20 articles tagged with italy
I've ridden motorcycles through mountain passes that would make your knuckles white and filmed spiritual journeys across six continents. But there's something about Rome that keeps pulling me back like a spiritual magnet. Last fall, I challenged myself: could I...
Standing at the edge of Marina Grande, watching the morning light dance across the Tyrrhenian Sea, I couldn't help but reflect on how different this visit to Capri was from my business trips to mainland Italy. The island exists in...
When I first visited Turin in my early 60s, I was astonished that this elegant northern Italian city wasn't on more travelers' radar. After decades of helping passengers at Hawaiian Airlines navigate their Italian dreams (usually directing them to Rome,...
The first time I arrived in Venice, fresh off a welding job at a luxury hotel in Milan, I stood at the Santa Lucia train station utterly bewitched by the Grand Canal stretching before me. No roads, no cars, just...
Standing beneath the soaring dome of the Mole Antonelliana, I couldn't help but wonder why Turin remains Italy's best-kept secret. While tourists flock to Rome, Florence, and Venice, this elegant northern Italian city quietly preserves its aristocratic charm, innovative spirit,...
There exists a Rome that many travelers never witness—a city that emerges as the sun descends behind the ancient hills, bathing millennia of history in the amber glow of streetlamps and moonlight. Having visited the Eternal City countless times across...
There's something undeniably magical about stepping into Verona for the first time. Perhaps it's the way the golden Italian sunlight bathes the terracotta rooftops, or how the Adige River curves gracefully through the ancient city center. As someone who's spent...
The first time I visited Verona with my college roommates years ago, I made the classic tourist mistake—rushing to Juliet's balcony, snapping the obligatory photo, and considering the city 'done.' How wrong I was! It wasn't until my return visit...
Much like a complex Barolo that reveals its character as the night progresses, Milan transforms after sunset into a playground of sensory delights that few tourists truly understand. Having spent countless evenings exploring this fashion capital's nightlife scene during my...
There's something quite magical about bringing home a piece of your travels that was crafted by local hands. As someone who has spent years navigating both international educational trips and personal adventures, I've developed quite the knack for sniffing out...
Rome wasn't built in a day, and it certainly can't be experienced in one either. But three days? That's enough time to scratch beneath the tourist veneer and begin to feel the city's ancient rhythms pulsing beneath your feet. I've...
The first time I set foot in Siena's historic center, my analytical mind was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer density of medieval architecture preserved within this Tuscan gem. As a data scientist accustomed to processing patterns, I found myself calculating...
The first time I stepped off the train at Bologna Centrale, I was hit by that familiar rush of adrenaline—not unlike the feeling before responding to an emergency call. But this was the good kind of adrenaline. Bologna's terracotta skyline...
After decades of managing IT systems, I've discovered there's nothing quite like pressing pause on life's constant digital notifications to immerse myself in places that awaken all five senses. Verona—a city I've returned to three times now—does exactly that. Beyond...
The Eternal City transforms after sunset, revealing a side that many travelers miss while adhering to daytime itineraries packed with ancient ruins and Vatican treasures. During my recent summer sabbatical—a deliberate investment in my mental portfolio after three consecutive quarters...