Top 25 Italy Moments #10 – Man of Le Marche (or, Cold Fish is not an Option)

Top 25 Italy Moments #10 - Man of Le Marche

Amico di Albania

The Top 25 Italy Moments #10 – Man of Le Marche, continues our series of The Blissful Adventurer’s most compelling events in 20 years of Italy travel and reveals the true story behind yesterday’s post: The Legend of Boomie Bol

The Scene: Juliet and I had just arrived by train from Venice to the port town of San Benedetto del Tronto in Italy’s Le Marche region. San Benedetto is Italy’s second busiest seaport just behind the mighty Genoa. Le Marche was once a papal state and is replete with palaces, fortifications, theaters, and very few people. I was consistently mesmerized by the beauty of the place and at the same time how empty the streets were in every stunning hilltop town. I imagined this was what Tuscany might have been like in the late 1940s.

David Parish, a wonderful man of British and Italian descent met us at the train station and suggested we see the port. David is one of my favorite people in Italy and his wicked dry sense of humor played right into the hands of 2 very jet-lagged travelers.  Little did any of us know, including David, that his sense of humor would be on full display in the first 30 minutes of our journey. [Read more...]

Top 25 Italy Moments #11 – Siena Church Driving (New Material)

The Blissful Adventurer Top 25 Italy Moments continues with #11 – Siena Church Driving. After our most recent trip to Italia I had to augment my Top 11 posts with some amazing new experiences which blew us away. We have gotten the list together and now we continue with the rest of the story. 

The Blissful Adventurer Top 25 Italy Moments #11 - Siena Church Drive

Juliet ready to assume her navigator position

#11 Siena Church Driving

I started driving in Italy on a regular basis in 2006. Since then I have driven vans, cars, and bicycles. I have pulled trailers, ridden in dump trucks, and driven cars on and off of very tightly packed ferries. I have used a Euro GPS and a modified American Garmin Nuvi 275. I can say with all certainty none of those experiences prepared me for #11 on my list of Top 25 Italy moments. [Read more...]

Top 25 Italy Moments – #12-17

As I am gearing up to release My Italy Top 25 Moments 1-11 I am offering a quick view into 12-17 for those that are new to the site and as a refresher. My Top 10 has shifted a bit since this last trip to Italy as 2 new moments made their way up the ladder. In the next 2 weeks I will at long last reveal mt full Top 25 Italy Moments.

Top 25 Italy Moments - 17-12

# 17 The Sunglass Hustle - Find out how I turned a nasty habit into a cool pair of shades

#16 Singing in Rome - The day the University of Dallas met the real Garth Brooks

#15 The Legend of Soy Jack - I have never met anyone quite like him

#14 Siena Language Barrier - Why knowing a little of a language can be a serious liability

#13 Why I Was a Lousy Tour Guide - There was a very good reason even though I still wish I had been better

#12 The Wrong Train - My first and not my last train misfortune in Italy

#11 – The Siena Church Drive - new material coming tomorrow :-)

Top 25 Italy Moments (20-19)

Top 25 Italy Moments 19-20

Gorilla Photography 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is part 2 of my abridged Top 25 Italy moments from the past 19 years. As I drew these together I knew it would be about people and circumstances much more than just the place itself. Italy, it seems, provides the canvas for which to paint amazing images. I read many of my fellow bloggers’ posts and it is amazing just how close we all are in our assessments of things and yet how much diversity exists in our varied experiences. Now, on to the countdown:

[Read more...]

Pre-Earthquake Lunch in Verona, Italy

Michael Housewright - The Blissful Adventurer

Our final meal before the quake

In mid May Juliet and I visited our dear friends Nicolas and Giulia in Verona, Italy. These guys are master salad makers. Nick and I had gone down to the fruttivendolo (the fruit and vegetable shop) picked up killer lettuce, tomatoes, cukes, and a container of fresh mozzarella di bufala while the ladies relaxed in the modern apartment just a 15 minute walk from central Verona. [Read more...]