Note: since writing this article, the Danish Queen Margrethe has announced her abdication, with her son Frederik ascending to the throne. So while I have endeavored to replace instances referencing the Queen as the current monarch, please excuse any I missed. It is, in theory, the oldest continuous monarchy in the world. Dating back to…
Cultural differences are part of the fun of traveling, but they can also be a bit intimidating for people. I’m not speaking of language barriers, but purely lifestyle things that are helpful to keep in mind when planning a trip. So today, let’s take a look at twelve things you should know before going to…
Another morning in Italy. I roll out of bed, dress quickly, and head down the street to my favorite cafe. Here in Florence, it is Castorino, just down the street from my apartment. Walking in, the owners greet me by name (I am here at least four days a week thanks to wifi not working…
“You’re spending a full week in Milan? But there’s nothing to see there.” That was the common refrain from friends and family when I finalized my Italian itinerary, finishing with a week in Milan, Italy’s second largest city and its economic powerhouse. Sure, people conceded that the Duomo was worth visiting, and maybe even Sforza…
It is like nothing else I have ever seen, like nowhere I have ever visited. From the terraces (rooftops) of Milan’s cathedral, the Duomo di Milano, my view is incredible, both of the building itself and its signature 135 slender spires, and of the city as a whole. Each step, every turn, brings a new…
Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. It’s a small city, and unimportant in modern Italy, but a hub for tourism. Along with Rome and Venice, Florence is one of the places on nearly every Italian trip itinerary. And rightfully so. The city is beautiful, and has a lot to do. It also makes a great…
Walking through Florence’s Museo Leonardo da Vinci is a mixture of excitement, awe, and a bit of overwhelmed angst. The institution has taken the drawings of the Renaissance’s perhaps most iconic figure, drawings representing inventions ranging from a helicopter to a tank and all things between, and built them. Some are small models and others…
There is an excitement that is palpable as I enter the room at Museo Galileo in Florence. Here in a display case on one side of the small room are the great man’s personal telescopes, the ones he built to observe the skies, helping to change astronomy as we know it. It’s an extraordinary feeling…
A morning coffee overlooking a tiny marina in a small and colorful village along the Mediterranean coast of Italy’s Liguria region. Everything about this seems out of a movie. A sip of my cappuccino (overpriced, but in a moment like this, who cares?) and a splash from someone jumping from the rocks into the water.…
I know it is only a replica, of course. The original of Michelangelo’s David is safely tucked into the Accademia Gallery just north of where I am standing outside Florence’s Palazzo Vecchio. But there is something about seeing what is perhaps the most famous sculpture of all time in its original spot, where it was…