it is low season, the kind owner let us choose our room and we have a beautiful suite with two … Continue reading
September 6, 2011 Venice, Italy
Our ship, Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas, is departing on a Mediterranean cruise from Venice. We have a few nights in Venice before the ship leaves. It can be pretty expensive to stay in Venice – it’s an island so many people stay in a suburb and take a ferry or train to the … Continue reading
September 5, 2011 Splendour of the Seas
We are sailing on a 12 night Mediterranean cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Splendour of the Seas. The ship is sailing from Venice to Montenegro, Greece, Turkey, and Croatia.
Travel Insurance
It seems my clients are divided into separate camps when it comes to trip insurance. They either ask me about it before I even mention it, they consider it carefully, or decline firmly when I offer. However, I want clients to realize that they’ve made an investment and it should be protected. I have to admit, at first glance travel … Continue reading
June 11, 2007 Random thoughts about Italy
Everyone smokes. It’s the national pasttime or something. Rome is stunning, but Romans don’t seem to care. Litter and graffiti are everywhere. Italians LOVE ham! Smoked ham, boiled ham, baked ham, raw ham, cooked ham – you get the picture. Fashion seems to be hit or miss. Drivers are crazy and squeeze through the narrowest of roads. … Continue reading
June 10, 2007 Pisa and Lucca, Italy
Next up is the search for the mythical Leaning Tower of Pisa. We could see it from the distance, but it was nowhere to be found once we got into town. I asked the hotel desk for directions and they said we couldn’t miss it, but we had a hell of a time finding it. … Continue reading
June 6, 2007 Tuscany, Italy
We took the train from Rome to Florence. I wish we had trains like this at home – so easy and cheap. We could jump on a train to Minneapolis and sleep the whole way there! We are staying at a farmhouse in Tuscany. It’s an old hunting lodge at the top of a winding … Continue reading
June 1, 2007 Rome, Italy
We had a great start to our Italian vacation – I was able to upgrade us to first class on our flight from Cincinnati to Rome. I guess it made up for our taxi ride from the station to our hotel. I’m pretty sure we were overcharged – 40 euros, or about $50 bucks for … Continue reading