Posts from a Flashpacker

It’s so fun to be able to pop over to Rome from Palermo! Just a quick cheap flight, my daughter Cara and I had a few days to explore.

One of the coolest things to visit in Rome is the Cappucin Crypt of "Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini" (Our Lady of the Conception of the Capuchins) which holds the remains of over 3500 monks.

In 5 distinct chapels, different bones have been arranged in incredibly ornate patterns of flowers using vertebrae, butterflies made from pelvis bones, and an hourglass made from scapula. Using clavicles, femurs and more, the bones make fantastical designs in the walls, ceilings, lights, and niches, as mummified monks relax and lounge about.

Creepy? Yes.
Cool? Yes!
Unique? Definitely!!
Worth seeing? Absolutely!!

Some people travel to see their favorite band perform. 🎵 Some travel to run marathons. Others love to explore ruins, museums, and archaeological sites. 🏛️

Although I love all of those things, (except the marathon running 🏃‍♀️!)
I am passionate about art. 🎨

I spent the day in Montmartre, an historic and beautiful neighborhood in Paris famous for all of the artists who once lived there:

Picasso.
Degas.
Monet.
Renoir.
Toulouse-Lautrec
Suzanne Valadon
and Van Gogh.

Wowwwww. 🤩 Strolling along feeling the energy in the air of all of these incredible artists who once roamed the same streets was absolutely phenomenal.

You know that I love to do “free walking tours” and the one here was probably one of the best I’ve ever attended. Let me know if you want the information and I’ll connect you to the guy - he was so passionate and knowledgeable and offered a full multimedia presentation!

I spent some time in the tiny and quiet Musee de Montmarte which focused a lot on the artwork created about the cabarets and bars of the area, and especially featured the Moulin de la Galette. This historic restaurant was where many of the famous painters gathered to create art and enjoy food and drinks.

How amazing to be able to have a coffee ☕️ in the gardens of the museum where Renoir once lived and painted (you can see the swing hanging from the tree with a placard showing the original painting he did in 1876) and then to have dinner at the Moulin (which was built in 1622 as a grain mill) where his famous incomparable piece, Dance at the Moulin de la Gallette was painted ?!?

I was in heaven. 😇

I’m baaaaack!!! 😉

After far too long (6 years?) I’m in Paris for a week and enjoying the heck out of this gorgeous city.

The food is insane. The people have been lovely (really!) and the weather has been great.

The Frenchman took the train up to spend a few days with me, and we toured the opulent Palais Garnier and saw the infamous Phantom of the Opera box.

We spent the next day visiting the Paris Liberation Museum - I HIGHLY recommend this place! The similarities of what happened to ignite WWll and what’s going on in the world currently are chilling. The virtual reality tour was so well done - it was fab!

Meeting up with our friend Jennifer from Palermo who lives here was so much fun! Her mom was visiting and we popped the cork on a bottle of Chateneuf de Pape wine on the rooftop of her phenomenal co-working space with 360° views to die for.

for the excess pix, but…it’s Paris! 🤷🏻‍♀️

WANT TO PLAY A GAME?

Strolling through the Capo or Ballarò markets is an all-encompassing feast:

For the eyes - the myriad of bright colors, plethora of shapes, and the bounty of goods for sale and on display. Tablecloths. Pomodori 🍅. Hats. 🧢
Scarpe 👠. Veggies 🥕. Tote bags.

For the ears - the vendors shout, sing, and holler, and the boomboxes blast classic and new Italian songs.

For the belly! Soooooo much food! Cannoli. Arancina. Panelle. Polpi 🐙 and pesce 🐟, formaggi 🧀 and frutta 🍈.

Often there’s a fruit or vegetable that’s new to me - a Sicilian speciality or a seasonal variety I haven’t seen before.

Here’s a few examples of unusual frutta e verdura at Capo Market this morning.

Can you guess what’s what?

Here’s what they are called in Italian with an extra word meaning “tasty” thrown in just for fun 🤪

* fragolina
* cucuzza longa " or "Lagenaria longissima”
* fi*****io
* sfizioso
*nespola

*****io

Buongiorno! 🌞

Welcome to all the lovely folks who have started following me in the last few weeks - I’m so glad you’re here!

Maybe you’re here for Italy and Palermo content, or you’re curious how I became an Italian citizen and now live full time in Sicily, or perhaps you enjoy following my trips to places like China, Zanzibar, Japan or Tunisia.

So…Let’s try something new here. 😉

A. M. A.

That’s Ask Me Anything.

Go ahead! 🤷🏻‍♀️
Dm me or ask here!
For example…

“Is it difficult not speaking the language when you travel?”
“Was the Camino hard?”
“Don’t you get lonely when you travel solo?”
“How did you meet the Frenchman!?”

I’m pretty much an open book and love to share my experiences, mistakes, wins and joy as a traveler over 60 living abroad for the past 4 years, and traveling the planet almost full-time since 2018, often solo.

Who wants to go first? 🤔

Pupi!

Yes, I may be obsessed. 😳
Slightly.

The marionette theaters here in Sicily are just about the coolest thing ever. 🤩

I know what you’re thinking; puppets? Sure, for kids; but for adults??

Trust me. 😉

This tradition dates back to the early 19th century, and Sicily had theaters for these performances in many of the neighborhoods.

Tales were told, fights were fought, and morals were gleaned as the puppets, mainly Orlando and Rinaldo, battled furiously against the Saracens and Moors, sneaky snakes and wily bandits - all for a chance to win Angelina‘s love.

But with the advent of radio and TV, the popularity of these charming “opera di pupi” dwindled and many theaters closed. At the theaters that remain, you will often find the nonno, (grandfather) working side-by-side with his nipoti, (grandchildren) to deliver an incredible performance day after day.

The craft of the marionette show has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, and rightly so. It’s a unique piece of history!

So be warned, when you come to visit, I will drag you to a show!

And stay tuned for one more post about the puppets which I will post soon! It might have to do with my obsession. I’ll leave it at that.

April 25 is Festa della Liberazione here in Italy. It marks the anniversary of the partisans freeing Italy from N@zi and Fascist rule during WWII.

The day was filled with parades, speeches, and gatherings. The streets were full of families, kids, and folks of all ages celebrating this important holiday, and everywhere you could hear the strains of the famous song, “Ciao Bella” in the air.

But “Ciao Bella”’isn’t just a fun song to sing at parties - it’s the story of a young partisan saying goodbye to his or her family in case they don’t return from the fight.

Take a look at the lyrics and you’ll see how touching it really is.

Just wandering around this incredible city always fills my heart. 💛

Palermo is such a beautiful, broken, breathtaking and enchanting place.

That’s a wrap! 👍🏼

My first conference for International Living, presenting on stage as their Italy Correspondent about the many reasons to move to Italy has concluded — and it was a big success!

It was definitely nerve wracking 😱 waiting for my turn, but once I got up there, I was actually fine! 😅

Over 200 attendees were there to gather information, data, ideas, and support from the speakers who represented Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Malta, France, and Greece.

I’m extremely happy that’s finished ✅ now and I can relax - it was a lot of work creating the multiple presentations, and I was definitely out of PowerPoint practice!

Luckily I had an extra day afterwards to spend enjoying the Eternal City, Rome. Such a fun, busy, delicious and vibrant place!

There are mountains that literally take your breath away.

🏔️ Mount Rainier in Washington.
🏔️Cotopaxi in Ecuador. (Well, a volcano but still!)
🏔️The Matterhorn and Mont Blanc in the Alps.
🏔️Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania

And Mount Fuji in Japan. 🌸

I was extremely fortunate to capture this beautiful shot of Mount Fuji with the still waters of the lake reflecting its beauty. The weather had been cloudy and overcast the days before and after I managed to snap this picture, proving that “timing is everything”!

Do you have a favorite mountain?