Seeking Adventure on Sicily’s Mt. Etna? Make Hotel Bosco Ciancio Your Perfect Stay

We arrived at Country Hotel Bosco Ciancio inside Sicily’s Etna Park, passing down a long and wooded driveway, the kind that makes you hold your breath because you know something special is waiting on the other end. What we saw gave us that ‘fairytale cottage in the forest’ feel as the driveway opened up into

Step Inside a Trullo in Puglia

Trulli in Alberobello, Puglia with a matching motorbike. Designs painted on the conical roof are common.

I felt like I had just stepped into the Hobbit’s Shire when I arrived in the small whitewashed village of Alberobello. Little people scampering in and out of the tiny cone-roofed houses with hairy feet didn’t appear, however. Instead, the village streets were packed with big people like myself, exploring the rows of cone-roofed trulli that proved to be anything from gift shops to restaurants. Bizarre and quirky? By all means, yes.

Surrounded by ancient vineyards, medieval castles, and white-sand beaches, Alberobello sits at the top of the heel that makes the boot of Italy. Not far from the Adriatic coast, it is understandably a magnetic tourist attraction.

Armando al Pantheon ~Rome’s Old School Trattoria

One of my very favorite places in Rome is the Pantheon with the small Piazza della Rotunda just to the south of it. Every trip to Rome is not complete without a visit to this glorious first century monument. There are several outdoor restaurants that line the piazza and offer good food with great views. But the trattoria I love the most is Armando Al Pantheon which is just a stone’s throw from the Pantheon itself. Although it lacks outdoor dining, the small one room trattoria is as homey and comfortable as one could imagine.

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Rome’s Fascinating Basilica of San Clemente Reveals 2,000 Years of History

I descended 60 feet below Rome’s surface into a mysterious past I knew little about…

The ancient Basilica of San Clemente, named after Rome’s third pope, hardly drew my attention as I passed by on my walk from the Colosseum. I soon discovered that I had approached the basilica from the side by mistake, missing the grand entrance fronted by a small courtyard with palm trees.

I had previously read about the basilica’s three levels of fascinating history, one church on top of another. The present 12th-century basilica was erected on the site of a previous church which had been buried for centuries underneath the level of the city streets.

Feeding the Horses at Il Poderaccio Agriturismo in Siena…video

It’s been a couple of years since I returned from an amazing experience at Lisa Ravà’s panoramic agriturismo, Il Poderaccio. The beauty of the Sienese countryside was beyond words, a place where I could spend much of my time soaking up the gently rolling hills and neighboring farms. During my stay, Lisa invited me to meet with her early in the morning to feed the horses (all 15 of them). I came, but she did all the work while I chatted and observed.

You will not believe the beauty of this early Tuscan morning…..take a look!