My Norwegian friends Therese and Ole tell me that throughout Scandinavia, Copenhagen is thought of as the “party town”. (I found shopping in Copenhagen to also make it somewhat of ... Read more
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City Break in Porto, Portugal
When visiting Portugal’s second city, Porto, I found it was possible to escape the rat race for a weekend and return relatively refreshed, with by a wallet that didn’t feel as though it had accompanied Paris Hilton on a shopping trip. Unlike much of Western Europe, Portugal still offers travellers…
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Paris: Off the Beaten Track Spots for Foodies and Art Lovers
There’s no shortage of material on visiting Paris. If you’re anything like me, before you even make it to the City of Lights, you’ve probably paged through one or a ... Read more
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6 Literary Spots in Rome
Rome's influence on literature has been perennial. From the time of Ovid and Virgil to the Anglo-Saxon influx of writers such as Charles Dickens, Henry James, Nathaniel Hawthorne and young John Keats, all the way up to the more recent time of Alberto Moravia and Carlo Emilio Gadda, Rome has…
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Turin: An Italian Chocolate Primer
Giddier than a teenager going to a Justin Bieber concert, with chocolate guidebooks in hand, I set out to visit the hundreds of chocolate shops in the city. Although I didn’t get anywhere close to all of them, I’m sure I made a serious dent in Turin’s chocolate supply. Death…
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Day Trip from Rome to Ariccia and the Castelli Romani
Ask any Roman, and they’ll all tell you the same: the best day-trip destination within an hour’s drive beyond Italy’s bustling capital, is the Castelli. The Castelli Romani–which is Italian for, ... Read more
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Athens Day Trip to Aegina Island
Before we went to Athens I only knew about Aegina because I had watched one of Jamie Oliver’s TV shows, Jamie does Athens. He visited the Greek island, explored it ... Read more
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Living in the Slow Food Lane in Bra, Italy
We wondered strongly if all this fine-living was accessible to the average traveler, so packing up our wondrously-small Renault Clio, we hit the road with only our trusty Lonely Planet, and pasta-loving appetites, to guide us. Unfortunately, the truffle pig had to stay at home.
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How to Dress Like an Italian
White sneakers and khaki pants? American. Flip flops and shorts in the middle of winter? German. Default raincoat and pink lipstick? British. Vintage sundress, leggings, and mary janes? French. Skinny ... Read more