Tag Archives: Italy

Depth in Venice.

Posted on February 20, 2016 by polloplayer

Humorist Robert Benchley is famously remembered to have dispatched a humorous telegram upon his arrival in Venice: “Streets flooded. Please advise.” Very funny. Well, maybe uproariously funny any week other than the one we were there. Because I hadn’t done my … Continue reading →

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Two Days and 10,000 Calories in Bologna.

Posted on February 13, 2016 by polloplayer

Let’s go back to Italy, shall we? The travelogue left off after our four days in Firenze, but the trip went on: we boarded a Trenitalia for a brief visit to bustling, historic Bologna, site of the oldest university in the western … Continue reading →

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Book Concierge: what to read before you go to Italy

Posted on February 6, 2016 by polloplayer

Two of my favorite things: travel and books. So there’s nothing better than a book set in a place to which I plan to travel. As soon as I learned we were headed to Italy last fall, I started building … Continue reading →

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Firenze

Posted on December 26, 2015 by polloplayer

Four nights in Florence and we barely scratched the surface of the surface. We trudged repeatedly back and forth across the Ponte Vecchio and through the Piazza della Signoria and, like Mark Twain in The Innocents Abroad, “wandered through the … Continue reading →

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First Impressions of Florence

Posted on December 12, 2015 by polloplayer

  Dusty and weary after after our day trip to Siena and beyond, we arrived in the narrow streets of Florence during what must have been their rush hour. In the ninety seconds we double-parked on the Lungarno degli Acciaiuoli to … Continue reading →

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A Day Trip in Tuscany

Posted on December 5, 2015 by polloplayer

While the toscani successfully defended their hill towns for centuries, it took just three days for us to capitulate our reign over Castiglion del Bosco. The sword over our heads was the mere threat of another Amex swipe; those luxury suites and spectacular … Continue reading →

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3 Hours and 35 Years in Montalcino

Posted on November 21, 2015 by polloplayer

We could have remained cocooned at Castiglion del Bosco forever, but after a few days the weather cleared and the sun came out and the Via Francigena beckoned. The road, which stretches from Canterbury, England all the way to Rome, has … Continue reading →

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In Tuscany: Kings of the Castiglion

Posted on November 7, 2015 by polloplayer

There is a saying about the pleasure of doing nothing and resting afterwards. It is serious work, not to be undertaken lightly, and after decades of searching, we found the perfect setting for it: the exquisite Castiglion del Bosco in … Continue reading →

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Orvieto, Part Two: Il Pranzo!

Posted on October 31, 2015 by polloplayer

There are two kinds of temples in Italy: churches and restaurants.  In Orvieto, we beheld God’s grandeur first at the duomo, and then we encountered the divine once again at lunch. In Orvieto, God truly is in the details, and, … Continue reading →

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Orvieto, Part One, the Duomo: God is in the Details

Posted on October 24, 2015 by polloplayer

It wasn’t easy to leave Rome. (Who in their right mind would voluntarily leave Rome?) Plus, it was threatening to rain. And while our driver, Fabrizio, seemed capable and friendly, his English was only slightly better than our Italian, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dante/Divine Comedy, History, Music/Art/Literature/Culture, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments