In 2021, both when I was traveling alone and when I was with my sister and niece, I had the opportunity to try several excellent new restaurants as well as some old favorites. Unfortunately, with only a few exceptions, my experiences when dining alone weren’t nearly as good as when I was with other people. […]
Read MoreThree Days in Firenze
A Strange and Different Firenze. Early October is typically the height of the tourist season but it was a strange and different Firenze in early October 2021. Much of that was due to the ongoing COVID restrictions. In Firenze, as in the rest of Italy, masks were required for all indoor activities including restaurants and […]
Read MoreThree Days in Paris
Since my one night in Paris many years ago, following a bike trip in Provence (see Provence, Provence, wherefore art thou Provence? post), I’ve wanted to spend more time in Paris and despite the current hassles of travel, I decided that 2021 was the year. While Paris obviously doesn’t fit with my Mediterranean theme, memories of […]
Read MoreThirty six Hours in the Cinque Terre
The Why and the How A number of years ago my sister, daughter, niece and nephew did a hiking trip in the Cinque Terre and raved about how beautiful it is. As I started making plans in 2021 to travel again, my original plan was to revisit St. Raphael, on the Cote d’Azur (see The […]
Read MoreThree Days in Cannes
When I started planning my 2021 trip, I so, so wanted to return to St. Raphael (see The Riviera for the Uncool) which we visited in 2015. It is a charming and beautiful town but I also wanted to see some of the Cinque Terre (staying in La Spezia) and getting there from St. Raphael […]
Read MoreMore vineyards and enotecas
In 2021 I only visited one new vineyard and revisited a favorite from 2016. But I tried a number of new entocas plus enjoyed one in Montalcino that I’d visited before. Near San Gimignano Tenuta Torciano https://www.torciano.com/en/ My sister and I decided to visit southern Tuscany again in 2021 (see Five Days in Southern Tuscany post). […]
Read MoreA Week in Montepulciano
I chose Montepulciano as part of my 2021 trip mainly in order to attend Il Sasso language school. My only previous experience in Montepulciano was a 2-3 hour visit while on a walking tour of Tuscany. All I remember is walking through Piazza Grande, then down the steep hill past Tempio San Biagio. As I […]
Read MoreIl Sasso Language School
This will be a short (for me) post in large part because the experience was not at all what I expected or wanted. I heard about the school several years ago while exchanging emails with the staff of a vineyard in the area. The school has good ratings among language schools and when I first […]
Read MoreFive Days in Southern Tuscany
San Gimignano, Montalcino and Pienza It had been five years since my last trip to Southern Tuscany and in 2021 I was anxious to see all my favorite places again. But it seemed like a case of you can’t go home again, at least with respect to Montalcino and Pienza. So I’ll start with San […]
Read MoreSix Days in Rome
Since our brief visit in 2016, see Rome post, I’ve wanted to return to Rome and see more of the city. So as I planned my 2021 trip, I decided to add Rome. Walkabouts in Rome Despite it’s size I find Rome to be a very walkable city, especially if you focus on certain neighborhoods, a […]
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