Being here at the Matisse Museum, built mainly into the Villa des Arenes in Nice’s Cimiez suburb, I can certainly see the appeal of the area. The climate is mild, the Mediterranean shore a few brief minutes away, but seeming almost as if in another world from this hilltop retreat. The Roman ruins of Cemenelum…
I get it. I really do. The opulence of the tiny Principality of Monaco is alluring. Visitors come - typically just for a day or so as a novelty to add another country to their counts - and they are enthralled by the glimpses into lives they (we) will never have. $100,000+ cars are common…
Today, Nice is essential France. There is a bakery on every block, a wine bar next door, and crepe stands abound. There is art, there is culture. There is no doubt that this is truly France. But in fact, Nice is a relative newcomer to France, its inclusion in the country only permanently coming in…
I think that for most people coming to Nice, its draw isn’t history. Rather they seek the Mediterranean sun, the blue waters of the Côte d’Azur, the fresh sea breeze, and the French cooking. But here in France’s fifth largest city there is a history that spans millennia, and can still be seen today with…
Editor’s note: I spent three days in Bogota back before I started The Royal Tour, so I haven’t written about it. But I enjoyed my time, and while like Sam I agree that Colombia’s capital isn’t as touristic as other places in the country, I disagree with his assessment that it is less worth visiting.…
It seems that for many who visit Pisa, the basic plan is the same. One takes a morning train, probably from a base in Florence, walks the 20 or so minutes to Piazza del Duomo, sees the Leaning Tower of Pisa, poses for a silly photo, and then largely leaves. Some might pay the €11…
I had 48 hours in Turin, a lovely weekend side trip from my base in Genoa. My primary tasks were writing about the Savoy dynasty and the city’s automotive history. But hey, a guy’s got to eat, right? 48 hour in Turin. Ostensibly four meals: two lunches and two dinners. Maybe some snacks or drinks…
“On the road again. I just can’t wait to get on the road again.” Willie Nelson begins any road trip I have these days, even if it is just between my home in Los Angeles and visiting friends in Northern California. He expresses pretty perfectly the feeling of freedom I get when I leave the…
When planning my side trip from Genoa (my base for the month) to Turin, I knew I wanted to write about the Savoy dynasty that ruled Piedmont-Sardinia and then united Italy from here. (Click here to read that story.) I booked a hotel and found train tickets. And then, realizing I would be arriving just…
It seems that every dynasty has that one monarch somewhere down the line who gets to define the house. Sometimes it is due to greatness - and indeed the number of monarchs with that epithet probably all qualify - and sometimes it is for another quality. Sometimes it is for a specific deed, guiding the…