Asturias occupies a small sliver of land on Spain’s northwest coast but in an area smaller than Connecticut it packs some of the most picturesque forests, majestic mountains and raw beaches. It’s a great escape from the crowds that flock to the rest of Spain.
Skopelos became famous in 2008 when Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan sang and danced their way across the island in “Mamma Mia!” But the scenes you see in the movie are just a snippet of the real beauty of this island of 5,000 people. Great beaches. Deep forests. Excellent food. It’s our new favorite Greek island.
In Rome’s Gladiator School, I learned to fight three men at once with a 7-pound sword — and how to lay dead without pulling my tunic over my underwear. My two months in La Scuola dei Gladiatori was a rollicking ride of humility combined with insight into one of the bloodiest period’s in man’s history.
Champion
Euro champion Italy hadn’t won the European Championship since 1968 and England had never won it. Something had to give at London’s Wembley Stadium and England certainly did with a pitiful performance in the shootout. Italians in Rome hadn’t celebrated like this since winning the World Cup in 2006.
Jose Mourinho has won national titles in four countries and Champions League trophies with two clubs. Thursday he was introduced as the manager to lead A.S. Roma, which hasn’t won a title in 20 years and is coming off its worst season since 2004-05. I was there.
(This is the second of a series of blogs on Bulgaria.) SOFIA, Bulgaria — “Want to go out for some Bulgarian?” Never received that request? Neither have I. However, I’d like to do it someday. The trouble is, the world’s gastronomic road map doesn’t have many Bulgarian cuisine rest stops. In fact, I’ve never seen a Bulgarian restaurant. I know New York has a few. […]
Bulgaria often gets lost in Europe’s tourist trail but it’s a Balkan gem. It’s blessed with modern conveniences, great beaches (usually(, excellent food, a thriving wine scene and friendly people, all with the background of a haunting past.
Rome tour guides have suffered some of the biggest pitfalls during this pandemic. The number of tourists visiting Italy went from 65 million in 2019 to 25.5 last year. Through two lockdowns and constantly changing restrictions, tour guides have to adjust on the fly, all with financial ramifications.
Italy’s national soccer team humiliated its nation by not even qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. It changed managers, changed philosophies and after Friday’s 3-0 win over Turkey in the European Championships, it’s on a 28-game unbeaten streak, two off its national record. The country, beaten down by a year and a half of Covid, finally has a reason to cheer.
I’ve never shot a gun in my life. But there I was with one of the most decorated shooters in Olympic trapshooting history, trying to hit a target flying 75 mph across an open field. This was my day with the Shooter of God.
The Augustus Mausoleum was the first of its kind in Ancient Rome, built even before the Pantheon. It has reopened to the public for the first time in 14 years.
ANZIO, Italy — You can’t tour Rome and Southern Italy without being in awe of the monstrous footprint this civilization laid down 2,000 years ago. Monuments and market places, mausoleums and temples, the most powerful civilization in man’s history stretched from what is now Great Britain to Persia. Peoples and armies in between cowered with the very rumor that the Roman military drew near. They […]
