The morning air was cool and crisp when I walked out of my apartment in Venice.  The chilly air felt like pin pricks on my skin, but I was happy for this cool breeze because in no time I would be sweating from carrying all of my gear.  I was leaving Venice after my 4 [...]

My parents recently did a European trip which included Germany and Italy. They had a great time and enjoyed all of the cities and sites…except Rome. This was really surprising since I find Rome to be one of the coolest cities in Europe. How could anyone think that Rome – a city with so much [...]

If Venice is named the Floating City, then Cimitero San Michele should be named the Floating Dead.  Yes, it sounds eerie, but cemeteries can also be quite beautiful and moving to visit.  The Cimitero di San Michele has no shortage of moving stories and images.  The only way to get to it is via boat.  [...]

The Rialto Market is buzzing with activity; boats pull up to docks and burly men unload crates of blood red oranges and artichokes, locals laugh and socialize with the shop keepers, and the fish mongers scale and prepare the fresh catches of the day.  This is the main market for locals on the island of [...]

“Thou shall not steal” is known as the eighth commandment – Christianity is built on the Ten Commandments. Yet somehow the most holiest of places in Venice, St. Mark’s Basilica, exists thanks to people breaking the 8th commandment! To my surprise I listened to our guide Giussepina talk about how everything we were looking at [...]

Put the word “secret” in front of anything and you’ll get people’s attention. It congers up thoughts of voyeurism, hushed tones, sneaking around, mafia, politics, and religion. Putting the words “Doge’s Palace” behind it creates even more allure…that is if you know what the Doge’s Palace is. If you’ve set foot in Venice, then you’ve [...]

They are everywhere you look in Venice; you will spot them by their blue stripes and spastic leg movements.  Some of them even have a special song they sing.  However, they are quite rare as only about 400 of them exist in the wild…the wilds of Venice that is. Gondoliers maneuvering their sleek, black gondolas [...]

“You have to go to the islands! You have to go to the islands!” everyone kept telling me. Clearly they didn’t fully appreciate my neurosis regarding how stubborn I am. I can’t help it, if everyone keeps telling me to do something, then I really am skeptical about it and the less and less I [...]