Calculating Route…

Random Alp The valley heat in Novi Ligure was a signal to us that it was time to move on up to higher altitude. The last week had been miserably hot and, outside of Denise’s trip to Milan, we’d pretty much spent the middle of each day inside with the blinds closed. Even though theContinue reading "Movin’ on Up"

What knockers! Happy 4th of July to all those in the States. Here, it’s just a Tuesday but only ten days until Bastille Day! I took a solo trip to Genoa — another city name that we have anglicized — hopping a train and getting off downtown in less than an hour. Denise wasn’t interestedContinue reading "Secondo: Italy Wrap-Up"

A small, very exclusive church on the road outside of Voltaggio. We’re coming to the end of our stay in Novi Ligure and, as dowdy as the town is, we’ve enjoyed being here. The people are friendly, the shopkeepers remember us, and Coco is a minor local celebrity. We saw two standard poodles in VeniceContinue reading "Italian Odds and Ends, Primi Piatti"

One of many small canals that make up the backstreets of Venice. When Denise and I find ourselves in an Italian moment that is so perfectly typical of what Americans think of Italy, we joke that this can’t be real, that we must be in Italyland at a Disney park.  That’s not to denigrate Italy,Continue reading "Italyland"

Novi chocolate is still made in the town, although it was bought years ago by a big eastern syndicate. Novi Ligure, our landing place for most of June, will never win a “Tidy Town” contest like they have in Ireland. Outside of the relatively well-kept old town, it’s a mostly neglected city with lots ofContinue reading "Italian Bargains"

You can't go anywhere in Corsica without seeing spray painted messages in support of the fallen activist Massimu. Somedays — such as our trip to Bonifacio — Denise and I plan our trip down to (almost) the last detail, and others, like this Sunday drive, we just point the car in the general direction andContinue reading "Massimu Semper Vivu"

Looking at the citadel and old city of Bonifacio from Le Grand Dieu. Lots of "steps" up to this viewpoint- more like climbing a mountain. At the end of our last entry I promised a tale of three cities but, once I started writing, I realized that just covering our one day in Bonifacio wasContinue reading "Mediterranean Parking Lot Blues"

The real Napoleon, which is to say a statue of the real Napoleon. There’s a fellow here in Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica and the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, who dresses up like the former emperor and will pose for a picture with you for a few coins. An epaulet-less, tattered uniform and the trademarkContinue reading "Waterloo"

Coco surveys a vineyard in Chateauneuf-de-Gadagne We have since moved on from this lovely location to Corsica but these are my memories from our time in Provence. Enjoy! - Denise Our hilltop village in western Provence, Chateaneuf-de-Gadagne, is located in arguably one of the most beautiful winemaking regions in the world (meaning that everyone willContinue reading "Terroir"

Coco in front of her namesake store. Ironically, she was not allowed inside Let’s pick up where we left off, shall we? Denise and I were flitting around the Provençal countryside, soaking up all the natural beauty, culture, and food that we could squeeze into our brief month here. In Part One, we visited Avignon,Continue reading "Side Trips, Part Deux"