POSTS

I take artistic license in defining the Italian phrase La Dolce Vita. Mine is more subtle and abstract, less indulgent or indolent than the literal “sweet life”. But what is it really? Is the sweetness man’s natural state; the purpose of life to maintain this equilibrium? Is it a progression to a level of sweetness,…

I admit I am a beach snob. I staunchly turn my nose up at any beach that isn’t anywhere on the coastlines of the Hawaiian Islands. All others just seem to pale in comparison. For some reason, it had not occur to me that the western edge of Tuscany was the Tyrrhenian Sea. I guess…

I had always associated the name “Luka” to the 1987 song about child abuse by folk singer Suzanne Vega. But that changed with a visit to the city of Lucca, roughly 50 miles west of Florence. No longer would the name be tinged only with sadness.

As the train drew closer, it was probably the expectation of the predictable or maybe because it was a college town (overly optimistic teenagers, irritatingly pedantic talk, rowdy drinking) but Pisa did not rouse that same excitement it had just a few months back. The tower was there; we were here. The visit felt almost…

We bandied the idea around months before leaving on the trip. San Gimignano. Walled town. Tower houses. Hilltop fortification. Medieval architecture. How could we possibly pass this up? We would already be in the neighborhood, sort of. Getting from our AirBnb to San Gimignano would have been a real adventure. 15-minute walk to the train…

There a many things I have difficulty grasping, like the appeal of watching a movie more than once. The storyline is already familiar. The characters are predictable. The surprises and plot twists no longer have their draw. Bob begs to differ. He is content watching The Lord of the Rings or the Game of Thrones…