Italy
Recent Articles
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Two Days in Pistoia - Day Two
Captivated by this fascinating town I was back in Pistoia the following week and this time there was no doubt regarding the whereabouts of the centre. Crowds of people were flocking to the Piazza del Duomo ...
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Two days in Pistoia, Tuscany - Day One
I had heard a whisper that Pistoia was worth a visit so on a free day in Tuscany I set off to find out if this was true. On arrival it seemed the town was sleeping and I asked the one passer-by I encountered between the centre and the station if I was going in the right direction for the old…
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Siena Beyond the Palio
The Palio may be the jewel in the crown of Siena but this town has other gems worthy of consideration and in particular the old hospital of Santa Maria della Scala...
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Siena and the Palio
The Palio is essential to the life of the Contrade. The Contrade in turn are essential to the life of Siena. The Palio, the Contrade, and Siena thus constitute a virtually interdependent trinity – a quote from the historian Judith Hook
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Within the Walls of Lucca
Where to start? There was so much to see. We decided that while we still had the energy we would climb the Guinigi Tower...
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Walking the Walls of Lucca
Lucca in Tuscany is one of my favourite cities because it has so much to offer. I can visit the many interesting attractions dispersed around the town, browse a wide range of shops, enjoy a leisurely coffee in one of its many piazze or walk around its walls...
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More about Monopoli and beyond
Like the charms on a bracelet small coves snuggle into the rugged coastline that stretches out south of the old town of Monopoli in Puglia a region of Italy. They are all accessible on foot or by bicycle from the lungomare (promenade) that hugs the seaside or by the road that runs parallel to it...
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Monopoli's Old Town - Pretty as a Picture
It was thrilling to stay in an apartment in the old town of Monopoli and to take part in the daily dramas. One day, from our windows, we watched a small lorry, only six inches narrower than the street, take thirty minutes to reverse down it, accompanied by a lot of sighing and shaking of heads and…
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Bountiful Baroque in Lecce, Puglia
I gazed into the familiar green face way above me framed by an azure blue sky – I was in Piazza Sant’Oronzo in Lecce, it was Sant'Oronzo (Saint Horace) who I had already met in Ostuni ...
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Ostuni, the White City of Puglia
The view of Ostuni from the railway station was stunning, white buildings crouched on top of a hill. But – it was five kilometres away...
