I take artistic license in defining the Italian phrase La Dolce Vita (“the sweet life”). Mine is more subtle and abstract, less crude and concrete. But what is it really? Is it man’s natural state; the purpose of life to maintain this homeostasis? Is it a progression to a certain level, only after life’s more Continue reading

I admit it. I am a beach snob. I look down my nose at any beach that isn’t located on the coastlines of the Hawaiian Islands. All others pale in comparison. It had not occur to me that the western edge of Tuscany was the Tyrrhenian Sea. I guess I was too distracted by the Continue reading

I had always associated the name “Luka” to the 1987 song about child abuse by folk singer Suzanne Vega. But that changed with a visit to the city of Lucca, roughly 50 miles west of Florence. No longer would the name be tinged with just sadness. Continue reading

As the train drew closer, it was probably the expectation of the predictable or maybe because it was a college town (annoyingly optimistic students, irritating pedantic talk, rowdy drinking) but Pisa did not rouse that same excitement it had just a few months earlier. The tower was there; we were here. The visit felt almost Continue reading