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Necropoli Portus Project Roman Cemeteries Rome

ROMAN REMAINS

on
June 27, 2014

When in Rome it is always fascinating to follow the lives of ancient Romans. We read and see so much of corporate grandeur that it is easy to forget that individual Romans were real people with families. Families who had a preference for staying together in life as well as in death. When the inevitable happened the remains were often kept in mausoleums so the living could gather in memory of the deceased.

The best preserved of these memorials is the Vatican Scavi underneath St.

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China Shanghai Zhujiajiao

SPRING IN ZHUJIAJIAO

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May 30, 2014

Shanghai can get pretty frantic with all the skyscrapers and crowds. If you are in need of a quick change of pace, a good choice is the quiet “water town” of Zhujiajiao, about an hour from the city by bus.

The area around Zhujiajiao was settled thousands of years ago, and the town itself has been around for about 1700 years, new in Chinese terms. Formerly a trading center for cloth and rice, it is now a getaway for tourists and locals who come to enjoy the peaceful watery setting.

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Castel Sant'Angelo Hadrian Hadrian's Villla Pantheon Rome

A DAY WITH EMPEROR HADRIAN

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May 4, 2014
Rome is so filled with treasures that it is often hard to know where to start. Sometimes it is easier to concentrate on one artist like Caravaggio or architect such as Bernini (who is almost impossible to avoid anyway). The last time we were in the city we decided to give one day to a Roman emperor, Hadrian, who ruled from AD 117 until his death in AD 138.

One of the few emperors who still gets good press as an administrator, he was a great traveler and builder, particularly in Rome.
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Hiroshima Japan Miyajima Shinto Temples

THE SACRED ISLAND OF MIYAJIMA

on
April 23, 2014



The ferry that leaves from a little port thirty minutes north of Hiroshima, Japan transports passengers to another dimension where the city’s memorials to the holocaust caused by the Atomic Bomb are left behind in spirit if not in physical distance. A first glimpse of what awaited us on Miyajima Island came in the form of origami paper cranes, symbolizing peace and memorializing the end of World War II. They were gracefully given out by smiling and bowing students at the ferry dock.

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La Conner Quilts Skagit Valley State of Washington

EARLY SPRING IN THE SKAGIT VALLEY: DAFFODILS AND QUILTS

on
April 2, 2014

After what seemed like 40 days of rain the sun came out, warm and spring-like. It was the signal to take a drive an hour north of home to the small town of La Conner, located where the Skagit Valley meets saltwater in the form of the Swinomish Channel. The town was founded in 1867 and many of the original buildings remain. But instead of housing banks, churches, and butchers, they are clothing stores, art galleries, antique shops and restaurants.
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Etruscans Italy Lazio Tuscania

THE CYCLE OF TIME – Tuscania

on
March 5, 2014

My friend and I drove to Tuscania through the countryside full of empty carved rock tombs, some so eroded that the steps leading to them now only reach empty sky – the heavens where perhaps Etruscan souls reside. But as we neared the town we could see that some of the tombs alongside the road were still in use, the hollowed area blocked off with doors hiding small cars or vats of wine.

The small city, in business since about the 8th century BC was founded by the Etruscans is interesting with its medieval and Renaissance buildings, although our visit would be focused on two churches now located about a mile from the walled old city.

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cemeteries English Cemetery Keats Rome Shelly

DEATHLY QUIET IN ROME

on
January 26, 2014

THE ENGLISH CEMETERY IN ROME

 

Are you looking for someplace quiet, someplace restful, someplace away from the noise of Rome? The so-called English Cemetery is an excellent location for contemplation. Not only are the monuments interesting but the landscaping is a delight. Spring brings wisteria, daisies, iris and violets; summer is for lavender, plumbago, verbena and geraniums; fall comes with ripening pomegranates, lemons and oranges. Winter color includes the citrus, camellias and small pink wild cyclamens mixed with the larger and brighter cultivated varieties.
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Augustarello Cucina Povera Ditirambo Italian Food Italian Restaurants Ristorante Pierluigi Rome

CIAO/CHOW TIME – THREE RESTAURANTS IN ROME

on
January 1, 2014

 

 

It would take several lifetimes to sample all the dining options in Rome. Here are three we found during our last very short visit. So many more to try! 

 

Ditirambo, Piazza della Cancelleria 74. This small, informal restaurant is very close to Campo di Fiori in the heart of tourist Rome. www.ristoranteditirambo.it  Recommend reservations. 39.06.687.1626. Moderate prices. Open every day. Monday dinner only. 
 

 

We ate there at lunch time, and despite its location Italians rather than tourists joined us in savoring creative Italian cooking.
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Christmas Christmas traditions Italy La Befana Nativity Scenes Rome

CHRISTMAS IN ROME

on
December 6, 2013

The Christmas season in Rome begins on December 1. We had the pleasure of participating in the start of the festivities in Piazza Navona and  the neighborhoods. The first event on our list was the annual United National Women’s Guild bazaar with shopping opportunities from the world over to fund projects in developing countries.

 

We paused at this shop on the way to Piazza Navona to inspect their treats:


Next stop was wonderful Piazza Navona where the traditional Christmas market was being set up.… Read more

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Country Hotel Italy Lazio Orvieto Umbria

COUNTRY PLEASURES

on
November 4, 2013

 
What better than a few days in the Italian countryside? Especially if they involve a castle, a swimming pool and time to visit small hill towns nearby in the warm sunshine.

 

A writer friend in Italy recommended the Castello di Santa Maria, located near the tiny village of San Michele in Teverina, at the north end of Lazio, the region surrounding Rome. The castle is part of the Charme & Relax network of (mostly) country homes and castles.
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Coins in the Fountain
Available on Amazon. Kirkus Reviews says “You don’tneed Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck to enjoy this delightful Roman Holiday…Armchair-travel books are rarely as good as this one”
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Available on Amazon. Kirkus Reviews says “You don’tneed Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck to enjoy this delightful Roman Holiday…Armchair-travel books are rarely as good as this one”

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