Italy

As a young girl I became very fond of 19th Century poetry and have enjoyed it throughout my life. When I got he chance to visit he apartment of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning I jumped at it.  They moved here in 1847, a year after they married and lived here together until Elizabeth’s death in 1861. They called it “Casa Guidi” and wrote some of their finest … Read More

Zoe and I took our second trip to Verona and this time decided to stay on the other side of the river. Verona reminds me of a small version of Firenze with the river cutting it in half.  I figured since I like and live in the more quiet, less tourist side of Firenze I would give it a try.   We stayed at B&B Aurelia that I found on the internet. … Read More

Spring has arrived and I am so happy about that.  Since Zoe and I walk almost everywhere having the sun gives us more incentive to go out and discover our neighborhood.  There is a beautiful area not far from us, the hilly area on the way to Piazza Michelangelo. It reminds me a little of Bel Aire in Southern California.  The sidewalks in this area made me think … Read More

It was time to take a little train trip to the country.  A friend lives in Empoli, 20 minutes outside of Firenze and invited Zoe and I to visit for the day.  Our train ride was €7 ($7.25) round trip. Can’t beat that. The main square in Empoli is beautiful and very clean. It was about 11:00 and the square was empty.  I felt like we were on … Read More

We have a love hate relationship with time change.  I love it in the fall and getting an extra hour but hate to give back that hour in the spring. The upside though is more day light when the weather starts to get nice.  Here in Italy we change two weeks later than America and it happened this week end. Sunday was the most gorgeous spring day and … Read More

There is never a lack of things to do in Firenze. I subscribe to The Florentine, a monthly English language magazine that has become my bible. I go through it and mark my calendar with all the things that interest me so I don’t forget. This particular Sunday I had 3 things t wanted to do and with a little planning it shouldn’t be a problem. Riccardo Barthel is a … Read More

The vintage clothing scene here in Firenze is very strong.  I have found a few stores I like and have bought a few pieces to accessorize an outfit.  I was very excited when I read there was going to be a big event dedicated to vintage clothes so off we went. The event was held at Leopolda Station, the first railroad station in Firenze built in1837. The construction went very … Read More

I had the pleasure of being invited to 2 events at Florence Dance Center. They have a wonderful way of combining dance with art. They have an artist work related to some form of dance beautifully displayed followed by a presentation from their dance students. The first time I went they were showcasing the paintings of Kevin Berlin. He is a very accomplished painter and his work is resides in the collections … Read More