Exploring Our Connection to People and Place
In my last post about 1-euro homes, I mentioned how Lorraine Bracco purchased a home for 1-euro and, after starting with a renovation budget of $145,000, the project ended up costing her more like $250,000. That’s a huge difference from budget to reality. Even… Continue Reading “1-Euro Homes: The House I Love But Can’t Buy”
Initially, I loved the idea of buying a 1-euro home in Italy and renovating it. Then I did more research and the charm wore off. Perhaps there is a better option for fulfilling my dream.
The Cathedral in Nicosia, Sicily, built in the 14th Century, is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari, which is said to be how the town got it’s name. Yes, this is the same St. Nick associated with gift-giving, but he is also the patron… Continue Reading “Duomo di Nicosia”
I only spent one evening in Palermo, the capital of Sicily, despite spending eleven weeks in Covid19 isolation, only thirty minutes away. Palermo has a population of 673,000 – which to some folks may feel small. Certainly small compared to Rome or Florence or… Continue Reading “Palermo, Capital of Sicily”
Why does one place feel like home and another place, while beautiful or lovely in many ways, does not? To put it simply (very simply), places become imprinted on us when our experiences there are significant and good. Typically, these imprints happen when we… Continue Reading “Finding Home: Imprints and Italy”
Sicilian roads are harrowing yet offer the most incredibly views. Ultimately, they have a lot to say about my own life and journey.
After several months of being in Italy during Covid19, I was worried about getting home. Katie Keleher at Channel 2 News Tulsa tried to help.
So much of who I am and what I love was shaped by my time on Grama Baird’s farm. Technically no longer hers, by then it was owned and operated by her grandson, Mick, who lived with his family across the field. And technically… Continue Reading “A Home-cooked Meal”
Valley of the Temples is a must-visit UNESCO site in southern Sicily. And walking it during Covid19, when few people were around, was truly incredible.
The Turkish Steps are white rocky cliffs on the coast of Realmonte, Sicily. This gorgeous natural site, blindingly white when the sun is shining, accentuates the colors of the sea. My photos do not do it justice. Normally a favorite tourist spot, and a… Continue Reading “Scala dei Turchi”
It’s often said that we travel to see new places and meet new people. To expand our lives and our point of view. I think even more importantly, we travel to learn something about ourselves.
Cefalù is considered one of the most beautiful towns in all of Italy and is certainly the most visited city in Sicily. And for those reasons alone, and since I was told the city literally overflows with tourists in the summer (and I better… Continue Reading “Cefalù and Castelbuono”