Amazing beauty We love Orvieto for its amazing beauty and stunning hilltop views overlooking the green heart of Italy, Umbria. Our stay this time was a week, to unwind and prepare for our upcoming schedule. A quick romp A quick romp through Ottawa back home, taking care of business, a lost bag and delay in […]
Visiting the Colosseum & Ancient Rome with LivItaly Tours
LivItaly Tours When I booked a tour with LivItaly Tours, I didn’t realize it was the morning after we would be attending a birthday party for our good friend Linda from the Beehive. We decided we would walk across town to and from the party on a barge on the Tiber. Getting back to our […]
Movember: men’s health month
A lifetime ago It seems like a lifetime ago since I have written something about what we are actually doing with ourselves. The truth is pretty simple and by normal standards quite boring. As we have said before, we travel on our own terms which usually means on our own dime and it takes a […]
i-trak, the one item every traveller should own
Losing your luggage Losing your luggage is not something you think about when you’re organizing a trip. But sometimes things do go wrong, as we found out last week on our way to Europe. After our flight was delayed in Ottawa because of a snowstorm causing us to miss our connection in Toronto, we spent a good […]
Va Bene, capturing the flavours of traveling through Italy
VaBene A Cook Not Mad is heading to Northern Italy on another exciting tour. After logging thousands of miles, pictures and hundreds of recipes on previous trips to Italy the idea for our new book, Va Bene, was born. This trip will find us visiting some of our favourite spots and discovering plenty of new […]
Seasonal treat – Pappardelle with roasted corn and peppers
Seasonal treat One of my favourite times of the year is when I see those huge bins of freshly harvested ears of corn at the market. Corn on the cob, a great Canadian (and American) tradition that thankfully remains a seasonal treat that we can look forward to every year. It means fall is on […]
Rimini More Than Just A Beach Town – PIADINA
Beach vacations Beach vacations aren’t for everyone but the hundreds of thousands of beach chairs in Rimini are proof that many people enjoy the sand and sea. There are over 100 bagni (plural of bagno, Italian for beach), pick one, go to the booth and pay, then someone will show you to your chair. You […]
Base Camp Rimini: 3 easy day-trips
Day-trips Rimini is the perfect base camp for many day-trips. Whether you are staying in the town centre or near the beach, the train and bus station are a short city bus or walk away. You can leave in the morning and be back by dinner time to enjoy seafood on the beach. Here are […]