Category Archives: Italy – Other

6 years of testing to find the perfect home

We spent 2,250 consecutive days living in 388 different houses, apartments, hotels and campsites in our own country and around the world.  Who does this?  We are happy to say it was a wonderful travel opportunity. It was also a … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other, Life after travel, Morocco, New Zealand, Portugal - Europe, US - Arizona | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments

A travel discovery for us

After 5.5 years of continuous travel, we still marvel at the many discoveries of great destinations out there. Case in point: Bologna, Italy.  After our stay in Ravenna, we planned to fly back to the US, and the best nearby … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

One thing leads to another

As we travel, we find one thing leads to another.  We discover some interesting historical reference, and that sends us on a search for more information.  It never ends there.  We follow the new leads, and pretty soon we’ve opened … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Where’s the body?

We could have sworn Dante was buried in Florence because we saw the tombs of Michelangelo, Rossini, Machiavelli, and Galileo when we visited the Basilica of Santa Croce. After our Florence visit, we took a train to Ravenna, Italy.  Our … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

It looked so easy

Before Beth started making her first mosaic piece at the Mosaic Art School, she had no idea there was more than one way to make a mosaic or how technically challenging making a mosaic could be. There were many steps … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

500 days to wait for her 1st day of school

Almost two years ago, Beth’s friend, Nan, highly recommended a mosaics class she had recently taken in Ravenna, Italy.  Beth started to dream about how wonderful it would be to take the class, too.  She wrote to the Mosaic Art … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other | Tagged , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Oltrarno orphans

Every day in Florence seemed like a special day.  Our last days in the Oltrarno (the Florence neighborhood south of the Arno River), we rambled through the neighborhood as if we were trying to walk every street and take in … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Forget sunny days on this trip!

We welcomed the sunny skies on this trip until we realized our photography suffered from the glare and shadows.  Bring on the clouds, the darkening skies, and even a little mist!  All would be welcome. After too many days straight … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Stretching ourselves

We needed a break from touring museums and the crowds. On a beautiful sunny day, we started our walk, passing through the Porta Romana, the southernmost gate in the walls leaving the old city of Florence.  We had a destination in … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

Hidden and private

On a walk in our new Florence neighborhood – the Oltrarno area – we discovered something rather mysterious. A very long and very high wall extended the length of several city blocks near our apartment. We could see glorious mature trees … Continue reading

Posted in Italy - Other | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments