Monthly Archives: May 2016

But first, more about our adventures on Sunday, when we saw two more treasures of Siena, attached to the Duomo. 

It was a rainy Sunday morning in Siena, but that seemed to only enhance the magic of this place.

Today is a travel day for us – time to leave Bologna and head on to Siena. We have stayed a full week in an apartment here, and we were a bit curious about the history of our building.

Bologna, Modena, Florence, Ferrara and now Parma – we have successfully made the circuit of our last group of wonderful cities in the Emilia-Romagna region, and explored a raft of cathedrals and palazzi.

Once more, we took a short train ride from Bologna to visit another piece of Italian history – Ferrara, located between Florence and Venice. This positions it very nicely for modern-day tourism, but in medieval times, its location guaranteed power plays and rivalries among the wealthy families who controlled each city.

The great thing about seeing a great city for the second or third time is that you are no longer obliged to see again all the great things that appear on all the great lists.

Don and I took a complete day off yesterday. We started out with good intentions. But then it took three tries to find a place where I could get a pedicure. (Yes, I do realize this is an indulgence, and no, I am not giving it up.) And then by the time I was doneContinue reading “Movie stars of Modena”

Every city seems to have some claim to being the epicenter of the universe, but Bologna does have a reason to call itself the crossroads of this country. It is positioned to have taken advantage of the north-south and east-west trade routes, and for that reason it believes that is why no one style dominates thisContinue reading “The crossroads of Italy”

We may give the impression that life is smooth sailing here in Italy, and, for the most part, it is. Every train has run exactly on time, and most tourist reality conforms to its web site details. 

Today was much better weather – not a drop of rain, and that lifted spirits all around. We planned a full day of tourism, though we have intentionally not queued up in line to see the major sights we have seen before. St. Mark’s and the Doge’s Palace now require reservations made well in advance,Continue reading “Life in Venice”