Friday, October 3, 2025

Challenges and changed perspectives possible on the Via Francigena

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Doctor Dan Thompson helps a pilgrim with her knee abrasion. Today we wrapped up our eye-opening and challenging two-week commitment to the p...
1 comment:
Wednesday, October 1, 2025

The Dolce Vita--sweet life--is far more than an itinerary

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Today we have a rare and special blog entry from my sweet wife Lucy. Paul and I have always said about our travels, “It’s the people we in...
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Tuesday, September 23, 2025

More adventures with the transit police on the Firenze tram

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  The transit police struck again when Lucy and I took the airport-to-train station-tram in Firenze a few days ago—but they didn’t get us th...
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

The treasured last letter of an Italian mother to her teenaged son

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Fifteen-year-old Seghiero Giocondo Seghieri left his home in the San Salvatore suburb of Montecarlo, Italy, in early February of 1909—one of...
Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Speaking another language on the phone can be a challenge

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I woke up yesterday morning to a WhatsApp message from Juri, my downstairs neighbor: “ciao paul ti posso telefonare?” It was a nice courtesy...
Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Wisdom on self-acceptance from a daughter who is beautiful in every way

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This message has nothing to do with our Italian adventures, but it is too important to not pass on. At times like this, I wish I had a broad...
4 comments:
Friday, May 9, 2025

Lucy and I are snagged by the transit police on the Firenze tram

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After nearly 25 years of both visiting and living part-time in Italy with spotless records, we were nabbed for not validating our transport ...
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Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Life as a foreigner and single woman in Italy is not all “la dolce vita”

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Some years ago, I wrote a couple of blog entries (see links below) about what it was like to be a female foreigner in Italy, with knowledge ...
Monday, April 14, 2025

Chestnuts, once essential for survival, now just a thorn in my life

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Chestnut trees and their fruit have been a vital part of Tuscan culture probably since the dawn of humanity. Lucy and I learned about the im...
Saturday, April 5, 2025

Our search for a physical therapist in Italy is a grand success

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Lucy has her cast checked while in Gig Harbor in February. We are currently in the middle of our second encounter as official members of the...
Thursday, April 3, 2025

Driving in Italian cities without GPS not recommended!

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We're home! Enjoying our other life again in Montecarlo, Toscana. Dang, how did anyone get anywhere in Italy before GPS? We arrived in F...
Thursday, February 27, 2025

40 years after a harrowing aerial crash, my friend the pilot and the lady who administered aid find some closure

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All of my hobbies, skills and interests combined dramatically recently to produce a fascinating and satisfying result. They thrust me smack ...