Europe

October 11, 2022

South Moravia: Czech Republic’s wine cellar a rural gem

South Moravia is the Tuscany of Czech Republic. Ninety-six percent of Czech’s underrated wines comes from this tiny sliver of land barely larger than Palestine. It specializes in white wines but I had one of the best Pinot Noirs of my life in this area around Brno, Czech’s second-largest city. I took a boat ride up the scenic Brno Reservoir and found the wines even better than the beer.

October 4, 2022

Czech beer falls flat next to Belgium’s but there’s a lot of it

Czechs drink more beer per capita than any nation in the world. Their beer culture dates back to the 10th century. But I was fairly underwhelmed by Czech beer. It’s about 80 percent lager (Dark beer is considered a girlie drink.) and the lack of variety got old. However, beer is everywhere and so are Czechs enjoying one of the liveliest night lives in Europe.

September 26, 2022

Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party wins election and my adopted country descends into the far right

Giorgia Meloni, a 45-year-old Roman, has led her neophyte Brothers of Italy party from the ground floor of Italian politics to the country’s most powerful position. She won Sunday’s prime minister election, and her right-wing coalition is set to take over the Parliament. What does Italy’s first right-wing government since Mussolini mean for immigrants like me? I’m not worried, but I am cautious.

September 21, 2022

Brno: Prague’s quirky “little brother” is true Czech

Everyone knows Prague is where you go in the Czech Republic. Nine million tourists a year can’t be stupid. But Czech Republic’s second city, Brno, has plenty to offer. Not only does it have a lively nightlife, a terrific food scene and interesting architecture, it is definitely more authentic than Prague. And it has some quirky little sites that have you thinking and smiling. I spent all last week there at a conference. Here’s my report.

September 13, 2022

Salento: Driving along Puglia’s magnificent, isolated peninsula a smorgasbord of beautiful beaches

Salento is the peninsula that is the heel of Italy’s boot. It’s one of the most isolated places in Italy but easy access from Bari, Puglia’s capital. Guest blogger Annamaria Borelli rented a car and rekindled old childhood memories by hanging out at the beaches. A car is a must but so is relaxation.

August 23, 2022

Rebetiko: Greek blues from high atop the Aegean Sea

Rebetiko is Greek jazz that dates back to the Ottoman Empire. After being censored during World War II, it had a huge revival in the second half of the 20th century and is reaching new popularity now. While on the Greek isle of Skiathos, I went to one of the top rebetiko spots in Greece. Ouzeri Anatoli is where legendary Georgos Xintaris has played rebetiko since 1982. With great food and an even better view overlooking the Aegean Sea, it was one of the highlights of my many trips to Greece.

August 16, 2022

Bolt revisited: The dying kitten we saved thriving in Greece

Six years ago on the Greek island of Skiathos, Marina and I found a dying kitten in a rain gutter. We took it to the Skiathos Cat Welfare Association which saved his life and made our vacation. We named him Bolt, hoping he’d run like Usain one day. We visited three years ago and, all grown, Bolt not only didn’t recognize us, he wouldn’t let us pet him. We returned last week and he was just as skittish. But he’s happy and, except for a bum leg, healthy. Here’s an update on the little orange kitten.

August 9, 2022

Michigan State Q&A: Lessons from an ink-stained wretch and world-weary travel writer to bright J students

Every summer a group of Michigan State journalism students comes to Rome and I talk to them about my life as a sportswriter in the U.S. and my transformation to a travel writer in Rome. This year they asked some remarkably insightful questions. Here are some of them and how I answered them.

August 2, 2022

Via Francigena: Ancient pilgrimage from France to Rome an enlightening journey for this American wanderer

Kevin McAllister doesn’t just go places. He walks there. And he experiences every inch of culture along the way. The 66-year-old retired software salesman just finished walking 900 miles over 70 days, the vast majority over the historic Via Francigena pilgrimmage route that stretches from Canterbury, England, to Southern Italy. I met him during my stay in Cinque Terre last month and told him to look me up when he finished his pilgrimage in Rome. He did. We sat for drinks and he told me his story.

July 26, 2022

Italy’s government collapses and the far right awaits us

Normally, the phrase Italy’s government collapses wouldn’t be cause for alarm here in Italy. After all, we’ve gone through 14 prime ministers and 19 governments in the last 30 years. But now what’s waiting in the wings, what is favored to win the snap Sept. 25 elections, is a right-wing coalition led by the neo-fascist Brothers of Italy.

July 19, 2022

Monti: Rome’s historical and hippest neighborhood (and once my favorite) is a slow victim of gentrification

Monti has been a prominent Roman neighborhood since Ancient Rome but has changed its face over the centuries. Once Rome’s most teeming ghetto, it became a place to be for the rich in the Middle Ages and later the hippest place in Rome and now has gentrified into just another touristy neighborhood. It was my goal to live there. Not anymore.

July 13, 2022

Overtourism in Italy: Some hot spots are cutting back but pretty and crowded Cinque Terre isn’t one of them

Cinque Terre is a UNESCO Heritage Site consisting of five pastel-colored villages on the Ligurian Sea. It gets 2.5 million visitors a year and when we visited over the weekend it felt like they were all there with us. The village of Vernazza was packed. As Italy recovers from Covid, tourism is back in full and some places are laying down limitations. Cinque Terre is not.

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