Author Gayle

After our visit to Montegridolfo, we left Emilia-Romagna and continued south into Umbria and Marche. First stop was the mediaeval town of Gubbio, about 50-kilometres from the Umbrian capital Perugia … But our main destination was in Marche. Macerata is a… Continue Reading →

Five years ago today, Greg and I were married in a little village in Emilia-Romagna. We couldn’t return to Italy without returning to Montegridolfo, and our visit this time brought back all the wonderful memories of that special day –… Continue Reading →

Some of you are familiar with the concept of ‘Coffee and Conversation’. It began in 2017, when Greg and I first arrived in Bologna … Back home in Brisbane, I’d been learning Italian with our wonderful tutor, Benedetta. When we… Continue Reading →

If you’d been a Venetian noble in the 18th century, you’d almost certainly have had your summer villa on the Brenta Canal, a narrow waterway that connects Venice and Padua. To reach it, you’d have sailed down the Grand Canal,… Continue Reading →

Padua – or Padova as it is in Italian – was founded in 1183 BC. So it’s old. Older even than Rome. And like the nation’s capital, a lot of Padua’s rich architectural and cultural heritage survived through the centuries…. Continue Reading →

As we were planning this trip, Greg and I were excited at the prospect of returning to Italy – we’d had such a great time when we’d lived here for those couple of years pre-COVID. And though the itinerary included… Continue Reading →

Marche is a region on Italy’s central east coast, so it faces the morning sun and the sparkling waters of the Adriatic Sea. It’s a place of outstanding natural beauty and fascinating history, but international visitors aren’t drawn to it… Continue Reading →

Back home in Brisbane, there’s a thing we like to do from time to time that we call ‘Tourist Sunday.’ It’s when we imagine ourselves as tourists in our own town and do something we wouldn’t normally do – take… Continue Reading →

Our visit to Dozza reminded us that there’s good street art to be found here in Bologna, too – right in our own neighbourhood, in fact. In the heady days of the Roman Empire, Via del Pratello, a narrow street about… Continue Reading →

The mediaeval village of Dozza, about 45 minutes southeast of Bologna, is one of Italy’s most beautiful. That’s not simply our opinion – it’s official. There’s a designated list of around 330 or so Borghi più Belli d’Italia, and Dozza… Continue Reading →