Digging deeper in Italy

Digging deeper in Italy

There are no words to describe Matera. Even pictures are too small and contained. Video is not bad, but it’s still hard to capture. The old city is deep in what looks like a limestone quarry stretching over miles, with carved stone homes and businesses connected...
Crossing the boot

Crossing the boot

Ali, Shane and I rented a car in Salerno and went on a proper tootle across the ankle of Italy’s boot, stopping in three different places for a couple of nights each. Shane, as per custom, had done his research, and more’s the logic there: this part of the...
Amalfi coasting

Amalfi coasting

The Washington Post would have us not go to the Amalfi Coast, because the influencers have ruined it! They’re not entirely wrong, of course, because it is full to overflowing, and every once in a while as you’re walking you come upon some scene the...
Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Capri

Vesuvius, Pompeii, and Capri

My birthday dawned bright and sunny… no, wait, it rained like the dickens. Far be it from me to criticize the weather, though – if it happens on My Day, it’s obviously the best weather ever! We had big plans for the day, starting with The Volcano:...
Napoli all day

Napoli all day

September rolled forward in Napoli, the tension and excitement growing for my birthday in even greater increments than a normal year. This year, my friends Ali and Shane arrived in Rome and had a few days of seeing that amazing city before coming to Napoli. I was...
Fart cars, stifling humidity, casual bigotry and fast food

Fart cars, stifling humidity, casual bigotry and fast food

Or, What’s not to love about this suburban corner of Missouri? I feel stuck here. As if I didn’t choose to be here to take care of my father, as if I don’t choose it again day after day. But there’s a noisy part of me that questions that choice...