When the lovely folks at Viking invited me on a Viking ocean cruise from Barcelona to Rome, of course, I said yes. Then the panic set in. I hate being on water, I can’t swim, and I’ve seen the movie Titanic too many times. I know what could happen. A...
A few years ago, Jonathan and I took a two-week river cruise with Viking from Budapest to Amsterdam, and we loved it. So, when Viking very kindly invited me on an ocean cruise onboard the Viking Sky from Barcelona to Rome – well, I wasn’t going to say no,...
One Day In Bologna Bologna, located in northern Italy, is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. It’s located less than an hour inland from Italy’s east coast and roughly halfway between Milan and Florence. An old university city, Bologna,...
Milan in northern Italy is one of Europe’s most underrated cities. Many visitors arriving at Milan Airport are just passing through, on their way to the Italian lakes, mountains, or prettier cities like Verona or Venice. Known for finance, fashion and industry, when I...
After a fabulous few days hiking in the Italian Dolomites, it was time to head to the lakes. Varenna, located on Lake Como’s eastern shore, was to be my base for the next three nights – a gorgeous, picturesque village with cobbled streets,...
After taking a one-week intensive Italian course in beautiful Florence, I headed off to Bologna, the culinary capital of Italy, to practice my Italian and eat loads of delicious food. In Bologna, the guesthouse owner told me that I couldn’t possibly visit this...
After a couple of days exploring the ancient temples around Agrigento, I set off by bus for a three-hour journey to the lovely port town of Trapani. Trapani is located beneath Mount Erice between the Mediterranean and the Ionian Sea on Sicily’s northwest coast. It’s...
Most visitors to Agrigento in southern Sicily come to visit the impressive Valley of the Temples on a day trip and then move on. But honestly, it’s really worth staying in Agrigento old town for at least one night. I stayed two because that’s just how I roll....
