Experience a Gondola Cruise in America: La Gondola in Providence, Rhode Island
It is not necessary to travel all the way to Venice to experience your first delightful cruise on a gondola; on the contrary, all you need to do is make a quick trip to Providence, Rhode Island....
View ArticleThe Janiculum: Rome’s Eighth Hill
The refrain of the Morcheeba, a British trip hop Band, tells us repeatedly in the most famous hit of their 2000 album, “Fragments of Freedom,” “Don’t you know that Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Indeed...
View ArticleSimply Seggiano
The little red Fiat took the curves and inclines in 360 degrees of glorious countryside and tiny villages on the Cassia from Firenze. Spring showed its presence in wildflowers, mustard, shocks of...
View ArticleThat Sinking Feeling
In which our Far-Flung Correspondent heads for Venice for the world’s greatest muscle-powered nautical event: the Vogalonga. Four decades ago in a galaxy far, far away—that is to say, Venice, which...
View ArticleWhy Stay at a Bed and Breakfast?
Hotels of all shapes, sizes, and price ranges exist all over the world and you can have privacy, room service, an amazing array of amenities, and the convenience of never having to clean the room...
View ArticleNapa and San Francisco on a Budget
While every state now has a winery, when one hears the term “wine country,” I’d bet the farm that California is the first thought that comes to mind. Each of California’s wine regions has its charms,...
View ArticleFIKA
Every so often one stumbles upon a culinary gem in the most unexpected place, as happened to me recently on a visit to the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. Even without the restaurant, a...
View ArticleSt. Augustine, Florida: Feliz Cumpleaños!
St. Augustine, Florida is like an ancient Castilian princesa. Dressed in a gown of grass-green velvet, draped in a veil of Spanish moss, she invites you to celebrate her 450th birthday, September...
View ArticleTraveling in Italy, Crowd-Free
You’ve wanted to go to Italy your whole life, and now the dream is coming true. You can already taste the fresh mozzarella in Rome and hear the soft, rhythmic splash of the gondolier’s oar as it...
View ArticleA Taste of Harmonie: Mauricie et Lanaudière
Our 550 km adventure swept us northward from Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in Montreal to two regions within Québec, Canada’s largest province. The aerial approach to YUL hinted at the...
View ArticleThe Vatican’s Brand New Tourist Attraction
By now everyone knows that Pope Francis lives simply in the Casa Marta guesthouse and not in the elegant Papal Apartments overlooking St. Peter’s Square where he does, however, receive important guests...
View ArticleMayakoba: So Much More than Its Cuisine
“Casual dining by the sea” is how a concierge described Punta Bonita Restaurante, located on the pristine beaches of the Riviera Maya. That description didn’t even come close to capturing the essence...
View ArticleParis Not So Long Ago: Night. Rain. Fog. Confusion. Savoir Faire.
© 2015 by Bill Marsano photos by Scott Clemens This is, I imagine, telling tales out of school, but tell I must. It’s a good tale, which is the best of all possible reasons, and its star, my friend...
View ArticleZenzi Glatt: Merano’s Forever Young Senior Hotelier
Born in Castelrotto on December 27, 1914, Zenzi Glatt came to live in Merano when she was 10 years old because of its better schools and has lived here ever since. She is a pioneer of hospitality. In...
View ArticleKringle, the Official State Pastry of Wisconsin
There is a lot to enjoy in the charming small town of Racine, Wisconsin. Located on the shore of beautiful Lake Michigan between Milwaukee and Chicago, Racine has lovely beaches, parks and trails;...
View ArticleCharacter in Carmel
It’s not as though I was surprised those three days in Carmel-by-the-Sea were so pleasurable. How surely this one square mile penetrated my psyche was the zinger. Homebound along the Salinas Highway,...
View ArticleGondoliers Unite to Protect Their “Venetianess”
It is impossible to feel lukewarm about Venice. The historian Edward Gibbon, author of The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, complained about “its stinking ditches dignified with the pompous...
View ArticleThe Elegance Of Bordeaux
Will Ottley visits the French City of Bordeaux and discovers exemplary organic wine. Bordeaux became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007. Synonymous with the French wine trade, the city has 376 listed...
View ArticleThe Crystal Coast: The Catch of the Day
A few years ago when Betsy Cartier was looking for a new place to settle, she told her husband, “I will know it when I see it.” Then, she discovered the Crystal Coast. (Map) Within weeks, they were...
View ArticleOh, Savannah!
It doesn’t seem possible that this is our first visit to Georgia’s first city. SAV airport is sleek and friendly. We’re on our way a little after 10 on New Year’s Eve. Sequined revelers light up...
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