Author Archives: wes

Cisternino and Martina Franca, Puglia, Italy May 12, 2016 Between Locorotondo and our next stop, Lecce, we visited Ostuni and Cilegie Messapica for meals. The ristoranti we sought were both closed.  We moved on and went to tiny Cisternino to have dinner in a maccelleria. A maccelleria is a butcher shop. The butcher helps you chooseContinue reading “Cisternino & Martina Franca, 5/12/16”

Polignano a Mare, Puglia, Italy Wednesday, May 11, 2016 We are in the tenth day of our voyage.  We are driving around in a black Fiat Cinquecento. The pope, on his recent American tour, abandoned his high security pope-mobile and drove in the same Fiat car.  His model was tiny. When he got into and out ofContinue reading “Polignano a Mare, 5/11/2016”

Near the tip of the Salento Peninsula Gamberini viola crudo, A Casa Mia Choosing the catch of the day at A Casa Mia Dip before lunch Salento swimming hole Otranto Volare (Polignano a Mare) Ristorante Grotta Palazzese, Polignano a Mare  Massaria Aprile Le Lampare a Fortino, Trani

During our first three nights in Italy we will stay in the Masseria Aprile. It is possible I will describe this incorrectly, but an “agriturismo masseria” is a government designation which allows a family with a farm to operate it as a hotel. The family farm where we are staying has exceptional stone buildings inContinue reading “Agriturismo Masseria Aprile, Locorotondo”

Today was a perfect day. We arrived into the Aeroporto Internazionale in Bari, Italy. We drove an hour north to Trani. We parked in the Piazza del Popolo. Interestingly, the paid parking is free from one-thirty in the afternoon until four o’clock because the city wants it’s citizens to enjoy their two and one-half hour lunches withoutContinue reading “Puglia: Trani and Locorotondo, 5/9/16”

Wes and Marlow26 November 2015BolognaHere is a final letter from Italy. It is about the day we spent in Ravenna. It is a story told by photographs. It is a story about humans who documented their lives one thousand and five hundred years ago. They did it using tiny pieces of colored glass. Mosaics. IContinue reading “Ravenna: 26 November 2015”

Piazza Stanto Stefano, on which our apartment is located, is the most beautiful in Bologna.  We made this short video to share its charm with you.

We came to Bologna to enroll in Italian language classes.  When we arrived to the school we learned that they also have a very well regarded cooking program that offers evening programs to students enrolled in the language program.  The three hour evening class (7 to ~10 pm) ends with a three-course meal.  At theContinue reading “Bologna cooking classes”

One of Bologna’s distinctive attributes is the abundance of porticos (“portici”).  While many European cities have occasional buildings in their historic centers where porticos are still present, it is much more common for the “public space” that lies under the portico to have been filled in over time by expansion of a building outwards towardsContinue reading “Porticos of Bologna”

Wes and Marlow25 November 2015We are approaching the end of our stay in Bologna. I will say a few things about a few things. The school. It is housed in a twelfth century palazzo. The bones of the building are, as they say here, monumental. That means a three story building can have an entryContinue reading “Bologna Letter #6: 25 November 2015”