What’s in a Name?
When our family traveled to Italy for the first time many, many years ago my son remarked that we should all have Italian names. My given name is Elissa, so that was no problem. My husband Arthur easily became Arturo and our son Matthew morphed into Mateo. But what to call our daughter Lucienne whose name [...]
Mother’s Day Memories
First Mother’s Day I recall my first Mother’s Day spent with my mom and family in New York. There was a feeling of pride as I sat at her table, wearing the corsage that my sentimental brother-in-law, Mickey, had given to me while our young daughter, Lucienne, played at our feet. I experienced the feeling [...]
Depression Glass at Last
Marketplace Opens with Depression Glass My fascination with depression glass goes back many years. As far as antiques, it is the first thing I ever liked. Perhaps it is that I am attracted to the way the light glints off the glass and the pretty colors and patterns. And now, recycling and reusing fits into [...]
Water, Water Everywhere
On a not so recent trip to Italy I was having dinner with my husband and son in the hills of Artimino outside Firenze. We happened upon Da Delfina as we happened upon most places in those early days. We were bound for one destination and arrived at another. Translation: We got lost. Ad ogni modo [...]
Don’t Whine Over Spilled Wine
An odd thing happened yesterday. After a wonderful dinner shared by my husband and myself, there was surprisingly a bit of wine left in the bottle. What to do, what to do? Now the chef, Nigella Lawson, reuses her ‘post guest wine’ by collecting all the bits left in the glasses and then freezing the [...]
Check Out These Knockers
In 2007 during a trip to Italy I became fascinated with the various door knockers prominently displayed on countless homes. I felt compelled to take photos of these doors, but to what end and what use? Chi saputo? (Who knew.) Ah, now I can see where it was all leading, a post on my Blog. [...]
Mt. Dora Antiques
A short time ago my husband and I traveled to Renninger’s Antique Extravaganza in Mt. Dora to forage for antiques, collectibles and vintage finds. The trip was well worth the effort as Renninger’s is the largest antique show in the southeast with 800 outdoor dealers setting up camp in November, January and February for the [...]
The Accidental Experience
Several years ago on our second excursion to Italy with the family, we rented an apartment just outside of Firenze. We had clearly moved up from guided tour to self hosting and were on our way to our ultimate goal of renting a house and becoming self-sufficient, savvy travelers. Che brava. To take advantage of [...]
Love at First Bite
Nothing satisfies my ‘inner Italian‘ like a good sweet (dolce). My earliest recollection was when my mother and father would bring home that familiar white square box tied up with red and white twine from the bakery. There was always that excitement as my sisters and I gathered to untie the string and devour all [...]
Cycling in Firenze
On our very first trip to Italy our children were 14 and 16 years old. We were not yet bold enough to rent our own place (as we have subsequently done over the years) and so we stayed in various small hotels. Our hotel in Firenze happened to be across the street from a bicycle [...]
