Scotland has some of the most beautiful, unspoiled national parks in Europe. Guest blogger Connor Gillivan describes two of them: the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs.
For the first time in the 40 years of European Capitals of Culture, two bordering cities are sharing the designation. Gorizia, Italy, and Nova Gorica, Slovenia have been on opposite sides of the same international border since Nova Gorica rose from the ashes of World War II. Today they claim to be borderless and civic cooperation led to their dual honor for 2025. I attended their opening ceremony earlier this month and this is my report.
Szentendre is an artist’s colony just north of Budapest and has been a major tourist destination for centuries. In the summer, it is such a tourist trap you hear more German than Hungarian. But we went on the last day of January and had practically the whole village to ourselves. Visiting a tourist trap with no tourists truly is a fulfilling experience.
Frantic friends and readers have asked me this month how to move to Italy — but also ask what is life like under Giorgia Meloni. The prime minister, whose Brothers of Italy party has neo fascist roots, has been pretty benign. Nothing she has done has repulsed me or affected me. However, I remain cautious as her cozy relationship with Donald Trump and Elon Musk makes me and others in Italy nervous.
The Jubilee has come to Rome for a 13-month stay, meaning about 35 million pilgrims will pour in to walk through one of the four Holy Doors that were opened for the first time in 25 years. Marina and I went through the one in St. Paul Outside the Walls. I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I’m not Catholic. Marina is. It was a big deal to her and it has been for the world’s Catholics since 1500. Myself? I just loved the church’s beauty.
Since retiring to Rome in 2014, I average about 60 days of travel a year. I should top that in 2025. My travel bucket list has a trip either booked or tentatively scheduled nearly every month. They range from Wales this winter to Thailand next November with WAY off-the-beaten-path spots such as Turkmenistan and Syria in between. Take a look at my plan. Hope it inspires you to set sail.
Every year around Jan. 11, the anniversary of my arrival in Rome in 2014, I write all the reasons I love living here. After 11 years, it’s still not a problem finding new reasons. This year I found a whole new list, ranging from the draw Rome’s 930 churches has on me to chocolate-covered frappe served every Easter. Hope this list brings back fond memories or your trip to Rome or inspires you to make some memories of your own.
Today marks the start of the Rome Jubilee, the Vatican’s celebration of reconciliation and spiritual renewal that is held every 25 years. Rome has been under heavy construction for the last year but is finally showing the positive effects. Here’s a preview of what to expect if you’re going to be one of the 35 million people expected to visit.
Christmas is different in Rome. Despite being the center of the Christian world, Christmas celebrations are more subtle here. A popular way to celebrate Christmas is Christmas markets. There are many in Rome and we spent the weekend going to three of them. They’re great for snacks, shopping and generally getting into the Christmas spirit without drowning in bright lights and loud carols.
Gabor Kavocs, a lawyer in London and a friend I’ve known since we met in Florence in 1978, recently took a 10-train ride from Rome to Sicily with his wife, Caroline. It was full of lovely scenery and was a comfortable ride, the long delay notwithstanding. This is a guest blog from a good friend.
A txoko is a traditional Basque feast that goes back 150 years when Basque men needed a place to gather, talk, sing and, especially, cook. They are still going strong today. They let in women but not members of the public. We got lucky. A member of my Travelers’ Century Club is also a Basque with connections to a txoko in the surfing town of Mundaka. We all got invited during our meeting in Bilbao. Believe me, it is a delicious tradition worth keeping.
Bilbao was an ugly industrial city better known for being the center of Basque violence before the Guggenheim Museum was built in 1997. Now Bilbao is one of the top destinations in Spain. We went for a meeting of my Mediterranean Chapter of the Travelers’ Century Club and found a terrific, manageable city with tons of culture, thanks to that unbreakable Basque pride.
