I arrived home from Italy just over two weeks ago to find this little clutch of volunteers brightening up one corner of the front patio, and they are still going strong thousands of degrees later. So many wildflowers are like the tank division of the botanical army! Continue reading →

One of the great things about travel is being someplace in person that you’ve been in books and movies and your imagination about a million times. But then in real life, there you are. Continue reading →

This 19th-century Neo-Renaissance palace near Termini Station houses one of the world’s most important collections of ancient art. Sculptures, frescoes, mosaics, coins and goldsmith’s work record the development of Roman artistic culture.

So says the brochure of the Museo National Romano, of which Palazzo Massimo is one of four locations within easy walking distance in Centro Storico – yet another reason why I need at least ten more visits. Mary and I spent a rainy morning walking from room to room and floor to floor being blown away and didn’t even cover all of Palazzo Massimo.  Continue reading →