Like yesterday, first thing in the morning, we went to see a bit of Rome, but this time on the other side of the river. We went to St. Peter’s Basilica fully expecting to see thousands of people lined up trying to get in and see the house of the richest god there ever was. […]
We did get up at 6:30am on our vacation to see what Rome looks like when it is quiet and empty. I did not disappoint, it was quiet and empty and serene – just beautiful.
This museum is located in a home of a 17th century noble family in Matera and the 7 limestone caves dating back to Neolithic times. The family used the caves for food and wine storage but today the entire residence and the caves are one great museum of modern contemporary sculpture.
No word of a lie it was 40°C so we spent most of the day either in the pool or around the pool. In the evening when it got cooler, 31°C, we set of for Ostuni. It is a small town with about 32K people in winter but during the summer months its populations swells […]
Alberobello is a small city of less than 11,000 people and it is famous for it’s trullos. Trullos are scattered throughout this part of Puglia. The story behind trullo was to build a small home with only dry stone and no mortar so they could easily be reconfigured and taken down. They were simply built […]
We have done absolutely nothing since we got here. Haven’t been anywhere, haven’t seen anything yet, other than the inside of some restaurants for food of course. We haven’t even been out for a gelato yet. Lazy and relaxing is the name of the game and this is the perfect setting for it.
To work off some of the gelato we have consumed over the last few days and excessive amount of food and wine today we are going cultural. We are going to visit a couple of museums, some art galleries and climb the tallest tower in the city for the most spectacular view of the city […]
There is always something new at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence that is worth seeing. The priceless other works of art aren’t too shabby either. I think the best thing about the Uffizi is the fact that it can be done in a reasonable amount of time – even in 3 hours. The rest of […]
We are really going our of our way to explore all the side streets in San Gimignano. Not only that, we also managed to have a great afternoon drink, do some laundry, a bit of shopping, have gelato too many times and sit down for a great dinner. A day full of nothing really – […]
At around 1 am the town goes quiet with hardly anyone roaming the streets, except people like me aimlessly wandering through the narrow streets with a camera in tow.
We are, for the first time, not just visiting San Gimignano but staying in the city for a few days. We parked the car at the bottom of the hill and will spent a few days just walking around and exploring all the great gelato places this city has to offer, but really just concentrating […]
It appears that after Castelmunzio, Montisi is our next favourite place to over eat at dinner. Montisi is a tiny and serene village, steeped in tradition but largely unspoiled by tourism. It’s also a quiet retreat for a good number of celebrities who come here to hide from the crowds.
Perched 600m up on a hillside Cortona is a medical town with narrow and steep streets and architecture. The city overlooks Chiana Valley and Lake Trasimeno, scene of Hannibal’s ambush of the Roman army in 217 BC. Legend has it that Cortona was built some 273 years after the Great Flood. After Arezzo it is the […]
Bypassing the usual tourist sites and sticking to what we know about Siena we stuck to a lot of gelato, a bit of espresso and a whole lot of shopping which was not only productive but also very satisfying with exception of Evelina who opted to save her cash!
We either come here for gelato or to have lunch but mostly for gelato since it is the closest place to Sant’Anna. I am not sure for how much longer we can keep up the 3 square meals per day plus gelato once or twice a day. The rest is Sant’Anna getting ready for the first concert […]
Since our flight on Sunday was cancelled due to inclement weather we were happy and thrilled to re-book it for this morning. Six in the morning, generally speaking, is not our idea of fun hour but there are exceptions and this certainly was it. There is really not much more to say other than – what […]
Pizza making class is always a blast, especially at Podere il Casale. Making great food together is a great way to spent time with friends and family. A bit of good wine helps too. We love coming here, we love the stories and the experiences Sandra shares and are always in awe on how rewarding […]
While pretending to know where we are going without the use of the GPS we took the wrong traffic circle exit out of Montalcino but luckily ended up here. This is an old Benedictine Abbey dating back to 813 A.D. Like most of Tuscany it fell under the influence and rule of either Siena or […]
It is the one and only day it is supposed to rain mid day today so we are not going to the thermal baths, but taking a short scenic drive to Montalcino and catching up on dealing with hundreds of pictures which need to be sorted, edited and posted.
Internet out, WiFi down, power out and biblical thunder, lighting and rain. That is the kind of evening and night we had. At least the temperature dropped below 40C which was a relief.
I think everyone knows or at least has seen Cappella della Madonna di Vitality. Alternatively if you have seen a calendar from Tuscany or have visited Val d’Orcia or drove between Pienza and San Quirico d’Orcia then you should instantly recognize this UNESCO protected landmark. This time we drove up closer to the chapel and took a […]
Last time the four of us were here was almost 7 years ago. Things have not changed much!
Bryant Park is a beloved, year-round New York City destination. Known as Manhattan’s Town Square, the park is famous for its lush seasonal gardens, free activities and al fresco dining. Located adjacent to the New York Public Library and surrounded by iconic skyscrapers, Bryant Park is visited by more than 12 million people each year and […]
While there might have been better places on the ground to watch the fireworks for the 4th of July we decided to stay on the top of the Rockefeller building. After enjoying the views we stuck out for the fireworks. Macy’s fireworks this year were the biggest since year 2000. They were fired from 5 […]
The distinctive triangular shape of the Flatiron Building, designed by Chicago architect Daniel Burnham and built in 1902, allowed it to fill the wedge-shaped property located at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway. The building was intended to serve as offices for the George A. Fuller Company, a major Chicago contracting firm. At 22 […]
I think we are all very excited about this one. We have seen some great museums and some amazing artifacts on our travels so it is hard to imagine what The MET can offer that the French or the British have not gotten to ‘acquiring’ first. [br] [br]
The premise for the day is – how far can we get in a 47C heat without collapsing. Apparently there is a Shake Shack on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge so that is the reward and motivation for enduring this unusually debilitating heat – we march forward. [br] [br]
As bad as this sounds – it had to get checked off the to do list. It turns out – everyone other tourist in New York was also there with the same idea as us. This must be the equivalent of the Spanish Steps in Rome, it even looks similar. [br] [br]
This is our first family trip to the Big Apple. It’s blistering hot – 37C and humid. We are going to take it easy today and ease ourselves into this holiday. Lot’s of walking, lot’s of shopping and even more people. [br] [br]
All hellish travel has its rewards. Today – we forgot about the airplanes, lineups and sleepless nights, and were rewarded with a spectacularly gorgeous day – we couldn’t ask for more. [br] [br]
What a gong show this journey was. Long story short British Airways cancelled the flight after an issue with the engine – so we got stuck in Seattle. We were booked to go through Houston, then London but by the time the reservation was confirmed, printing issues, we were too late to go through security. […]
Finally we got to see some fog in the morning, covering the Tuscan hills. We did not get up at the crack of dawn to see the sunrise because – we ate and drunk far too much last night. Still, though, this was a great view, right here from Sant’Anna. SaveSave
There are a few things that are easier to make than pizza. Apparently, things which appear simple are quite complex if you break them down. Long story short – I have been doing every aspect of the pizza making, right down to holding the dough all wrong, absolutely every single part, all wrong. This was […]
On the way back to Sant’Anna in Camprena from Montalcino we stopped a few times to take in the magnificent vistas and enjoy the serenity of this spectacular landscape. This truly is a wonderful place and the pictures simply don’t do its justice.
There appears to be about a thousand wine shops in this village. There are places where you can sample over 100 wines in a single wine store. It’s bonkers! However, our search is for some food, because it has been at least 3 hours since our last meal, and to find another gelato place, because […]
Promptly after breakfast today we drove out to a small family run winery nestled just below the quaint town of Montalcino. This place produces only 18,000 bottles of wine one Rosso and one Brunello, (read no cheap and pricey) The local oenologist, Maria, who is Spanish, gave us a great tour and a great wine […]
I think this is our 3rd or 4th time in Florence and finally we know the place enough to not get lost 4 times trying to walk 100m in a straight line. Once again we visited the Uffizi and the Academia for the first time. The cathedral is still there and just as magnificent as […]
San Gimignano is synonymous with the very finest of gelato, some great artisan shops and phenomenal galleries. There is no shortage of the run of the mill tourists traps like the Museum of Torture and other junk stores but for a refined gelato junkie this place is a paradise. True to form, we parked the […]
The idea was great, the plan brilliant, the execution none of the above. We did not find the right hill to see the sunrise, I guess you have to be in the know to be in the right spot at the right time. We will do better next however as we have acquired a map […]
About 10 min drive from Sant’ Anna is Pienza. A small town that came to prosperity and prominence under one of the Popes. But we did not came here for religion, we came to experience something much more spectacular, something much greater than god – a stunning Tuscan sunset. We also scoped out some places we would […]
We are back. We love being back and it is easy to see why Sant’ Anna in Camprena is the best kept secret in Tuscany. Quiet and quaint, with amazing hosts, Stefano and Ornella and breathtaking views of the countryside. The food is amazing and the atmosphere second to none. We just love this palace […]
Today we are travelling to Sant’ Anna in Camprena. We stayed here last year in the spring and loved it so much we thought we would come back and bring some friends with us to enjoy. However, because the drive from Rome to Camprena is not long we are taking some detours. First on the […]
Today is our last day in Rome, tomorrow are going to pack up and head for the Tuscan Hills. Having said that though, there are still a lot of places to explore. This morning we started with Eataly and a lot of food sampling and a huge lunch – naturally. Then we wondered around through […]
Getting around Rome and seeing the sights is not for the faint of heart or bad shoes. Our agenda for today was pack, but it started slowly with a breakfast at the local coffee shop. 6 cappuccinos and an espresso later we set out to conquer Rome. Colosseum, Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Palatine Hill, Borghese […]
We are back in Rome. This is the start of our 12 day mini holiday. We will be here until Sunday and then head out to Sant’ Anna in Camprena. This trip was a long time coming and this time we are joined by Susan and later on by Chris and Tamara in Tuscany. The […]
This is the kind of trip it was – over 30,000 km both on the plane and in the car. I think we would do it again in a heartbeat, maybe even throw in a balloon flight for a good measure as well!
This morning we are setting off for Nairobi with our trusted driver Joseph. However, because we are in such a remote part of the park Manfred will drive us down the mountain in the Land Cruiser, we will cross the river and meet up with Joseph on a much more accessible road where his off […]
This is our final game drive – and once again it exceeds our expectations. You always hope or wish but certainly never expect that city slickers like us would happen upon some hyenas and vultures feeding on a small giraffe that a pride of lions has taken down a night before. This is some National […]
This morning we are mixing things up a bit. Up at 6am, quick coffee and a cookie and out in the car by 6:15am. We did not even get 20m into the drive when we spotted a couple of giraffes and then another 10m later a herd of elephants. They really are not kidding when […]
These are our two tents. Kids on the right and we are on the left. Same rules apply here as did at the Basecamp – no one is allowed outside on their own after dark which here is at 6:30pm. You get escorted by two Maasai guards, armed with spears and knives against lions, elephant and hippos. We have […]
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