Matera Unesco Heritage Site Waking up and walking out onto the balcony we looked out the Sassi of Matera. We were over two months into our grand tour of Italy and the spectacle of this ancient city had reinvigorated our hearts and imagination with its Escher style architecture filled with surprises. Some quiet spots We […]
Altamura to Matera in 20 minutes
Pulling out Pulling out of Altamura our Fiat 500 was filled with the smell of fresh bread still working its magic sitting in the sun on the back seat. Looking forward to a brisk jaunt of twisting scenic country road to our next destination, Matera, I was sadly disappointed with a new boringly straight stretch […]
Panificio Di Gesù and Altamura’s DOP Bread
Half-asleep or half-cut I awoke to the sound of the shower running. Nat was already up but it was going to take a lot for me to get out of my envelope of comfort and warmth in our cozy hideaway in Altamura. The rain was still pouring down but the weather was expected to improve […]
Tales from the Table: Pein Assutt
Getting to Altamura After the snow, rain, sleet, construction, high street and low, we found ourselves approaching the glorious little town of Altamura in the comune of Apulia in the province of Bari. The sun had popped out and I made an awesome sighting of a group of wild boar (cingale) that barreled over a […]
Florence to Pescara and Arrosticini
Sunday morning It was a chilly and quiet Sunday morning as we pulled out of the parking garage onto the empty streets of Florence. Our Fiat 500 felt tight and images of the Italian job passed through my mind. It was still early so we had the streets to ourselves and in no time flat […]
An afternoon at the Uffizi Gallery with LivItaly Tours
Amerigo Vespucci bridge The rain was coming down hard on a dark and cold morning as we made our way across the Amerigo Vespucci bridge to the Caffè Rivoire in Piazza della Signoria. Uffizi Gallery We tucked ourselves under an awning and out of the rain as we waited to rendezvous with our guide and […]
The Road to Florence
City of Florence We were looking forward to our extended stay in the wonderful city of Florence. We had visited a few times before and always wanted to sink into local living and get a feel for the place. The timing could not have been better since we had just endured a manic month and […]
Venice by night, a pictorial
Venezia Unica Our Venezia Unica transit pass got a good work out as we island hopped our way around from Piazza San Marco to the islands of Murano and Burano. The sun was out and if you could manage to stay in it, took the edge off of the bitter cold and humidity but as […]