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Posted on 01-Sep-18, 18:24 EDT16-Mar-20, 17:39 EDT

Ode to a Tourist in Italy

Mystical view of the Tuscan countryside at dawn - Volterra, Italy.

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!

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Posted on 23-Apr-20, 07:11 EDT16-Oct-20, 14:52 EDT

The Story of Perseus, Retold

While Perseus was quite a steady character since ancient times, Medusa had so many faces: beautiful, monstrous, persecuted, narcissistic and vain, ugly and malevolent, unjustly punished victim.

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!

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Posted on 26-Mar-20, 02:31 EDT25-Jun-20, 18:10 EDT

Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa Sculpture

Cellini's Perseus and Medusa bronze sculpture @ the Loggia dei Lanzi. Piazza della Signoria - Florence, Italy.

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.

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Posted on 13-Feb-20, 00:39 EST26-Jun-20, 17:57 EDT

The Sabine Women

Giambologna's Rape of the Sabines Women @ the Loggia dei Lanzi. Piazza della Signoria - Florence, Italy.

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.

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Posted on 10-Oct-19, 07:25 EDT16-Mar-20, 17:21 EDT

Scenes from Assisi, Italy

Scenes from Assisi, Italy. View of Assisi skyline at sunset

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.

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Posted on 26-Sep-19, 05:58 EDT25-Feb-20, 23:33 EST

Convents & Monasteries – Cortona

Spring in Cortona, Italy.

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.

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Posted on 12-Sep-19, 03:34 EDT16-Mar-20, 17:24 EDT

Convents & Monasteries – Florence (Firenze)

The towers of Badia Fiorentina and the Bargello along Via del Proconsolo. Firenze, Italy.

Many convents and monasteries in Florence offer hospitality within striking distance of the Renaissance city’s historic center.

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Posted on 22-Aug-19, 01:54 EDT26-Feb-20, 00:15 EST

Convents & Monasteries – Assisi

Sunrise on a cool morning at St. Anthony's Guest House - an Italian convent in Assisi, Italy.

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.

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Posted on 08-Aug-19, 10:00 EDT27-May-22, 03:24 EDT

Traveler, Rest Thy Body in an Italian Convent or Monastery

The bell tower of Basilica di Santa Chiara at sunrise. A view from St. Anthony's Guest House - an Italian convent in Assisi, Italy.

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.

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Posted on 25-Jul-19, 20:33 EDT11-Mar-20, 17:22 EDT

Travel Tools & Resources

Luggages at Changi Airport

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.

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Posted on 11-Jul-19, 00:05 EDT16-Mar-20, 17:27 EDT

Hercules and Cacus at the Piazza della Signoria

David and Hercules at the Palazzo Vecchio. Piazza della Signoria - Florence, Italy.

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. 

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Through the landmarks of history, let me be your guide
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Find stories of beauty, pride, honor, hubris and crime
In centuries of forgotten rocks and mantles of grime.

Read the background story:

  • Italy: 6 Important Historical Periods To Know Before You Take That Trip
  • Travel to Italy

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