Pertosa, Italy The Pertosa Caves (Grotte di Pertosa), also known as, the Angel Caves of Pertosa, takes a while to reach if you're coming from Naples. Still, it can be a fun afternoon trip, driving through the southern Italian countryside, especially if you are a cave geek, like me. Despite being a commercial cave (vs. …
The Best Arancini in Italy
Catania, Italy I had not really intended on going anywhere for the weekend, but Dario had other plans. After a short discussion on possible destinations, we decided on Sicily. It was time to find the best arancini in Italy, and Catania was the place to do it! First view of My Mountain (Etna) from …
Featured photo: Venetian scallops
Venice, Italy This is a photo taken in the fish market in Venice, Italy. I saw a lot of suprisingly pretty seafood, as well as some that seemed rather tragic (eels and snails that were still in various stages of being alive). The colors and texture of this photo surprised me when I looked at …
Serenella’s Limoncello Recipe
Naples, Italy (Note: the recipe is at the end ↓ Only 5 short paragraphs between here and there, I promise!) I first tried limoncello while out with friends and fellow Couchsurfers at Trattoria da Nennella in Naples. There were 14 of us there and we had lots of food and red wine. I'm a …
Featured photo: Mt. Vesuvio
Naples, Italy As a big fan of nature, I dislike descriptions of volcanoes that include words like "fury" and "wrath." It's just nature, after all. I mean, if you watch a cooking show, you don't focus on the tragic destruction of all those little wheat seeds, do you? No, you just look forward to the …
Featured photo: Stromboli
Stromboli, Italy Photo of a ship anchored off the volcanic island of Stromboli, with the Strombolicchio in the background. The Strombolicchio is the "throat" of an ancient volcano, possibly the oldest in the region. As I understand it, all of the Aolian Islands in Sicily are volcanic, with two of them (Stromboli and Vulcano) remaining …
How to drive your Italian lover crazy!
Naples, Italy Out for a late night cioccolata with my handsome Italian companion, he suddenly leaned forward to kiss me. Finalmente! I had heard about how romantic Italian men are, and now I was being given a chance to test the theory. Fortunately, my charming companion was a talented kisser and did not disappoint. …
Valerie
8/9 Jan. 2011 (day depends on your timezone; it's the wee hours of the morning here) The Planet D is hosting Round 7 of Travel Photography Roulette: Portraits. I entered a picture I'd taken of the mother of my friend, Gusti. I just realized that I didn't post my entry on my own page. …
Drilling into a volcano
Naples, Italy: “Scientists to drill 13,000ft into active volcano in test that could cause earthquake…” Coincidentally, I hear that Ireland is lovely in October. Ahem.
Vatican Radio
This is the main tower for Vatican Radio. No, really, I’m not pulling your leg!