This morning ten cities across Italy waited anxiously for the announcement of the winner of the Capitale italiana della Cultura (the Italian Capital of Culture) for the 2022. It was with great joy--and an explosion of cheers and tears--from the organizing committee and mayor, when the island of ...
Book Review | Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
I love a good romance story as much as the next hopeless romantic. Add in a setting on Capri and I'll be first in line to buy the book. That is exactly what happened with Sex and Vanity, the latest novel by the worldwide bestselling author Kevin Kwan. Of course, Kwan hardly needs an introduction. ...
What’s Cooking? New Thermopolium Uncovered in Pompeii
Over what was a relatively quiet holiday weekend for most Italians, news was released about a recent discovery at Pompeii. The ancient archaeological site has been making headlines lately and just recently I wrote about the new plaster casts from Civita Giuliana. This time the news detailed ...
Happy Holidays from Amalfi
It's early in Amalfi this Christmas Eve morning and the 7:35am church bells at the Duomo are ringing over town. As we wake up here in Italy today it is to the suddenly not so festive color red. That is, red for zona rossa (red zone). According to the Decreto Natale (Christmas Decree), all of Italy ...
Interview with Author Lucy Knott
One of the best parts of Ciao Amalfi has been the way it's brought so many incredible people into my life. Some of them have even become my closest friends over the years. A decade ago that happened via blog post comments and connections with other bloggers. These days it seems most likely to happen ...
Life in Plaster: New Discoveries from Pompeii
Of all the haunting images of Pompeii that have been uncovered in the three centuries since the archaeological site was rediscovered, it is the plaster casts of the many victims that drives the tragedy home to the heart. As we see bodies huddled in fear or sprawled on the floor as they sought ...
Steinbeck’s Salty Turkey and Thanksgiving in Amalfi
As an expat, holidays are always a bit different from what they once were. You can recreate traditions, but without the familiar places and, most of all, the familiar faces of family and friends, the holiday can feel quite flat. Of course, there are new families created and friends found, but it's ...
William Kentridge’s “More Sweetly Play the Dance” at the Arsenal of Amalfi
There are few places in Amalfi where the history of the town can be so well felt in its very stones than the Antico Arsenale della Repubblica di Amalfi - the ancient Arsenal of the Republic of Amalfi. Just a few steps from the busy traffic circle Piazza Flavio Gioia, the Arsenal is where Amalfi's ...
Big News … Moon Amalfi Coast 2nd Edition Coming Out in 2021!
Amidst the stress and challenges that 2020 has presented there has been one very welcome surprise. Earlier this year I received an unexpected email from Moon Travel Guides, the publisher of my guidebook Moon Amalfi Coast with Capri, Naples & Pompeii. Thanks to all of the lovely people who have ...
Book Review | Always Italy by Frances Mayes & Ondine Cohane
There's never been a moment quite like the present when we all need a way to hold the beauty of Italy in our hands. COVID-19 has changed the landscape of travel and left so many people canceling long-awaited vacations, destination weddings, and family holidays. Or maybe just left that dream of ...
