John Henderson's Travel Adventures in Rome and Beyond

August 12, 2025

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

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.

August 5, 2025

Italy underrated: 10 things you didn’t know were great but are

Italy has so much to offer so many people, millions of visitors have no idea how many other great features fall under the radar. From fruit to Molise to Italian drinking habits, Italy is full of surprises. Here are 10 of my favorites.

July 29, 2025

Abruzzo: Chillin’ out in an outdoor Italian wonderland

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. […]

July 25, 2025

Egypt: Planning a bucket list trip to Egypt? Here’s how to dive in before you go

(Director’s note. Egypt is such a fascinating country, to visit it is an education. But learn about it before you go. New Orleans-based writer Sadie Smith lists some ways to prep for Egypt in this guest blog.) A trip to Egypt is no mere holiday. It is a chance to step through a time […]

July 22, 2025

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

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.

July 18, 2025

Video: My 10 Favorite Cities in the World

Continuing my addition of videos onto my website, I am doing my 10 Favorite Cities in the World. This comes two months after my video on my 10 Least Favorite Cities in the World. I wonder which will get a more negative reaction.

July 15, 2025

Tourist annoyances: 10 things that drive me crazy

It’s the height of tourist season around the world and if I hear one more tourist here in Rome say “Thank you” instead of “Grazie,” I’ll call the Carabinieri. There are so many things tourists do that annoy me that I decided to form a top 10 list. Feel free to add to it.

July 8, 2025

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

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.

July 1, 2025

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

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.

June 24, 2025

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

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.

June 20, 2025

Video: The Raasay House on Raasay Island, Scotland:

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.

June 17, 2025

My Five Favorite Restaurants in Italy — Edition 2

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.

‹ 1 2 3 4 ›»