Europe

August 27, 2024

Porticoes: These golden arches make Bologna famous

I love Bologna, not just because of its luscious spaghetti bolognese but for its porticoes. Those are the graceful arches that cover 40 miles of Bologna streets. UNESCO awarded them with a World Heritage Site three years ago and they remain one of the most distinct architectural styles in Italy. I visited last month and came away with this report.

July 23, 2024

Summer Olympics: My memories from Sydney, Beijing, London

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During my 40-year sportswriting career, I covered six Olympics. With the Paris Olympics opening Friday, I thought I’d share memories of the three Summer Olympics I covered in Sydney, Beijing and London. They range from covering Michael Phelps’ eight gold medals to riding on the back of a monk’s motorcycle to his hilltop monastery for tea.

July 16, 2024

Italian island guide: From south of Sicily to north of Sardinia, there is something for everyone

I wrote that Capri "is the prettiest island in Europe."

It’s July, the worst time to travel anywhere in the world. But if time restraints limit you to visiting Italy in July, I’m here to help. After living here 10 years, I’ve been to a lot of Italian islands. Here are some of my favorite. They will be crowded. But they will be hot, and they will be clean. They will also be beautiful if you can ignore all the bodies. This is a repost of a blog I wrote in 2017 as I’m trying in the United States.

July 2, 2024

Tastes of Rome food tour sprinkles history on taste buds

I’ve taken food tours all over the world and I highly recommend them. In Rome I recommend the 10 Tastes of Rome. It sprinkles in history with the food. It starts in Campo de’ Fiori and finishes in Trastevere. Along the way I learned why they burned a philosopher at the stake and how a spout of oil the day Jesus was born inspired the construction of Chiesa di Santa Maria in Trastevere. Along the way I tasted some good pizza, gelato and Sicilian cassatina.

June 25, 2024

“The Cappuccino Chronicles”: My book is out on Amazon

If you ever wanted to know what it’s like to live in Rome as a retired expat, read my new book that is now out on Amazon. “The Cappuccino Chronicles: An American Journalist’s Decade in Rome” takes people inside the life of one of the world’s most glamorous cities. But it’s not the dream many burned-out people imagine when they look at retirement. The streets are filthy. The public services are lousy. Relationshios are difficult. But the food, wine and beauty meet the hype and I hope I found a balance that peels the veneer off the city to show what’s really inside while still showing what has kept me around for 10 years. I will soon announce a Zoom call for anyone interested in hearing about the book and to answer any questions about life in this crazy city.

June 11, 2024

Track and field: Empty seats in Olympic Stadium and my hometown make me wonder about its popularity

Despite not writing about it much during my career, I remain a closet track nut. The European Championships are in Rome through Wednesday and attendance hasn’t been great. Combined with bad attendance for major meets in my hometown of Eugene, Oregon, the “Track Capital of the World,” I wonder if this sport is beginning to wither in popularity.

June 4, 2024

Roman-style pizzerias: My five favorite in Rome

What’s your favorite pizza style in Italy? Neapolitan, with its thick, chewy crust, is the most famous. I prefer Roman style’s thin, crispy crust. After 10 years in Rome, I have updated my Five Favorite Pizzerias in Rome but this time limited it to Roman style.

May 28, 2024

Rome food fair? My ‘hood had it all covered this weekend

My Rome neighborhood of Monteverde had a food fair featuring more than two dozen food stands filling my local piazza over the weekend. Hare wraps (meaning WILD hare), pizza in fried bread, tiramisu. It was all there. So good I went twice. Here’s my juicy report.

May 22, 2024

Dupuytren: My surgical dive into private Italian healthcare

I started noticing my right pinkie involuntarily bend about two years ago. Soon it was at a 90-degree angle, making typing difficult. What I have is Dupuytren disease, a condition that shortens and thickens the connective tissue in the palm. I had surgery two weeks ago. It was tremendous insight into the world of private healthcare in the second-ranked healthcare country in the world.

May 14, 2024

Belgian chocolate: Private tasting in Belgium a sweet introduction to greatest chocolate in the world

Belgian chocolate is the best in the world and during our recent trip to Ghent I had a two.hour private tasting in which I learned about the history, discovered Belgium’s secret and tasted some of the best chocolate of my life. It’s an interesting story and I may never eat chocolate with palm oil again.

May 10, 2024

Schengen Visa: Who needs it and how do you get it?

If you’re not from an English-speaking country and want to visit Europe. you’ll likely need a Schengen Visa. Europe’s Schengen region consists of 29 countries, and the type of visa you need depends on what country you come from and your purpose of travel. Guest blogger Laurie Amber breaks it down.

May 7, 2024

Ghent: Belgium’s other canal city the perfect 9th anniversary escape

Marina and I love Belgium. It’s maybe the most underrated country in Europe. So we decided to break from our usual anniversary routine and left Italy. We spent three days in Ghent, Belgium’s second-largest city but oft overlooked as it’s in the shadow of the more glamorous Bruges up the road. We found Ghent so charming and life on the canal is a good place to remind us how far we’ve come.

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