Becky sent me this video of a couple living in Milan like we are, explaining what it’s like to be under lockdown. You have to watch it! It’s spot on. If you can’t click on this and watch it, then just google CNBC and this title. Now imagine that we are the ones who posted that video, except our apartment is about 1/4th the size of their apartment!
Category: Everyday activities Page 1 of 2
Our stated purpose for two summer weeks in Sestri Levante was to attend an Italian language school http://www.abcschoolsestrilevante.com, but escaping the scorching city heat became equally important as our un-air conditioned Milan apartment climbed into the 90’s during July!
On the recommendation of a friend, one of our last fun trips with Mom on this “Mother-Daughter Trip of 2019” was a day trip to Vigevano from Milan, known as the “Ideal Town”; home of a modern-day “Museum of Shoes” and boasting a beautiful piazza and castle.
By the time Mom and I made it to Vienna, we were ready to slow things down a notch.
The View from our Vienna Airbnb 
The Vienna Cathedral 
Outside the Vienna Cathedral
I met a lovely woman in Milan who originally hails from Budapest, Hungary. She also happens to own a flat in the historic Vth District of Budapest (the “Pest” side), on the very desirable pedestrian street of Vaci Utca. Venturing beyond the safe confines of the European Union border, my wish for our mother-daughter trip was to get out of our comfort zone and experience an area neither Mom nor I had visited before. What better place to visit than Budapest?
Our first trip to Sicily began in the famous resort town of Taormina where on a clear day Mount Etna looms large from on high, and the aquamarine blue waters, with crashing waves and dark, rocky beaches, beckon below.
We enjoyed our first 2019 visitor from the States in February, with one week to explore and show her northern Italy. With the visit coinciding with Kevin’s winter school break, we put on our running shoes (and for La Scala, our fancy shoes!), and spared no time to show our friend all we could of the area we now call home!
Kevin and BethAllyn atop the Milan Duomo! 
A very long, busy day!
There is more to Parma than food, I was surprised to discover. Walk around. The Piazza Garibaldi has a bronze statue of Giuseppe Garibaldi, considered the founding father of the country of Italy. On one side of the square is the Governor’s Palace which has a central bell tower with an interesting and large clockface that also shows the time in other parts of the world.
Clocktower of the Governor’s Palace
Timeline: 10:oo am, Friday morning. Thankfully Kevin got paid yesterday, because I practically spent his entire paycheck buying these fresh porcini mushrooms at the outdoor market!
Mushrooms worth their weight in silver (gold will be later, for truffles!)
Ciao a tutti. This is Kevin with an update on my first Italian field trip to Tuscany.