Category: Italy

A Double and the Duomo

A room with a view of the Duomo in Florence Photo credit: M. Ciavardini

A View on a Budget in Florence Our quick stay at the Soggiorno Battistero in Florence is just long enough to appreciate anew the place across from the Duomo referred to as the Baptistry. So thrilled with our view right…

Venice in Winter

Will Venice still deliver magic when the weather is cold and gray? Photo credit: Michael Ciavardini

I love Venice in the springtime; I love Venice in the fall. But will Venice in winter meet expectations? The Bashful Adventurer gives it a try.

10 Good Things about Holiday Inn Express Rome

Holiday Inn Express Rome–San Giovanni Photo credit: Michael Ciavardini

Have you been in a Holiday Inn lately? I had not, but find myself staying in Holiday Inn Express Rome–San Giovanni (not far outside the walls of the old city) as part of a package that mostly involves incredibly low…

An Italian Itinerary

When in Rome, will there be sufficient time in your itinerary for all of your must-sees? Photo credit: Michael Ciavardini

Any vacation in Italy is only hampered by time and by goals: how much and how many you have. A few Italian itineraries to meet varying needs.

Street Art, Rome

Better than beige, as seen on the street in Rome Photo credit: Michael Ciavardini

In case a traveler needs to see just a little bit more art on any given trip to Italy: enjoy the fizzy pink lady in Rome. You can find her on Via Assisi not far up from Via Tuscolana before…

What Happens in Italy Stays in Italy

A Mid-Life Road Trip Everyone Wants to Take Looking for escape on a chilly mid-winter day, one might reach for a copy of The Trip to Italy (2014), starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing themselves on a high-end road…

Flashback Friday: Circling the Palatine

What I love about travel, aside from actually visiting a place, is the anticipation beforehand and then the memories afterward. I’m years and years past my first trip to Rome, and my memories of my solitary adventure there are a…

#TBT Remembering the Italian Lake District

It’s Throwback Thursday, so here is a photo from a 1989 month-long trip to Italy. What I have learned since that trip: label your photos while you still remember where you went. I’m pretty sure this is Lake Maggiore, but…