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Jun 4, 2021
Revolution in the Streets: in Tiananmen Square with my Father, May 1989
Today marks the 32nd anniversary of the mass demonstrations and eventual violent crackdown in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Amazingly, my...


May 31, 2021
Classical Beauty: the Greek & Roman collection at The Metropolitan Museum of New York
I recently spent a week in New York City to cap off my visit to the U.S., and I decided to go to the city's premier museum, the...


May 24, 2021
Miami Outdoors: the Graffiti Art of Wynwood Walls and Nature Walks around Key Biscayne
I had never spent much time in Miami but recently went there to visit my niece, and she took me around to see the sights. The city lies...


May 17, 2021
OBX, USA: Walking Trails of the Outer Banks, North Carolina
I normally cover the southern Mediterranean but my U.S. home base is in the Outer Banks of North Carolina (affectionately dubbed the...


May 10, 2021
The Uffizi Gallery (Florence): Medieval & Renaissance Masterpieces
Italy is opening up again and the museums are finally welcoming visitors after almost 6 months of closed doors. The famed Uffizi Gallery...


May 3, 2021
A Trip to Rome & my "Covid Free" flight to JFK
After 14 months of pandemic and 7 months without even leaving the Florence city limits, I finally decided to get outta Dodge and fly back...


Apr 26, 2021
Chatting with Dimitris: Greece opens up & hiking around Athens
Greece just announced that it's opening its borders to international travelers on May 14th, so I figured it was a good time to check in...


Apr 19, 2021
Notes from Lockdown: Spring 2020
The lockdown in Italy in the spring of 2020 was one of the strictest in the world; not only did we have to socially-distance and wear...


Apr 12, 2021
A Tour of Florence's "Wine Windows"
[* updated to July 2024; I will add the ones that are open for business at the end of the post.] Everybody's been talking about...


Apr 7, 2021
Chatting with Manu: hikes, history and explorations in and around Rome
I've spent the past year exploring every inch of Florence's city limits, so I thought it would be fun to check in with my friend and...


Mar 29, 2021
The Dying Gaul & the Naked Warriors who Terrorized Rome
One of my favorite works of art is this powerful statue called "The Dying Gaul." It's in the Capitoline Museum in Rome and has a...


Mar 22, 2021
Welcome, Primavera! Early spring hiking in the hills around Florence
This weekend marked the start of spring but it's been springing for a while here in Tuscany. Sunday was also "International Day of...


Mar 15, 2021
Italy goes Red again: Status report from Florence
Hello everyone! I’ve just finished recording my first podcast (!!!!) so now you have two ways to get news from my adventures. I won’t...


Mar 8, 2021
Goddesses, Queens, and Black Madonnas: an Artful Salute to International Women's Day
March 8th is International Women's Day, so let's celebrate with a historical tribute through time. Here's to the goddesses, temptresses,...


Mar 2, 2021
Pixar's new movie, "Luca," will be set in the Cinque Terre
I just saw the trailer for Pixar's new movie, "Luca" (a boy's name here in Italy = Luke) and couldn't believe it was set in the Cinque...


Mar 1, 2021
Pitti Palace: the Modern Art Collection
Hey, it's museum day! I managed a quick visit to the imposing Pitti Palace a few weeks ago, right before they shut the museums down again...


Feb 23, 2021
Florence: Street Art & Oddities
Wandering the streets of Florence you see all sorts of interesting things, from the ancient to the modern... In a city known for...


Feb 22, 2021
Backstory, pt. 3: Head for the Hills
Everybody comes to Florence for the art, the culture, the history, or let's not forget the food, the wine, the shopping! But one of the...


Feb 19, 2021
Backstory, pt. 2: Emerging from Lockdown, Spring 2020
The first lockdown here in Italy was among the strictest in the world, with a ban against leaving your house for any reason except food,...


Feb 17, 2021
Backstory, pt.1: A Free Spirit, Temporarily Caged
I don't fit neatly into many categories but "Free Spirit" sure hits the mark. I have few possessions and traveling is my life's passion....
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