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!
I actually enjoy trip planning. I know it makes some people nervous and they’d prefer to leave it all in the hands of a travel agent, but to me, it’s so much fun that sometimes I even plan fictitious trips to Italy that I have no intention of actually taking, and consider finding good hotels … Continue reading 156. Where to stay
What a difference eight centuries make! Within a 24-hour period, I was able to view two of the world’s greatest mosaic-filled structures, built nearly a millennium apart. The first, Villa Romana del Casale, was a huge residential complex constructed in the 4th century, by a rich and powerful figure in the waning days of the … Continue reading 155. Mosaics
Gigi's Italia 