Well, as always when I come to Italy it somehow ends up being all about food. Venice is particularly known for its seafood and gelato and I indulged all I could . It was a short visit but certainly didn’t miss any meals lol

This time we found a small Airbnb to stay. Usually we like hotels as it tends to be more comfortable . That’s just us. Realize that many people love Airbnbs Roberto’s flat was actually fine and the location was amazing. 5 minutes from Rialto and 19 from St Marks . The room and bed were tiny but it ended up being a comfy stay and the view was amazing .

I’m always sad when I leave Venice. It’s mystery, beauty and history. And..if you’ve seen “Don’t look Now “ I sometimes get a bit fearful there really is a knife wielding dwarf dressed in red hiding among the beautiful piazzas and alleyways

I know it’s drowning in tourists.

I know that it’s expensive

I know that few Venetians live here as they were forced out by tourist hordes

I get all that and yet it’s still a place I find myself coming back to again and again. I first came to Venice 25+ years ago for work. I still remember flying in and taking a water taxi directly to my hotel. What a way to enter a city . In a private boat crossing the lagoon and seeing the city revealed in front of you.

It’s crazy expensive but still my favorite way to enter the city. Every time I come I’m always intrigued by the small canals that go nowhere and the mysterious alleyways that seem foreboding or exciting. Whenever, I come I always find myself flashing images of “Don’t Look Now” a movie set in Venice that will mesmerize you and scare the hell out of you.

I never have an agenda when I come here other than to walk. Walk down alleyways, and dead end passages, past cosy cafes and hidden churches . Today I walked almost 8 miles but it seemed like 1 as there is so much to see here.

Some places lose their appeal after one or two visits but not Venice and not to me . I’ve been here more than 10 times and hope I make it at least another 10.

So we’re at Newark and ready for our big annual trip ! Italy , Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Italy again then the UK and home. I’m way behind on all my travels so I’ll be interspersing some recent trips with this one . Okay , get ready , set , go!

I guess as you get older you care more about where you’re from . I knew my moms family came from Norway and I even met several of our relatives on a trip a long time ago.

This time I tracked down the place where my grandfather was born and the grave of my great grandfather and grandmother. I don’t know much about my great grandfather but I do know he was very stern and restrained. He was a Lutheran pastor and he died when my grandfather was a young boy. After his death my grandfather sailed to the US by himself to join his brothers who left years before. I didn’t know my great grandfather but it’s perhaps telling his tombstone is the tallest in the churchyard . I think my grandfather was a strong man. here we are a long way from Royken

Back in the late seventies I met a girl from Australia named Penny. We decided to hitch hike from Germany to family in Norway We arrived in Norway and ended up sleeping the park in front of the Royal Palace until about 5 am when the local police rousted us.

We decided to hitch a ride to Drammen and from there to Honefoss. Where my relatives lived. About 1 mile outside of Oslo we were picked up by a medical student heading south to his family summer house. His name was Vegard. Though I have no idea where Penny is today Vegard and his former wife Unni and his family have let me become part of their family. Line became my goddaughter and watching her grow into a beautiful , smart, accomplished woman is one of the joys of my life. They are far more important to me than I to them but they never let me feel that way and always welcome me with open arms when I get there. Thanks to Covid I haven’t seen them in awhile and hadn’t gotten the chance to meet my great granddaughter. We remedied that this summer . I love everyone of them !

So a big apology

I sort of stopped my blog mid trip in June. I got some weird respiratory infection in Ireland and never caught up. Now, here I am ready to head out for 6 weeks and I still haven’t shared Norway , Ireland , the UK and Cyprus…oh and Alaska

I decided just to do a quick recap of each with one or two highlights pulled out so I can get caught up to share my solo trip to Istanbul and the Cyprus. It’s been a long time since I’ve truly traveled solo and I’m a bit apprehensive. Ive literally traveled all over the world by myself but the last 8 years I’ve mostly traveled with my sidekick and husband ( though he would argue I’m the sidekick) so it’s going to be a big change but for just a short time .

The trip to Norway, Ireland, Uk and Cyprus was all about family. People I love who because of Covid I haven’t seen in a few years. It was just what I needed

Anyhow , catch up on what I did last summer and get ready for the next adventure.

I know .. I railed on about Rome and the mass market tourism and this is a city that has almost literally been destroyed by the swarms of tourist in the summer . The prices for homes and apartments here are so crazy that almost no Venetians can afford to live in their own city .

They commute here by train and bus everyday through the Piazzale Roma. The place is full of tacky Murano glass knockoffs made in China and souvenir shops selling tacky magnets of the Rialto. Gondola rides are 80 euro for a 30 minute ride and there are so many it’s like a Disney ride on a track. They were so overwhelmed by the number of tourists and the damage they were doing they literally outlawed cruise ships from docking. Now, cruise ships put Venice on their itineraries but have to dock 2 hours away in Trieste or Ravenna

Yet , get off the beaten track, walk down a narrow alley that ends at a canal or an ancient palazzo or take a stroll at night in deserted streets and this place is downright hypnotic.

The views everywhere are beautiful and the architecture is stunning.

We stayed at the Danieli. A former palazzo built in the 17th Century and one of the worlds most famous hotels . Luckily, I used points so we essentially stayed for free. Who knew all those nights In Cincinnati would pay off.

The food though not Bologna is excellent especially if you have a local friend like Rosanna who knows where to send you.

It’s really hard not to be blown away by the vistas and canals you find here. It may be the most beautiful city in the world and that’s enough for me.

I first came to Bologna in 2002. I was working for a Danish company called NetDoctor and we were establishing office in most European countries.

To be honest ..I have no idea why we chose Bologna or even how it was chosen.

It was my job was to open a new office there and start getting content translated into Italian

Of course, I didn’t know tmuch about Bologna. Situated between Firenze and Venice it is sort of off the tourist trail despite its amazing historic center, the 23 remaining family towers built in the 15th and 16th century and the largest University in Italy . It’s a famously left of center place with huge ties to historical labor and leftist movements…my kind of place .

However, you don’t really come for the history or political leanings or the towers .. you come for the food .

Many people argue it is the food capital of Italy and I agree! Within a 50 mile radius you find the core products of food that make Italy famous .

Parma ham , Balsamic Vinegar , Parmesan Cheese , Mortadella and yes the name of the city was bastardized to name Bologna and Bolognese.

We started our adventure in the hills above Bologna when we stumbled on an Osteria in the middle of nowhere. We had discovered it through a Google search that yielded 1700 positive reviews mostly in Italian. Situated on a winding mountain road it seemed an odd place for an incredible restaurant. However, this is Italy where it’s hard to find a bad meal. 

We sat in the garden, the only English speakers there and tried to bluff our way through the menu. We thought we had done well till platter after platter kept arriving. Clearly, we had over ordered The food was amazing and the view in the garden very peaceful. I easily could have stayed there all day.

Everywhere you go here you are surrounded by food . Huge Trattorias and small speciality shops . I think it’s very hard in this place to go hungry or be a vegetarian.

John and I got up very early on our first day here and met up with our new friend Mattei . He’s a bit of a food expert and he walked us around the city trying everything the city was known for .

We watched ladies making tortellini by hand as they have for 400 years and had a balsamic tasting in an old cellar of a 300 year old wine merchant . I can tell the 40 year old balsamic is something very special but at 230 euros for a small bottle I guess it should be . We settled for the 20 year old balsamic and a big slab of Parmesan. Without really knowing it we ended up following Stanley Tucchi’s trail on his recent CNN food special sampling food and wine from Simoni and Gilberti and Osteria del Sol . Osteria del Sole encourages you to bring in food since it’s a drinks only venue and Mattei put together a huge spread for us .

The big surprise was Mortadella. Now in the States Mortadella is some weird processed lunch meat that tastes like baloney with olives in it. In Bologna mortadella is thin and light honey that picture of us the laundromat could you send it to me now can you it should be on amigoand has a fantastic flavor of peppered quality pork . We loved it

We had a fantastic trip here and great experiences ….even doing the laundry at the laundromat was an experience lol.

We had a bit of an adventure leaving Bologna in our rental car as it turned out the only way out from our hotel was to drive through the central plaza negotiating through diners in cafes,

pedestrians and a very bizarre performance art group who were chanting humming and dancing in the square. They clearly weren’t prepared to have us drive through their performance but the show must go on !

If you’ve been following my blog (thank you ) you’ll have seen that Rome is not my favorite city . Everything I feel about Rome I feel the exact opposite about Firenze .

I love it here . The food , the shopping, the people and the sheer scenery and history that overwhelms you everywhere.

This is the city that truly changed the world . In a short span of time five to 10 families with money created the Renaissance. The employed great artists, built challenging architecture, redefined literature and spread ideas that at the time seemed unacceptable. Okay , so they eliminated their enemies , threw a bunch of folks into prison and were good with poisoning …the upshot was a changed world.

Everywhere you go in this city you see this . The Frescoes the redefined art , the engineering marvels like the dome that was deemed impossible to build , the sculpture that overwhelms you everywhere you turn .

It’s the home of my favorite piece of Renaissance art. The wooden carved statue of Mary Magdalene by Donatello. I first saw this stature in the 90s on a business trip to Firenze. I had an hour free and zipped into the Duomo museum primarily to see the doors of the baptistery .

I came across the sculpture suddenly and it literally took my breath away. This is no Renaissance buxom woman as Mary but instead a ragged , and disheveled woman in her 70s. Her hands and face are lined with wrinkles and the years of a rough and shattered life are etched deep in her face ..and yet in her expression you can see the pentinenance and redemption. It is such a moving piece of art . It’s now in a glass case so you can’t get as close as you once could but it still packs a punch. Next to the sculpture they have placed a polymer replica which they encourage you to touch and feel the lines in her hands and face. It’s an incredible experience. Oh yeah and those doors by Ghiberti are also there lol

Despite the huge number of tourists that come here it never seems overwhelming. It’s sort of a controlled chaos.

We stayed in a 14th century palace that was converted to a hotel about 100 years ago. The Loggiato de Serviti . It’s the hotel I’ve always stayed at when I come. It’s a bit worn at the edges and seen better days but it’s gorgeous and comfortable like a beautiful old dress shoe. I recommend it .

The food is of course also amazing and it’s a city made for walking .

We climbed up to dome . A Renaissance engineering marvel. The climb allowed us not only a spectacular view of the city but a spectacular view of the ceiling by Zuccari. It’s breathtaking..just like the rest of the city .

I know this city is a crazy tourist attraction. In the summer the place is overrun with tourists but in the Spring and Autumn the weather is pleasant , the crowds are smaller and the food is always great .

I really struggled to write this post. That’s why there has been a lag in my blogging .

I first came to Rome in 1976. I was just 19 and on my first trip overseas alone.

I was on an 18 to 30 year old camping tour and we camped in some place 20 miles out of Rome and took the metro in everyday. I remember being a bit overwhelmed by the sheer history ; The coliseum, the forum. , the Vatican and the sheer numbers of tourists. They were everywhere. It was July, it was hot and humid. I was grouchy and while I understood the incredible place this city held in Western Civilization, Rome and I just never bonded.

Years later I would come back a lot for business. I’d fly in have a meeting and fly out . So Rome and I have a checkered history.

I do have three great Roman memories.

When I worked for Elsevier they had a global executive meeting there. One evening they had a reception at the Vatican. Suddenly I found myself with 4 people all alone in the Sistine Chapel. Instead of the thousands of tourists being herded through it was just myself , two colleagues and a guard . I plopped myself on my back on the stone floor and spent 30 minutes gazing at that incredible ceiling without any sound or trampling tourist groups . I’ll remember that till the day I die.

Memory 2. Shortly after our marriage John and I visited Rome. I was resistant as ever. John, suggested we rent scooters and drive around . I was incredulous. I kept reading him stories from the internet of tourists who rented scooters and got shipped home in a box. Finally, he convinced me . I honestly don’t know what came over me . Suddenly I was Marcello Mastroianni racing up one way streets and over sidewalks. I ended up ditching John as he was just not keeping up . We later managed to rendezvous at a parking lot near the Borghese Gardens . It truly was one of the best travel days of my life

Memory 3. This trip. We passed an antique bookstore and we wandered in. I have always wanted an Italian edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Don’t ask me why . I asked the aged owner in very bad Italian and he smiled and went to a locked cabinet. He rifled around for a few seconds and pulled out a 1859 edition. I bought it immediately.

On this trip we focused on just walking and eating. We stayed in an amazing hotel with a terrace that had a 360 degree view of Rome and a great breakfast. I began to revise my opinion a bit . We had fantastic meals , great walks through the streets until we took a shortcut through the plaza where the Trevi fountain is .. OMG. It was like a Walmart Christmas sale. Thousands of people fighting and shoving to take one selfie after another . Street vendors selling tacky magnets of all sorts of things Roman and some not. Do we really need a magnet with Only David’s genitalia on it in purple ?

I was talking to an American taking selfies with his wife and I pointed out the sign that said Marcello forever . He had no idea who he was . I realized he wouldn’t go home and watch La Dolce Vita and the famous fountain scene was lost on him. Barbarians ! John had to calm me down with a coffee lol. So we finally escaped by car to Firenze through the gorgeous Landscape of Umbria and Tuscany. Leaving Rome behind …until next time