This is my first post, an ode to a real or a virtual tourist in Italy who may go into sensory overdrive upon arriving in the land of of gelato and Michelangelo!
Continue reading “Ode to a Tourist in Italy”Ode to a Tourist in Italy
The Story of Perseus, Retold
Perseus is best known for his conquest of Medusa. But did you know that he was born of a virgin mother, married an Ethiopian princess, and committed parricide? PLUS: All these centuries, we’ve been misled to believe that Medusa was a rape victim who was punished for being one!
Continue reading “The Story of Perseus, Retold”Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa Sculpture
Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa sculpture is a valuable masterpiece. But he got the short end of the stick when Cosimo I de’ Medici only paid 3,500 gold crowns for it.
Continue reading “Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa Sculpture”The Sabine Women
The Rape of the Sabine Women was one of the most consequential episodes from Rome’s pseudo-historical foundation story. Two thousand three hundred years later, a sculptor of immense talent set the story on fire again through a sculpture that captured the drama, dynamism, and passions of the kidnapping event.
Continue reading “The Sabine Women”Scenes from Assisi, Italy
Scenes from Assisi is a gallery of images and 360 photos that bring you the beautiful scenery from one of the prettiest cities in Italy, and the home town of Saint Francis.
Continue reading “Scenes from Assisi, Italy”Convents & Monasteries – Cortona
Today’s Cortona is a foreign-wedding destination, college town, Etruscan site, and expat haven. Visitor lodging is abundant – including some convents and monasteries in Cortona.
Continue reading “Convents & Monasteries – Cortona”Convents & Monasteries – Florence (Firenze)
Many convents and monasteries in Florence offer hospitality within striking distance of the Renaissance city’s historic center.
Continue reading “Convents & Monasteries – Florence (Firenze)”Convents & Monasteries – Assisi
Assisi, being the home city of Saint Francis, is probably second only to Rome and the Vatican in terms of the density of religious institutions and structures in Italy. Convents & monasteries in Assisi abound to accommodate its pilgrims and visitors.
Continue reading “Convents & Monasteries – Assisi”Traveler, Rest Thy Body in an Italian Convent or Monastery
You don’t have to be Catholic, Christian, or religious to stay at an Italian convent or monastery. Monks, friars, nuns – have been welcoming and providing simple hospitality to men, women, and families whether they are pilgrims or just regular travelers, for centuries.
Continue reading “Traveler, Rest Thy Body in an Italian Convent or Monastery”Travel Tools & Resources
These are the travel tools and resources I have found useful during my solo travels, travels with my family, or with my friends. I will continue to update this page to share information about new tools that may be useful for you own travels.
Continue reading “Travel Tools & Resources”Hercules and Cacus at the Piazza della Signoria
Probably, no block of marble had a more tortuous journey from quarry to piazza than Baccio Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus. A sculpture with 2 stories to tell – one is a Herculean myth. The other is its entanglement within the momentous upheavals in Florence’s transformation from a republican to a monarchical state.
Continue reading “Hercules and Cacus at the Piazza della Signoria”