Category Archives: Uncategorized

We’ve arrived in Manarola.

Castiglione delle Stiviere lunch and Villa Sostaga 6 June 2013Villa Sostaga at Lago di Garda in Gragnano, ItalyFrom Mantua we took a train to Verona. In Verona we picked up a rental car. In the rental car we drove west and north to Lake Garda. En route we stopped in the hill town of CastiglioneContinue reading “Castiglione delle Stiviere and Villa Sostaga”

Tiratappi, Baldessare Castiglione, and Due Cavalli 2 June 2013Mantova, ItaliaLast night we ate dinner at the end of our street, at Tiratappi.The ambiance was comfortable: soft lighting and American music softly wafting: jazz, Sinatra, and several jazz versions of Over The Rainbow. The Tiratappi chef, is from Sicily and cooks Mantuan dishes with Sicilian ingredients.WeContinue reading “Tiratappi Baldessare Castiglione and Due Cavalli”

Palazzo Ducale and Claudio Monteverdi 31 May 2013Mantova, Italia During our guided tour of the Palazzo Ducale I learned that I was not correct about the number of rooms it contains.  It has five hundred rooms. It is a city unto itself. Imagine the management of such a place. Heating and lighting and bathing andContinue reading “Palazzo Ducale and Claudio Monteverdi”

Teatro Bibiena and the Aperitivo 30 May 2013Mantova, ItalyMantua does not have a symphony or an opera company or a grand concert hall.  But it does have a lovely and intimate theater, the Teatro Bibiena where we heard a concert of baroque music. The footprint of the theater is small and it is bell shaped.Continue reading “Teatro Bibiena and the Aperitivo”

30 May 2013 Mantova, ItaliaYesterday, we pedaled all over Mantua: the lumpy, bumpy cobble stoned streets, the narrow alleys, the piazzas and the waterfront path. As major cities go, it really is tiny. The waterfront area–where there are parks and bicycle lanes–is on the Mincio River. Many centuries ago when the castle and the palazzosContinue reading “Bicycles and Passeggiata”

Sunday evening in Mantova.

29 May 2013 Mantova, Italia Our trip is now in, somewhat, full swing. We flew from Los Angeles to Zurich, non-stop, in business class. It was cushy and comfy. We were pampered. Life was good. From Zurich we flew to Milan’s Malpensa Airport and spent the night in the Sheraton Hotel which is on-site andContinue reading “29 May 2013, Mantova, Italia”

24 December 2012 Today was a great day. After a turbulent, stormy night in the Norwegian Sea we arrived in Trondheim on Christmas Eve. It was a frosty arrival. Icy, windy, sunless. Perfect Christmas climate. I loved it. I walked from ship to hotel while the others took a taxi. Earlier in the week, weContinue reading “Trondheim, Norway: 24 December 2012”