The Gypsy's Guide

I'm on Maternity Leave!

2011-07-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

He has arrived, the Little Gypsy. He is perfect and sweet and lovely all in one, and we couldn't be happier. But he also has me up nights, and not with jet lag. So, I'm taking a hiatus from blogging while I get used to the whole motherhood thing. Oh, and I'm also doing a massive tech upgrade on this site, too. More on that birth later. In the meantime, here's a photo of Il Principe, my little prince...

We are working on that love of reading right from the start! Next up: teaching him how to properly pack a suitcase.

Travel with School Groups a la Dave Barry

2011-07-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

I'm on maternity leave for the summer, but I read this article and loved it! Having traveled with school groups for many years, so much of this rings true...

A Field Trip to Spain by Dave Barry
in the Miami Herald: July 10, 2011

Enjoy!

Pentecost at the Pantheon

2011-06-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today's post is from the archives... enjoy!

Today I am pleased to welcome Jessica Lawlor as a guest blogger. Jessica is a student at Temple University, and she is currently studying in Rome.

On Sunday, I took advantage of an amazing opportunity to attend a very special Pentecost mass at the Pantheon. “What’s so special about mass?” you might ask. This mass was different because at the very end, thousands of red rose petals were dropped from the oculus of the Pantheon’s dome. The roses symbolize the coming of the Holy Spirit and fiery tongues.

Growing up Catholic, I regularly attended mass, so naturally I was very excited to experience mass in a different language in a foreign country. I’ve taken Italian for two semesters now, so I have a bit of the language under my belt, but I’m eager to learn more. I felt that mass might be an interesting place to try out my language and listening skills, since I’m already familiar with what happens during mass.

We arrived at 10:10 a.m., but were able to stand in the front row of all the people standing. As we arrived, there were hundreds of tourists waiting outside the Pantheon and we were a bit nervous that we might not get in, but the security guards were letting mass attendees move right through the line. Standing inside the Pantheon about to attend mass was an absolutely surreal feeling.

The mass began and I was struck by how beautiful everything was: the location, the music, the prayers, and even the crowd. Mass went on as normal (although it was a bit more difficult to follow than I had anticipated!) and as soon as the last communion was given out, everyone’s heads immediately turned upwards toward the dome.

Slowly, hundreds of tiny rose petals fluttered down to the floor of the Pantheon. As the procession made their way out of the church, the center of the Pantheon was opened and the crowd filtered in. After the crowd filled the entire Pantheon, hundreds and hundreds of rose petals fell quite quickly raining on the entire crowd. I was in awe as I looked around me and saw everyone laughing and picking up rose petals. Many people were posing for photo opportunities and others were gathering rose petals to bring home with them. I made sure to grab a few myself to press in my Rome scrapbook.

The wonderful thing about this mass is that it’s not heavily advertised, so it’s not filled with tourists. The Pantheon wasn’t crowded or uncomfortable; it was absolutely beautiful. I’m so glad that I got to experience such a wonderful and special tradition during my six weeks in Rome.

Jessica, thank you so much! Please check out Jessica's home blog, From Philly to Roma, for more updates on her adventures as a student in the Eternal City, and you can follow her on Twitter, too: @jesslaw.

And for more fantastic photos of Pentecost at the Pantheon, check out EternallyCool.net. I think I spotted Jessica in one of Susan's photos. Clearly they need to meet!

Royal Wedding Wrap Up

2011-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, I love a good wedding! As a little girl I watched the weddings of Diana and Charles and Andrew and Fergie. But now as a married woman, watching the wedding uniting Prince William and HRH Catherine, I was particularly moved. What a way to begin a married life together -- under the gaze of billions of people and with all the pomp and circumstance that the British muster so well. Personally, I thought it was beautiful!

If I wasn't so pregnant, I would have gone to London just to be in the crowd and to enjoy the festivities of the day. My lucky cousin, Elizabeth, is there, and I'm anxious to hear how her experience has been! But with the miracle of modern technology -- and, thankfully, a DVR -- I watched the wedding and enjoyed every moment.

I have a special fondness for Westminster Abbey, and I'm not sure it has ever looked prettier. The trees -- English Field Maples -- running down the aisle were absolutely brilliant! And for those of you who have never been to Westminster Abbey, they give you a sense of scale. After all, the trees are 20 feet tall, and they don't even come close to touching the chandeliers in the Abbey.

Getty Images

I must say, I was a bit disappointed in the commentary on ABC. At several points Barbara Walters mentioned the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles and gave the impression that their wedding also took place at Westminster Abbey. It did not. They were wedded at St. Paul's Cathedral across town.

Also disappointing was the fact that ABC did not bother to announce or caption the musical selections during the worship service. The music was particularly beautiful, too. After all, if you get a choir and an orchestra and several corps of trumpeters, your musical selections can be quite stellar! Plus, the music included two pieces commissioned particularly for the wedding: "This is the Day" by English composer, John Rutter, and "Ubi Caritas" by Paul Mealor, a Welsh composer.

You can download the official wedding programme or purchase the official recording, including all of the music, from iTunes.

For me, the greatest musical moment was HRH Catherine's entrance into the church -- Charles Parry's setting of Psalm 122, a piece I have loved for many years.

Oh, and I really love the song "Jerusalem"which you might recognize from the movie "Chariots of Fire" -- indeed, the movie gets its name from the song's line, "Bring me my chariot of fire!"

The words are taken from a poem written by William Blake and set to music in the early part of the 20th century by Sir Hubert Parry. Contrary to what the LA Times blogger, Marcia Adair, wrote this morning, it is not "most often sung at cricket matches." In England it is akin to "My Country 'Tis of Thee" or "God Bless America" -- a secondary national song (second only to "God Save the Queen"). It is sung in schools and churches across the country, especially on St. George's Day, the day celebrating the patron saint of England.

Catherine's dress was beautiful. The princes looked dashing. And thousands and thousands of words have been written (and even more blathered on TV) about the hats and the guests and the jewels and the tiara and the coaches and the cars... but I must say, in it all, this is my favorite moment of the entire wedding... and it took place long after the royals had all gone off to smooch at Buckingham Palace:

What joy!

Photo courtesy of Oprah.com

While we may not have been invited to the wedding or the parties afterward, there's nothing keeping you from having a bit of the groom's cake. Oprah has published the recipe -- evidently one of Prince William's favorites, according to his former chef, Darren McGrady.

Chocolate Biscuit Cake: Prince William's Grooms Cake

Save a piece for me!

Here's the entire wedding start to finish, just in case you didn't get to see it yourself!

SactoMoFo: Food Truck Madness in Sacramento this Weekend!

2011-04-29T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last summer I ate my way through the San Francisco Street Food Festival which was FABULOUS! Well, if you are in Sacramento this weekend, you have a chance to take part in the fun... just head over to Fremont Park on Saturday afternoon. SactoMoFo is taking over the park, and you'll have a chance to enjoy the best of Sacramento's food truck cuisine as well as some of San Francisco's best who are bringing their wares to the Delta.

Where: Fremont Park (16th and Q) in Sacramento
When: Saturday, April 30 (Noon - 6 pm)
Cost: Just pay for what you eat -- there's no admission charge.
Tip: Bring cash! Some food trucks take credit cards, but cash makes everything easier.

Who to look for?
There are many Sacramento-based food trucks headed to the festival including The Miniburger Truck and Drewski's Hot Rod. But also look out for some of SF's finest who will be driving up.
My faves?

Spencer-on-the-Go: this food truck is often parked on my block and serves French food including escargot and the most amazing truffle burger... OMG! And save room for the chocolate pudding -- a real, honest-to-God steamed pudding. Yum!
Chairman Bao: this truck also often sets up shop across from my apartment. If you like fabulous steamed buns filled with pork and other yummy goodness, you'll LOVE Chairman Bao. I love the pork buns, but I've never been disappointed by the Chairman.
Seoul on Wheels: Korean tacos. Eat them.

Make your way to the Central Valley this weekend to eat well!

Royal Wedding Dance

2011-04-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

I am still waiting for my invitation to the Royal Wedding. Surely, they haven't forgotten me, right?

Do you think they'll have this much fun in London when William and Kate marry next week?

I hope so! Anyone headed to London for the big day? Tell us about your plans!

Backpacks for Japan Update

2011-04-14T15:07:00.001-07:00

I have spent the afternoon sorting donations, and I am pleased to report that we will be sending at least 50 backpacks to Japan next week. Amazing!

Have you put together a backpack to send? There is still time!

Operation Backpacks for Japan

2011-04-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't written anything about Japan, a country where I have spent many happy weeks and where I have many friends. I've watched the news coverage of the disaster (is that word even big enough for what continues to happen?), and I remind myself of what Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers to so many of us, once wrote:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." To this day, especially in times of "disaster," I remember my mother's words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.

But Japan is so far away. How can we be helpers? Here's how!

Operation Backpacks for Japan

The Girl Scouts at Camp Zama in Japan are collecting "comfort backpacks"to distribute to displaced children across the country, and YOU can help!

There are three ways to help:

Send a Backpack: buy a child's backpack. Fill it with a few goodies from the list below. Stick it in a box with a note of love and support (use simple English), and mail it to:

USA Girl Scouts - Zama

Att: April Snyder

GDS Box 62

APO AP 96337-9998

Donate Money: the church I attend is doing a giant shipment of backpacks in the next few weeks. If you would like to contribute money instead to help with the cost of materials or shipping, you can put a check in the mail to:

St. John's Lutheran Church | Att: Angela Nickerson | 1701 L Street | Sacramento, CA 95811

Write "Japan Backpacks" in the memo line. You can also contribute online -- just note that your funds are for "Japan Backpacks." We will be sure to send you a receipt, and 100% of your donation will go toward this project.

In the Sacramento area? You can drop off donations at the church, too. Check out the list below of suggested items to be included in the backpacks.

Start a Backpack Drive Yourself: the Girl Scouts at Camp Zama have all of the information you need on their website.

Get your kids involved! Get your office involved! And if you're getting involved, leave a comment below and let us know!

Here's the list of suggested items to include in the backpacks you send:

children’s backpacks
paper, pens, crayons
flashlights w/ batteries
small stuffed animals
playing cards
hats
small packs of tissue
non-perishable snacks
games, jump ropes
hats
small blankets
hairbrushes/ combs
toothpaste/ toothbrush
lotion
chapstick
sanitary items / toilet paper

Thanks for being a helper!

Becoming Nicodemus

2011-03-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am the guest blogger for my church's Lenten devotions. I thought I would share it with you as well as there's a little faith, a little travel, and a lot of Italy infused.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in him may not perish by may have eternal life.” John 3:16

Behind the Duomo -- in the center of historic Florence, Italy -- sits a small museum. The sign over the door simply reads, “Museo” -- not particularly strong advertising which probably explains the lack of crowds in this museum. But the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo holds one of Michelangelo’s most personal and dramatic works of art: the Florentine Pieta.

When, at the age of 24, Michelangelo finished the better-known "Rome Pieta," he became an instant celebrity. But that stunning, polished work is the composition of a younger man... one who lost his own mother when he was six years old. "The Rome Pieta" is the work of a young man looking for financial security and trying to make a place for himself in Renaissance Italy. "The Florentine Pieta" is a work of another kind.

In 1574 Michelangelo’s best friend, Vittoria Colonna, died. Vittoria had been his deepest confidante. Every Sunday afternoon, they sat on a balcony at the convent where she lived in Rome. Together they discussed the deep theological questions of the day: What is the nature of grace? What is the nature of sin? Who has religious authority on Earth? They had watched the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation first-hand, and they were both keenly interested in theology. They wrote letters to each other and shared poems back and forth.

So, when Vittoria died, the seventy-two year-old Michelangelo was bereft. He turned to poetry, writing about her as a blessing in his own life:

But Heaven has taken away from me the splendor
Of the great fire that burned and nourished me;
I am left to be a coal, covered and burning,

And if Love will not offer me more timber
To raise a fire, in me there will not be
A single spark, all into ashes turning.

Michelangelo also turned to marble for solace. He began work on "the Florentine Pieta," a deeply personal piece which he intended to be his own gravestone. "The Florentine Pieta" depicts Nicodemus and two young woman supporting the body of Jesus as it is pulled down from the cross. Nicodemus’ face is a portrait of the artist himself.

So, why did Michelangelo choose to depict himself as Nicodemus? Because, like Nicodemus, he was filled with questions -- and yet, he simultaneously believed. In their dialogue, neither Vittoria Colonna nor Michelangelo feared asking hard questions. They both saw questioning as a deeper part of faith -- not a popular opinion in Rome during the Counter-Reformation. Indeed, much of their recorded dialogue sounds rather Lutheran in context and might have endangered Michelangelo’s career had it been made public. Thus Michelangelo was obsessive about burning his papers leaving relatively little behind after his death.

Reread that story of Jesus speaking to Nicodemus (John 3). Jesus doesn’t shame Nicodemus for asking him questions. He answers. And Nicodemus continues to ask him the hard questions. But when it comes time for the crucified Christ to be taken from the cross, it is Nicodemus who is there to do the hard work -- perhaps still asking those deep and important questions -- but believing all the same.

Michelangelo’s self-portrait, then, is one of both humility and faith. He, too, has questions, but there in stone he puts himself at the foot of the cross, believing all the same. After eight years of work on "The Florentine Pieta," Michelangelo abandoned the piece. But even unfinished, it is a work which speaks to the power of faith and the artist’s comfort with a questioning spirit. And perhaps as an unfinished work, it is even more powerful, for while we believe, like Nicodemus we also have questions... perhaps even to the very end.

The Aurora Borealis -- Amazing!

2011-03-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there are no words... and Norwegian photographer Terje Sorgjerd's images need few of introduction. After spending a week filming the Aurora Borealis in far northern Norway (check out the map below), this is what he captured...

The Aurora from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

Thanks to Mr. Schumann's Class!

2011-03-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I was a guest speaker for Mr. Schumann's 5th grade class, and it was a wonderful experience. The students asked fantastic questions and knew a lot about Italy, Michelangelo, and being a travel writer. It was very exciting! So, all you fabulous students in Mr. Schumann's class: thank you for inviting me!

Interested in having me come to speak to your class or group? Just let me know!

Photo Friday: 150 Years of Italian Unification

2011-03-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

March 17 marked a century and a half of unification for the country of Italy. Surprised? Indeed, Italy as we know it has only been a country for 150 years. Before that the peninsula was comprised of a group of city-states and principalities -- not even unified by a language. To Italians everywhere, I say, "Forza Italia!"

In celebration of Italy's anniversary, the city of Florence swathed the Ponte Vecchio in red, white, and green, and my friends, Massimo and Magda, were kind enough to send me a photo. Enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

In many a pub across Ireland and the US today, the song "Danny Boy" will be sung with great love and feeling. But since many pints of Guinness will also be consumed, some of those renditions will come out sounding a bit more like this...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For a bit more about St. Patrick and Ireland, check out:

Must See Museums: Pompeii in NYC (Discovery Times Square)

2011-03-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

a plaster cast of one of Vesuvius' victims

When I was five years old, my mother took me out of school (a big deal), got a babysitter for my little sister (a very big deal), and took me to a museum. Missing school to go to a museum made an impact on me, but it was the exhibit itself that changed me forever.

An exhibit about Pompeii traveled the country, making a stop in Dallas, and my mom wanted me to see it. I have incredibly clear memories of that exhibit... the film dramatizing the volcanic eruption... the casts of bodies caught in their last moments of life... the dazzling frescoes and glittering gold jewelry and the idea that a Roman town had been frozen in time forever. I was hooked. My mom had no idea what she had started.

Now, those of you on the East Coast (or who are traveling that way) have the opportunity to do the same. Discovery Times Square just opened a new exhibit about Pompeii which looks fabulous. And like that exhibit I saw thirty-something years ago, this features a film that explores Mt. Vesuvius' eruption, plaster casts of the residents of Pompeii, and artifacts from their lives.

a fresco from Pompeii

Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD destroying Pompeii and neighboring Herculaneum with an explosive eruption and fast-moving mud and lava flow that trapped people and their animals in their homes.

Ashes were already falling, hotter and thicker as the ships drew near, followed by bits of pumice and blackened stones, charred and cracked by the flames . . . Meanwhile on Mount Vesuvius broad sheets of fire and leaping flames blazed at several points, their bright glare emphasized by the darkness of night. -- Pliny the Younger

Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist and historian, died trying to rescue people from the eruption. His nephew, Pliny the Younger, recorded his uncle's death and the horrors of the day writing:

Hastening then to the place from whence others fled with the utmost terror, he steered his course direct to the point of danger, and with so much calmness and presence of mind as to be able to make and dictate his observations upon the motion and all the phenomena of that dreadful scene. He was now so close to the mountain that the cinders, which grew thicker and hotter the nearer he approached, fell into the ships, together with pumice-stones and black pieces of burning rock: they were in danger too not only of being aground by the sudden retreat of the sea, but also from the vast fragments which rolled down from the mountain and obstructed all the shore. Here he stopped to consider whether he should turn back again; to which the pilot advising him, "Fortune," said he, "favors the brave; steer to where Pomponianus is."

But it was no use. The toxic fumes got the worse of Pliny the Elder, and he died. His nephew recalls hearing the cries of the terrified and the dying, writing:

You might hear the shrieks of women, the screams of children, and the shouts of men; some calling for their children, others for their parents, others for their husbands, and seeking to recognize each other by the voices that replied; one lamenting his own fate, another that of his family; some wishing to die, from the very fear of dying; some lifting their hands to the gods; but the greater part convinced that there were now no gods at all, and that the final endless night of which we have heard had come upon the world.

The story of the destruction of Pompeii is like the story of the Titanic -- we all know what is going to happen, but we can't turn away. And Discovery's exhibit, organized by the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Napoli e Pompei, which oversees Pompeii, promises to bring that drama to life for a new generation of visitors.

Pompeii: The Exhibit

Opened March 4, 2011
Discovery Times Square in New York City
Tickets: $25 (adults); $22.50 (seniors); $19.50 (children 4-12); Children under 4 are free
For exhibit hours and to purchase tickets online visit the website: http://www.discoverytsx.com/pompeii

Read the New York Times review of the exhibit:
When the Dead Arise and Head to Times Square
By EDWARD ROTHSTEIN
Published: March 3, 2011
All photos used with permission and courtesy of Discovery Times Square.

Carnivale Book Giveaway: Art+Travel Europe from Museyon Guides

2011-03-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Why wait until Fat Tuesday to enjoy the fun of Carnivale? I have a copy of Art + Travel Europe, a book by Museyon Guides, which focuses on some of my favorite European cities and the artists that shaped them. In fact, it is really five travel books in one: Munch's Oslo, Caravaggio's Rome, Van Gogh's Arles, Vermeer's Delft, and Goya's Madrid. Each section looks at the artist's impact on the city and the way the city shaped the artist. All you art-lovers out there, this is a book for you!

Kate was the winner of the last giveaway, and you can be next!

What do you have to do to win it?

How To Enter
For a chance to win, leave a comment below before 11:59PM PST on Monday, March 7, 2011, answering the following question:

What kind of costume would you like to wear to Venice's Carnivale someday?

Please include your email address in the comment form (your email isn't shared with anyone, and I will not send you email unless you win). Entries without an email address will be disqualified.

And if you need some inspiration... well, check out this video:

Happy Carnivale!

Scenes from Venice Carnivale 2011

2011-03-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

What's it like at the Venetian Carnivale? Well, here are a few videos that give you an insider's look at Venice's wild celebrations. Personally, I love the costumes!

Here's the Fontana di Vino -- Fountain of Wine -- that's in San Marco:

What's not to love there! And how about a parade of gondolas and boats -- the Corteo Acqueo in Maschera:

Even if you can't make it to Carnivale, there's no reason you can't celebrate! And tomorrow, we'll be having a Carnivale giveaway, so make plans to attend!

Venice Carnivale: The Flight of the Angel

2011-02-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Venice's Carnivale dates back to 1268 -- that's one long-running celebration! One of the eagerly anticipated parts of Canivale is the traditional Flight of the Angel which took place on Saturday. A young woman dressed as an angel, is lowered from the bell tower at San Marco into the piazza while the costumed crowd looks on and cheers.

This year's Carnivale theme is "Ottocento: da Senso a Sissi, la citta della donna" -- a tribute to the 19th century, 150 years of Italian unification, and the powerful women of Italy.

In celebration of Carnivale, I'll be having another book giveaway on Friday. Until then, here's a video of the Flight of the Angel from Venice last weekend.

Venice's Carnivale Sweets: Frittelle

2011-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Carnivale begins tomorrow (February 26, 2011), and when I was in Venice the city was putting on her best clothes and getting ready. One of the city's traditional Carnivale sweets is a fried pastry, the yummy frittelle. Resembling a doughnut, these scrumptious sweets come in several tasty varieties.

The most traditional Venetian version incorporates currants or raisins and orange peel into a heavier dough that is fried. However, bakeries are filled with the decadent treats in a range of tempting flavors including apple and cinnamon. There is also a lighter, filled variety (much like a cream puff, but yummier) which may be filled with chantilly cream, chocolate, ricotta cheese, or even Nutella.

Other parts of Italy also enjoy Frittelle with regional differences. Check out Divina Cucina's recipe for the Tuscan version: Frittelle di Riso (Rice Fritters).

And the City of Venice provides an easy recipe for the traditional Frittelle as well as another Canivale treat, Galani: Frittelle e Galani.

Headed to Venice for Carnivale? Be sure to make time for a cafe and a Frittelle during your visit! And come back next week for our Carnivale Giveaway!

The Best Gelato in Florence

2011-02-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have a confession: I have eaten a lot of gelato in Italy. A lot. And while this doesn't make me an expert, I certainly have figured out what I like.

There is an art to making gelato, and those who make it beautifully do so because they are making it from the freshest ingredients and in small, artful batches. It is that simple. And unlike American ice cream, the best gelato is not necessarily the most expensive. It just may be a few blocks off of the main thoroughfare (and when we are talking about great gelato, walking a few blocks is not out of the question).

So, what makes a good gelateria?

Small Batches: Those enormous piles of gelato in the tourist traps are never a good sign. They may be photogenic, but I always have to ask myself: how long has that gelato been sitting there? And then I walk away. I look for small batches in small containers.
Produzione Artiginale or Produzione Propria: many gelato stores buy their gelato from a distributor. But those who say they have "produzione artiginale" or "produzione propria" are making it from scratch. What's the difference? "Artiginale" means that they are making it, but the ingredients aren't necessarily local. "Propria" means that they are making it completely from scratch and with fresh, local ingredients. Look for a sticker on the door or window of the shop or ask inside.
Color: gelato shouldn't be bright or crazy colors. Do you see bright blue gelato? Pistachio that's green, not avocado-colored? Walk away quickly. Just like blue ice cream, that color is only achieved by using tons of food coloring. Go for the real stuff.
Locals: when the shop is buzzing with Italians, you know you are in the right place.

So, where do you find the best gelato in Florence? These are my three favorite shops:

Gelateria Carabe

Gelateria Carabe (via Ricasoli 60/r): this little spot serves Sicilian-style gelato as well as hand-filled cannoli that will make your head swim. And in the summer their granitas hit the spot, too. The shop is just down the street about a block and a half from the Accademia, so visit the David and then grab a cone.

Gelateria Grom (via delle Oche right by the Duomo): granted, Grom is a chain, but it is a chain devoted to producing gelato the slow food way. They even have their own farm where they raise the fruits for their flavors. And their pear gelato is to die for! They have a chart on their website for Celiacs and other people with food intolerances -- most people can find a flavor that will agree with their sensitive tummies.

Gelateria dei Neri

Gelateria dei Neri (via dei Neri -- between the Uffizi and Santa Croce): here you will find gelato made by true artisans. The owners of the shop love gelato and all of the goodness that goes into it, and they have developed some recipes that will knock your socks off. On a summer day look for some unusual flavors, too, and try them! I had gorganzola which, when coupled with riso (rice), was an incredible and refreshing treat.

Those are my favorites, but I am always open for suggestions. After all, there's a lot of gelato in this world to be eaten! Where's your favorite gelato shop in Italy?

Must See Museums: "Secrets of the Silk Road" at the Penn Museum

2011-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Secrets of the Silk Road at the Penn Museum

Now through March 28 (some objects only on view until March 15 -- see below)

Wow! I have to say that Edward Rothstein's write up about "Secrets of the Silk Road" at the Penn Museum left me breathless and ready to book a ticket to the City of Brotherly Love. The exhibit, a collection of objects from China illustrating the importance of the Silk Road and cross-Asian trade over multiple-millennia, sounds both exciting and inspiring.

As Rothstein writes, "Most of these astonishing artifacts should have ceased to exist long ago. Exposed to breath and light, you can imagine them disintegrating into powdery mist: silk pillows and robes, thin brocades of cloth with floral patterns and rich colors, woven baskets, felt hats, a braided fried dough twist, feathers from caps and arrows. Ephemera, surely: these are not lasting things of stone, bone and gold, and the newest are at least 1,000 years old."

So, those of you who are lucky enough to be near Philadelphia in the next few weeks should make your way to the Penn Museum post haste! Unfortunately, due to a "miscommunication" with the Chinese government, the exhibit will only run in its entirety through March 15. Then two mummies will be removed, and the remainder of the exhibit will run through March 28.

Make thy way to the Penn Museum for this incredible exhibit -- and be sure to let us know what you think of it, too!

Penn Museum

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
3260 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 898-4000
Website (for hours and show dates): http://www.penn.museum/

Link Love:

ARTS
Another Stop on a Long, Improbable JourneyBy EDWARD ROTHSTEINPublished: February 20, 2011
What astonishes in the exhibition “Secrets of the Silk Road” at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia is that its ephemeral artifacts — brocaded cloth, felt hats, even fried dough — still exist.

Enter to Win an Italy Gift Pack!

2011-02-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Just to add some excitement to your week, we're having a giveaway!

To Enter:

Leave a comment today or any day this week. Every comment enters you in the contest. You may enter more than once!

The Prize:

A copy of Susan VanAllen's book 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go plus a variety of Italian treats that I picked up on my trip this month

I've had two excerpts from Susan's book up this week:

Check them out! And then leave a comment here (or on any post from this week) to be entered to win!

It's that simple! Please include your email address in the comment form or make sure it is attached to your Google ID (your email isn't shared with anyone, and I will not send you email unless you win).

Contest entries close Sunday, February 20 at 11:59 pm PST.

So... here's today's question: what's one place in Italy where you think every woman should go?

Must See Museums: Casa Guidi in Florence

2011-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

When I read about Casa Guidi, Elizabeth Barrett Browning's home in Florence, I immediately placed it on my to do list for this trip to Florence. And you can stay there, too! Sadly, it isn't open during the winter months. So, for now, enjoying Susan's description of the place will have to do...

The following is an excerpt from Susan Van Allen's book 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go. And guess what! We are having a giveaway! Every comment made this week will be entered to win a copy of Susan's book plus some goodies I picked up last week in Italy. Tempting? Read on... and make a comment!

When we think of “How do I love thee, Let me count the ways,” Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s most famous line, it seems only natural that this romantic poet would wind up in Italy. It was amore that brought her to Florence, where she lived for fourteen years with her husband Robert Browning. Stop by their former Oltrarno apartment to get a hit of what life was like for these bohemians back in the nineteenth century.

When Barrett met Browning in London, she was thirty-eight and at an all-time low. Her poetry books were a smash, but she was a semi-invalid with lung problems that began with a spinal injury she got as a teenager and left her dependent on opium for the rest of her life. And she was in mourning for her beloved brother. He’d gone with her to a lovely lakeside spot to help restore her health, and ended up drowning in that lake.

In swooped poet-on-the-rise Robert Browning, who wrote her a fan letter that began, “I love your verses with all my heart…” It was a little too over the top for Elizabeth, but the two started writing to each other and after a few months Robert showed up at her father’s house, where she was living as a recluse. Robert was six years younger than Elizabeth, a strapping, healthy guy, and it was hard for her to even imagine he could love her. Elizabeth’s wealthy, tyrannical father was dead set against any of his twelve children coupling, but after their first meeting, a secret romance between Elizabeth and Robert began.

A year later, in 1846, they eloped, and Robert whisked Elizabeth off to Italy for their honeymoon, along with her nurse and cocker spaniel. Elizabeth described it as “living a dream.” After toodling around, they found this gem of a six-room apartment in Florence. They bargained with the landlord, giving him back the grand furniture the place came with, and getting the rent down to twenty-five guineas a year, which included free entrance to the nearby Boboli Gardens.

The apartment is on the piano nobile (what we think of as the second floor) of this fifteenth-century palazzo, once owned by Count Guidi. You pass through a big dining room to get to the main attraction: the drawing room where Elizabeth wrote and hung out with artists and writers like the Hawthornes and Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Thanks to an oil painting Robert had done, the room looks almost exactly as it was when the Barrett-Brownings lived here. It has a cozy Victorian style, with intense olive green walls, soft lighting, velvet upholstered furniture, and a little table with a mother of pearl tea set. In the middle of it all is a tiny writing desk where you can imagine Elizabeth composing Aurora Leigh—a love story of a woman writer making her way in the world. The gilt-framed mirror over the fireplace is the one piece that’s original to Casa Guidi. Elizabeth wrote to her sister about how thrilled she was Robert bought it, even though to her the five-pound price was an extravagance.

Elizabeth got her strength back in Florence. At forty-three she gave birth to a son, whom she nicknamed Pen. She got passionately involved with the Italian fight for independence, and wrote the poem “Casa Guidi Windows” in support of the Florentines she saw from her terrace, who protested fiercely against Austrian occupation.

Though most biographies claim “they lived happily after,” Elizabeth and Robert were real people, so it wasn’t a fifteen-year honeymoon. At some points it got a little Madonna-Guy Ritchie-esque. Elizabeth was the poet star of the duo, paying all the bills for the house and many wonderful vacations, with her writing profits and money she’d inherited from an uncle. She got her way when it came to dressing Pen, outfitting him in effeminate velvet get-ups and having his hair grow in long curls like his mommy’s. Robert didn’t stand behind Elizabeth’s passions— feminism, the fight for Italian unification, and most of all her explorations into spirituality, which involved consulting mediums. Add to that her four miscarriages and opium addiction to give some shadings to the “happily ever after” story.

A photograph of Elizabeth just months before her death shows her dressed in billowing black silk, with that signature cascade of curls surrounding a face that looks pained and cadaverous. The story goes she died in Robert’s arms in 1861 in Casa Guidi, at the age of fifty-five. Some suspect Robert may have upped the dose of morphine to put an end to her suffering.

Robert left Florence after Elizabeth died and never returned. In England, he finally reached his success as a poet. In Elizabeth’s memory (no mention of Robert), the Florentines placed a plaque over the doorway of the Casa Guidi apartment building, honoring her for poetry they said “made a golden ring between Italy and England.”

Casa Guidi: Piazza San Felice 8 (Oltrarno),
Monday-Wednesday-Friday, 3-6, April to November.

NOTE: The attached rooms of the Barrett-Browning place that aren’t being used for a museum have been turned into a vacation apartment, so you can sleep where the Brownings slept. It’s three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and kitchen (www.landmarktrust.org.uk).

English Cemetery: Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s grave, Piazzale Donatello.

Golden Day: Visit Casa Guidi, enjoy the Oltrarno. Have dinner at Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco (Borgo San Jacopo 43r, 055 215706, closed Wednesday), set in a thirteenth-century tower, serving robust versions of traditional Florentine dishes.

Leave a comment below and enter yourself in the drawing for a copy of Susan's book and some goodies from Italy! Come back every day this week for more chances to win!

Must See Museums: The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice

2011-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of my favorite places to spend a beautiful afternoon in Venice. It is a small museum -- very accessible -- and it is filled with thought-provoking and conversation-inspiring works of art.

The following is an excerpt from Susan Van Allen's book 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go. And guess what! We are having a giveaway! Every comment made this week will be entered to win a copy of Susan's book plus some goodies I picked up last week in Italy. Tempting? Read on... and make a comment!

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection: Venice

Peggy Guggenheim was one of the twentieth century's great bon vivants. How fitting that her home base for thirty years was this airy palazzo on the Grand Canal. Today it’s filled with a fabulous collection of modern art she acquired, including paintings and sculptures by such masters as Picasso, Kandinsky, de Chirico, and Mondrian.

Peggy’s spirit lives on in these surroundings that resonate with the spicy times she and her artist friends had here from 1949 to 1979. You can imagine her stepping off the terrace into her private gondola for her daily ride, which she took religiously at sunset, wearing a flamboyant get-up and those signature butterfly-shaped sunglasses.

Born in New York in 1898, Peggy was the free-spirited rebel of the wealthy Guggenheim family. Her father died in the sinking of the Titanic when she was fourteen. When she came of age and inherited her fortune, she took off for Europe, and married writer Laurence Vail, who was nicknamed King of the Bohemians. They honeymooned in Capri, lived in Paris, and bopped around the continent, stopping in Venice where her lifelong passion for the place took hold.

By the time she was thirty-nine, Peggy was divorced, her two kids were in boarding school, and as she puts it, “I needed something to do.” A friend suggested she open an art gallery. Even though she knew nothing about modern art, she dove in, with Marcel Duchamp by her side to educate her. She made a vow to buy one painting a day and decided, taking Samuel Beckett’s advice, that she would only buy the work of living artists. Duchamp and Beckett were not only friends who guided her along. They were just two of Peggy’s myriad line-up of lovers she became famous for throughout her life. When asked in her later years, “How many husbands have you had, Mrs. Guggenheim?” she cracked back: “D’you mean mine or other people’s?”

Her first gallery show in New York made a big splash—introducing the world to painters such as Robert Motherwell, Mark Rothko, and Jackson Pollack. It was Peggy’s generous patronage of the American avant-garde that helped to bring international recognition to the movement. “I have never been to a city that has given me the same sense of freedom as Venice,” Peggy says in her autobiography. In 1949, when she was fifty-one, she settled there, buying the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni in the Dorsoduro sestiere.

The eighteenth-century, one-floor building was perfect for her to sunbathe on the roof and display her sculptures in the garden. Little by little, more and more of her home became gallery space, and while she lived there she opened it to the public a few afternoons a week. She willed the palazzo to her uncle’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, so today it’s been expanded and stands as one of the world’s most important small museums of contemporary art.

The Peggy vibe throughout the museum is palpable. A fantastic silver headboard designed by Alexander Calder graces what was her bedroom. A pair of paintings by the surrealist Max Ernst feature monstrous half-naked female images, draped in orange capes, interpreted as being inspired by Peggy. She was married to Max from 1942 to 1946. It was a tumultuous relationship, largely because Max was still in love with Leonora Carrington, a surrealist painter whom he’d left behind in France when Peggy helped him to escape the Nazis and come to America.

One of the first sculptures Peggy bought for the villa appears center stage on her terrace: The Angel of the Citadel by Marino Marini. This Etruscan-inspired bronze features an ecstatic rider on horseback—so ecstatic he has an enormous hard-on. Peggy loved peeking out from her sitting room to watch visitor’s shocked reactions to the statue. And out of respect, because the terrace faced the Venetian prefect’s home, she had the figure cast with a removable penis, so when nuns rode by on their way to get the patriarch’s blessing, she’d remove it.

Peggy died at eighty-one and her ashes are buried in the museum’s garden, alongside those of fourteen beloved Lhasa terriers she kept throughout her Venetian life. Nearby is an olive tree (a gift from Yoko Ono), and sculptures by such artists as Arp and Moore.

Along with the great collection, this place has wonderful docents. In contrast to most Italian museums,
where employees typically slump on folding chairs and bark “No photo!” from time to time, here you’ll find young, enthusiastic types. They’re art students from all over the world on Guggenheim internships, thrilled to be in Venice, and delightful to talk to about what Peggy collected. Just as Peggy brought a fresh spirit of adventure to Venice, these docents keep her spark alive.

Peggy Guggenheim Museum
Daily 10-6, closed Tuesday.
www.guggenheim-venice.it

Golden Day:
Visit the museum, lingering a while in the caffè for a drink (hot cocoa on a wintry day is fab) or snack. Enjoy the Dorsoduro neighborhood, with a stop by Cantinone già Schiavi wine bar (Fondamenta Nani 992) and eat at Ai Gondolieri (Fondamenta dell’Ospedaletto, 041 528 6396, closed Tuesday), a romantic place for such specialties as Fegato alla Veneziana (liver and onions).

Thanks, Susan! Leave a comment below to be entered into the drawing on Friday! And stop back each day this week to enter again!

I Heart... Locks of Love on the Ponte Vecchio

2011-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

While in Florence last week I spent time on the city's most famous bridge, the Ponte Vecchio, and one sight made me miss my husband more than any other: the "luchetti d'amore" (locks of love). Attached to the gates surrounding the monument to Benvenuto Cellini at the center of the bridge, the locks bear the names of lovers who hope to make their affections eternal. How romantic! And, if you get caught, expensive... people caught leaving a lock on the monument or any other spot near the bridge are subject to a €50 fine.

So why risk it? Well, eternal love is promised to those who follow these simple instructions:

Procure a lock with keys.
Visit the Ponte Vecchio.
Write your name and that of your love on the lock as well as the date of your visit.
Together, lock the lock on one of the bridge's gates.
Kiss the keys together and throw them into the river.

Do this all while not getting caught, and you, too, are promised eternal lovey-dovey bliss! Not that I am advising you to break Florentine law, mind you...

Happy Valentine's Day to you all! And just to add some excitement to your week, we're having a giveaway!

To Enter:

Leave a comment today and every day this week.

The Prize:

A copy of Susan VanAllen's book 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go plus a variety of Italian treats that I picked up on my trip this month

It's that simple! Please include your email address in the comment form or make sure it is attached to your Google ID (your email isn't shared with anyone, and I will not send you email unless you win).

Contest entries close Sunday, February 20 at 11:59 pm PST.

The Ponte Vecchio in Florence

Photo of the Day: Venice's Lion

2011-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Shanda and the Lion of Venice

On our last evening together in Venice, Shanda, my dear friend, posed with one of the lions outside of San Marco.