View from the lookout at Hadrian's Villa. Looks like a painting, no? An interesting day trip from Rome is a visit to Hadrian's Villa. We took the train to the town of Tivoli, and then the No. 4 bus a short 4 miles to the site.* Evidently, the town of Tivoli itself has a lot [...]

Our hotel room window Thank you for letting me get my Debbie Downer whining out of the way. Now we can move on to the real reasons to visit Italy. As you will see, there was a visual feast at all times.  Our first stop was the island of Sardinia. The friends I traveled with [...]

  Here's a photo of my first meal in Italy. I used the information below to communicate with the waiter and it worked! I have no idea what this was, some sort of beef in an amazingly delicious red sauce with capers. I also can't really tell you the name of the restaurant or the [...]

If you're like me, your Italian vocabulary is limited to a few indispensable basics , like "Gucci", "Fendi" or "Prada". And when I'm really showing off my multi-lingual skills I'll throw in a "Mama Mia, Pizzeria!" or  "Holy Cannoli!" with no doubt an American accent that Dean Martin would make fun of. (That's ok, Dean [...]