Ciaotraveler

Taormina is a gorgeous, lively hilltop town that is positioned on the sea near the great Mt. Etna volcano.  We flew into the larger city of Catania and motored about 40 minutes to the town. The town is full of quaint streets excellent for shopping, dining, and overall people watching.  There are perfect views of the sea up and down the coastline from Messina to Catania.  One can see the Calabrian coast of Italy on clear days.

Dolceacqua, Italy is a small medieval village positioned in the mountains above the Liguria sea close to the French border.  It boasts a castle and has been famous for its Rossese grape (wine).  Its worth a day trip to this "Sweet Water" village near Genoa.

Ciao's Meatball Soup

If you've ever been to Italy and experienced the wonderful cappuccino then you know just how special it is to visitors. It's a ritual that we can really identify with as Americans. Italians love their precious resource so its not unusual to serve it in special cups.  These cups can be light and graceful or chunky and covered with regional designs.

Story of two guys traveling round to gorgeous regions of Italy in their Mini Cooper while tasting food.  Now that's a job I want!  But since they have the job, take a peek at some of the places they visited... The men start their journey in the Tuscany region. Cinque Terre region I still think I'd be great at this job. See my Cinque Terre and Tuscany posts by using the search bar on this page above.

Giada, of Food Network fame, has a new cooking and travel newsletter called Giadzy .   Here is one of the location photos in Capri that inspired her lemon spaghetti recipe. I love Capri on a non-touristy day- which is never. Its a beautiful island and there's really a lot to do other than shopping and eating (wink). Hope you visit my photos of Capri here .  

While in Venice, Italy, take a break to visit the original Harry's Bar.  The staff is warmly hospitable and will make your visit seem very personal.  They'll share the history of their delicious invention, the Bellini cocktail. You'll see photos of the many classic movie stars who've frequented the bar since 1931.     Harry's has a very unassuming entrance just off the main St. Mark's piazza and nearby marina.  It's worth entering this very famous classic bar for an original Bellini and a bit of culinary history... The shelves are stocked just as they were in 1931 according to the staff, same order and volume as Harry desired.   Now that's consistency!   The  wood bar reminds me of being on a very exclusive, old yacht.   T he only thing missing are the Captain's hats. The Bellini Cocktail: This Bellini drink was created 1943 at Harry's Bar in Venice in honor of the pa...

The movie, Trust. was based on the 1973 kidnapping of sixteen year old, J.Paul Getty III, heir to the Getty Oil Trust.  Audley End House in England (above) was used as the residence of J.Paul Getty I. It's a tragic drama but one worth watching for the history and beautiful landscapes. The filming locations were in the United Kingdom and Italy (my favorite countries). .  Many of the England scenes were filmed at the Long Hall in Hatfield House.   Donald Sutherland and Brenden Frazier, star  Image by Macorig Above is a ruin in Tivoli near Rome where J.Paul Getty negotiated a "deal" with the kidnappers.  Below is town of Calabria where many scenes were filmed.                                                                   ...

There are many day trips from Florence well worth taking such as the wine country and the small hill top town of Cortona. Lesser known are the towns of Pienza, Fiesole and Orvieto which are also quaint hilltop towns. Please view my posts:    Pienza here   (easy day trip from Lucca, Pisa or Florence) Orvieto here   (easy day trip from Rome) Fiesole here   (15 minutes from Florence) Thanks for viewing my blog!

Just had to share this collage of cute pets in Italy: Left: Pooch in Pienza; Middle: Kitty in Montalcino and right: the cats in the Cinque Terre.

  When I first traveled to Europe, I didn't consider the loving care and restoration given the many landmarks.  These restorations sustain the brilliance of the architecture of the time it was built.  Above is the Eiffel Tower in Paris dated 1890 and my photo to the right 1973. Although, not much has changed, they've added electronic signage to announce special events.  I took the photo below in 1999. The Tower was built in 1889 as an entrance to the World's Fair.  It stands 1050 feet tall.  You can see the signage added for special events.  When I took this photo it was nearing (283 jours or days) until the millennium celebration of 2000. See the old and new comparison photos of very popular landmarks: The Rome Colosseum Photo on left taken about 1890 and mine on the right is 1973 when cars were able to drive around the structure.   Here is one of my photos from 1999 where it appears the architectural trim h...