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Italian healthcare: Hip replacement again reminds me why I live in Italy

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I’ve been singing the praises of Italy’s healthcare ever since I retired here in 2014. This month I have another reason to celebrate it. On Aug. 1 I had a hip replacement. One week later I was walking without crutches or pain. I interviewed my surgeon and discussed the massive gap between Italian and U.S. healthcare.

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Abruzzo: Chillin’ out in an outdoor Italian wonderland

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PESCOCOSTANZO, Italy – I hate July in Italy. July is our dog days. La Dolce Vita is La Schifo Vita (The Life Sucks), Rome especially is steaming. It’s crowded. It’s just late enough in summer for the beaches to become packed but not late enough for the city to let out its hordes for holiday. […]

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Dolce & Gabbana: Italian fashion enters theater of the weird in Rome exhibition

Dolce & Gabbana

I attended Dolce & Gabbana’s exhibit at the gargantuan Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome Wednesday. The outfits on display, all from past fashion shows around the world, were outrageous. Bamboo miniskirts. Dresses made up entirely of flowers. One cloak depicted a canal scene from Venice. But it provided insight into one of the world’s leading fashion houses, one that earned €1.9 billion in sales last year. D&G also has an interesting history.

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Skye: As world falls apart, this quiet, green and cold Scottish isle was worth half century of wait

Women

Skye is one of the most popular destinations in the United Kingdom. Impossibly green. Sparsely populated. Incredible views. Adventurous outdoor activities. We took a precatious 3 1/2-hour drive from Inverness to spend three nights on neighboring Raasay Island. It was an expensive three days but with the world caving in elsewhere. this corner of northwest Europe was the perfect escape.

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Inverness: The fabled train ride isn’t as nice as the city

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An Instagram video of the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Inverness got me interested in taking it from Edinburgh. However, an investigation told me just taking the regular Scotrail train would be cheaper and we’d see the same scenery. Turns out, the scenery wasn’t really worth the train trip. But Inverness was. Compact downtown. Beautiful river walk. Languid Ness Islands. We’re glad we went.

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Edinburgh: After 47 years, a new perspective on a Scottish gem

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I first visited Edinburgh in 1978 as a naive, rookie backpacker on the first week of a solo around-the-world journey. Two weeks I visited again for the first time. Some things have changed but none nearly as much as I have. I came with a seasoned traveler’s perspective, an aversion for tourist traps and more money.

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Video: The Raasay House on Raasay Island, Scotland:

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I’ll be writing three blogs off my recent trip to Scotland, starting with Tuesday’s return to Edinburgh after 47 years. First, I wanted to tease the series with a short video on our hotel base on Raasay Island in the Scottish Highlands.

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My Five Favorite Restaurants in Italy — Edition 2

La Lampara

Five years ago I wrote My Five Favorite Restaurants in Italy. I’ve traveled a lot around the country since then so it’s time for an update. I picked five, but No. 1 remains the same. Check it out and take it with you on your next trip to Italy. Note: I left out Rome as I annually write My Five Favorite Restaurants in the city.

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