winifredcreamer

Inadvertent Visitors

We are held captive by the winds of fate, and have settled for the month of November in Wheaton, IL, our former home. When we arrived here (11/3 and 11/8 respectively), we planned to stay for a week, visit doctors, stock up on odds and ends not readily available in Peru and leave for pointsContinue reading “Inadvertent Visitors”

Something new: the toe of Manhattan

I thought I knew about Manhattan, having visited quite a bit while growing up and having lived in couple of neighborhoods. I’ve ridden on the Staten Island Ferry and been to the Statue of Liberty. Both require you to go to the toe of Manhattan. What I skipped over until this trip was the neighborhoodContinue reading “Something new: the toe of Manhattan”

Good to Know About Italy

It is impossible to generalize about Italy. Every region has its own customs, traditions, holidays, food, music, language. We’ve enjoyed our time in Italy this year, seeing many places that figure in the history and archaeology. The spectacular art in many museums has been wonderful to see.There is a cost to visiting Italy. All ofContinue reading “Good to Know About Italy”

Fiumicino is not Rome, or even Italy

The official name of the airport is Fiumicino – Aeroporto Internazionale Leonardo da Vinci though most people call it the Fiumicino or Rome airport. It’s 21 miles from the center of Rome, about a €40 cab ride. There are also train and bus links to the city. We were connecting from Palermo so we stayed overnightContinue reading “Fiumicino is not Rome, or even Italy”

Fall Blows in to Sicily

It’s often breezy at the beach. We got out of the car and crossed the fringe of dunes, arriving at the shore to see small waves crashing and the wind rushing east along the sand. Walking into the wind, we started our beach combing, finding smooth oval pebbles and beach glass. Ow, ow, ow!It wasn’tContinue reading “Fall Blows in to Sicily”

Where the Greeks were

Sicily was the largest colony established by Greece. What that actually means sinks in about the third time you visit a vast, partially excavated archaeological site and find a temple, or several, that appear to be transplanted straight from the Acropolis in Athens. The temples may the most impressive sights, but there are lots ofContinue reading “Where the Greeks were”

Piazza Armerina–Roman mosaics at their best

We didn’t know much about Piazza Armerina until we looked for archaeological sites to visit within driving distance of us in Sicily. The guidebook indicated interesting mosaics at the Villa Romana de Casale near the town of Piazza Armerina. The mosaic floors of this villa, owner unknown but possibly the Emperor Maximian (250-310 AD), areContinue reading “Piazza Armerina–Roman mosaics at their best”

Sicily: Landscape, Beach, Archaeology

Sicily—Week One Having a guest really gets you up and going. With my sister Catherine we hit high spots of the region so that she could take away a sense of western Sicily. Three themes emerged, landscape, beaches, and archaeology.Sicily’s landscape is Dramatic. Huge rocky hills emerge from the sea, yet just beyond are broadContinue reading “Sicily: Landscape, Beach, Archaeology”

Welcome to Sicily

We just moved to our October home, a house outside the town of Sciacca, Sicily. We were met by our host Stefania and her mother, who showed us around and helped us get settled. Our flight from Naples to Palermo was delayed two hours, so we were later arriving than we’d planned, but they wereContinue reading “Welcome to Sicily”

Life in Campania: Vacation Paradise, Daily Grind?

Hurricanes have flattened more than one vacation paradise recently. There are many left, and we are just finishing our stay in Salerno, Italy, adjacent to, if not in, vacation paradise (as in Amalfi, Sorrento, Capri). Our current home ground, the province of Campania, was the breadbasket of ancient Rome, and was occupied both long beforeContinue reading “Life in Campania: Vacation Paradise, Daily Grind?”