Heading east across Italy toward the Adriatic Sea, we passed fields of sunflowers and then continued driving up into the Apennine Mountains toward San Marino – the fifth smallest country in the world. As we reached Mount Titano, our cell phones stopped working (apparently the country of San Marino was not covered by our European service), but the car navigation was able to show us … Continue reading San Marino and Sulmona

We had decided to stay in the center of Montepulciano so we could explore the medieval city as well as take day trips to the surrounding countryside. We dragged our suitcase up winding paths and staircases to reach the Meuble Evoe Hotel, and were greeted by the delightful Angela. We checked in and then took a stroll up to the Piazza Grande to enjoy the … Continue reading Montepulciano

Florence and Sienna are similar in size, but they were completely different to experience. We visited these cities back-to-back for two days each, and it was as if we had entered two entirely different worlds. We entered Florence at the Centro Storico (city center), surrounded by beautiful shops, restaurants, churches, statues and lively street performers. We dropped our bags at our hotel in nearby Piazza … Continue reading Florence & Siena

We were eager to see the five towns of Cinque Terre (Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola & Riomaggiore), and to hike the trails that connect these coastal villages. Driving to the coast of Liguria there were many mountains in our path, and that led to many tunnels. Along the way we drove through Rapallo and Pignone. And then we began to head upwards on narrow, winding … Continue reading Cinque Terre

Encouraged by road signs with our name on it (Who says the French aren’t friendly and welcoming?), we headed toward the Cote d’Azur. We stopped in Cannes for a picnic lunch on a bench by the beach. The coastline is pretty, but the beaches are made of stones, not sand. After lunch, we checked into our hotel in Nice and then walked around the city, … Continue reading A Couple of Nices in Nice

After stopping for lunch in Avignon, we drove to St Remy, a small, artsy village in southern France. We had rented a room above the Point Rouge art gallery, and Stefan and Olivier greeted us warmly, showed us to the most beautifully unique room of our trip so far, invited us to explore the gallery any time day or night, and reminded us that breakfast … Continue reading Three Days in Provence

Driving toward France we saw the Pyrenees mountains rising in the distance. Our first stop was Carcassone, a medieval town with a castle that needed exploring. We hauled our bags up to the quirky apartment we had rented and then headed to the old town. We walked through streets filled with shops, restaurants and galleries. The castle greeted us with a grand entrance, and we … Continue reading Bonjour, France!

Some days we pack a lunch before we get on the road, other days we just plan to stop along the way to find food. USUALLY, either approach works out well. On our way from Valencia to Barcelona, we drove along the coast, expecting to find a pleasant spot to stop for lunch by the beach. On our first try, we drove down sandy paths … Continue reading Barcelona