Author: gigisimeone

There’s something about blood relations. Five Simeone cousins, plus three husbands So when I knew we’d be spending time in Rome, I knew I had to reach out and try to connect with my family there, which consists of three first cousins, three second cousins and their children and grandchildren. I’m the youngest of our … Continue reading 166. Family

If you’re traveling, and want to get a sense of the culture, history, values and daily life of an unfamiliar city, do a market tour. Listening to our wonderful guide Fernanda, with Alexis and Dave from San Francisco Markets, after all, are where real people come every day. So we were eager to do a … Continue reading 165. Food Plus Culture = Market Tour

Everyone has a favorite pizza joint. The pizzaiolo at Sue Pizza Illuminati But when an international pizza-ranking organization lists the 50 best pizza joints in the whole world, you have to sit up and take notice. Some of them are in oddball places like Copenhagen and Beijing. But about half are in Italy, so we … Continue reading 164. World’s Best Pizza

Today was Leonardo da Vinci’s day. And not just because we ended the day in Florence, near his birthplace of Vinci, hence his name. Today was Leonardo’s day because we finally scored tickets to see "The Last Supper," after two decades of trying. The house in Milan where Leonardo lived while painting The Last Supper. … Continue reading 163. Leonardo

I have managed to get through two years of this pandemic without getting hooked on watching much of anything. Sure, I eagerly awaited the weekly Tucci episode, and didn't miss the latest installment of Only Murders in the Building, even though I never had the faintest idea what was going on. But many of the … Continue reading 162. Sicilian Wonder Years

Anyone who knows me knows that putting me on a long haul flight that doesn’t terminate in Italy is wasting my time. That said, my husband should get his way at least some of the time, so a week ago, we headed to London, for some hiking in the British countryside and so that he … Continue reading 161. Italy v. Britain: Compare and Contrast

When I moved to Philadelphia, if I had a nickel for everyone who asked me if I was related to the great Dr. Frederick Simeone, who passed away last week, I could retire with a villa in Amalfi. Dr. Simeone, the renowned Chair of Neurosurgery at Pennsylvania Hospital, looms large in the hearts of his … Continue reading 160. Dr. Simeone (1936-2022)

I love working. I realize that I'm one of the lucky few who can say that, but I love having a reason to jump out of bed in the morning, a sense of purpose. It's a primary piece of how I define myself. It's probably where I am my best self. So I am always … Continue reading 159. Taking Care of Business

During the pandemic, we’ve become great fans of Inspector Montalbano. Based on a series of 28 novels and nine collections of short stories by Andrea Camilleri, the Italian tv series follows the exploits of a police inspector in the fictional southeastern Sicilian town of Vigata. There are 37 2-hour shows that we see on MHz, … Continue reading 158. Montalbano pilgrimage

I have always been interested in volcanoes. Not the science part; I took watered-down geology for my science requirement in college, but none of it stuck. But I am intrigued by the way the earth can just seize up, erupt, and in an instant bury all of us just going about our business. Those aren’t … Continue reading 157. Volcano!