“Two households, both alike in dignity / In fair Verona, where we lay our scene / From ancient grudge break to new mutiny / Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” So begins Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, set in Verona in Italy’s northern region of Veneto, a city so beautiful it inspired the greatest of bards.
Continue reading “In Fair Verona (and Brescia) Where We Lay Our Scene”
One of the great clichés of travel writing is starting a story with an overly dramatic sentence meant to draw in the reader, so I won’t begin by mentioning the explosives mishap or firing a shotgun at dead cacti. But such was my Fourth of July in Austin, part of my lifelong quest for the quintessential American experience. Could anything scream red, white and blue more than Independence Day in Texas? I’ll get to that later.
Continue reading “Austin — Where to Drink and Eat All of the Things (and Do Some Stuff)”
One of my favorite memories of my time in Trieste was simply sitting along the pier, feet dangling over the Adriatic as the rising tide splashed water upon my shoes, jellyfish floating below us like ethereal dancers in a separate universe. The Italian word for “jellyfish” is medusa, yet I kept mistakenly saying lampedusa after the Italian island that was at the center of the migrant crisis. It just goes to show how much my language skills need work.
Continue reading “The Romance of Trieste – Finding Magic in Italy’s Northeastern Corner”
It’s hard to believe now that my first experience in Italy was five years ago, a Mediterranean adventure that started in Venice. I remember arriving into Venice Marco Polo Airport unsure of what to expect of the city and how my shabby Italian skills would hold up. Spoiler alert: I fell in love with Venice and they did not hold up well.
Continue reading “Visiting Veneto – Highlights of Venice and Padua”
I recently found myself back in Florence, perhaps my favorite city in Italy, one year after my previous visit. This time I stayed close to Firenze Santa Maria Novella, the city’s main train station, in a bustling neighborhood of hotels and eateries. While I did more running around a year prior (check out my previous article on the city for more in-depth coverage of Florence’s top attractions and on visiting popular Tuscan towns), I was able to catch many things I had missed, namely several churches and David, while revisiting my favorite locales in the city.
Continue reading “Firenze Ancora – Revisiting Florence, David and the Schiacciata”
Located in the northwestern section of Italy, Turin is, like Milan, more European than the traditional idea of the country. Unlike Milan, it’s smaller and arguably more charming. Turin features many of the aspects that make other Italian cities lovely, like a beautiful river, energy-filled piazze, world-class museums and the ever-revered aperitivo.
Having a rough day at work? Winter blues got you down? Maybe this will help warm your spirits. Take a break from your routine with this compilation of photos I took during my time back home in Hawaii (specifically on Oahu, where I grew up, and Kauai). Photos were taken with my iPhone, as I left my DSLR in San Francisco, and originally posted online (hey, follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!).
Colonial Williamsburg is heaven for anyone even remotely interested in America’s past. The living-history museum covers 301 acres of land in Williamsburg, Virginia, not far from Jamestown and Yorktown, two other notable sites. Built with no small amount of funds and effort from the philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, Jr., along with a number of community organizations, the town meticulously preserves the sights and sounds of Williamsburg right before the American War of Independence.
Continue reading “Colonial Williamsburg – 5 Tips for Visiting & Photos of America’s Past”
