I ignored all the warnings. My host Matej had promised to be unaccommodating and even said her house was full of poison, but I decided to visit her anyway. It turned out to be a great decision, and in the tiny village of Vinska Gora, Matej and her boyfriend Zdrocco ended up being some of the kindest people I’d met on my trip. Matej First she served me a vegetable soup, and we shared a glass of wine together. Then, along with her independent-minded and friendly dog Don, we set out amongst the freshly blooming sprouts of spring plants, and up the slopes of the South-easternmost Slovenian Alps. The view of Matej’s valley was absolutely stunning, even from our starting point. As we passed through wooded areas, and climbed up into the sky on this sunny ... read more

Venice is the most expensive city in the world that I have seen, but it’s worth it. Whenever I’m locked somewhere and I feel like I’m forced to pay an exuberant amount for something/everything, I make the remark, “These bastards think they’re Disneyland.” In this case, Venice IS Disneyland. Venice is far betterthan Disneyland. Venice is a real freaking city, built in the last millennia, where all the buildings are fantastic, and the streets themselves are works of art. There is nothing that can possibly prepare the well-traveled voyager, who has seen hundreds of cities, for the miracle that is Venice. The idea of so much water in a city is simply unfathomable, to make a small pun. What struck me, as I rode the public water bus for two magnificent, sunset hours, was that the ... read more

Socialism: a family affair All I saw of Bologna as I motored on through its highways were the booted prostitutes on the street corner, wearing hot pants in the snow. When I reached Modena, my host Claudio told me they were mostly Romanians and Nigerians, who had settled into that particular market niche in Northern Italy. As he told me this, we watched hundreds of young and old Modenese parade through the streets in support of a communist agenda in the upcoming national elections. Swarms of impartial SWAT officers stood aloofly, observing the protest. Two beaming young girls rushed to a portable microphone, and led the chanting that accompanied the march. They smiled with great satisfaction as they venomously unleashed their harsh words of criticism against the sitting government. My host family Claudio and Cornelia are ... read more

“Do you understand what just happened?” the greasy con man asked. “You got played” I’d stopped at a fuel station10 km south of Pescara to take some headache medicine, and while I dug through my bag to find it, I saw three men who appeared to be playing a shell game along the side of the building. Having zero interest in gambling, I hardly made a note of it. Then, out of nowhere… “Did you drive that Vespa all the way from London?” I looked up to see a well-dressed Italian man in a fine outer coat speaking to me in English. “Yes actually, I did.” “That’s a really long way,” he said. “Yes, it is.” “Do you see what they’re doing over there?” he asked. I said I did, but wasn’t interested at all. He ... read more

Back in one of my favorite cities My boat was late. After a tame ferry ride, my boat arrived in Napoli about 2-1/2 hours behind schedule. I got just a little bit lost, but none of that matters. I am here with my lovely Neapolitan family again. I do love this place. Protests, tours and lunch Marisa took me to a protest of Israeli made-invested products outside a supermarket. We stood outside picketing and informing the customers of the evil done by their uninformed purchasing decisions. After a brief walk to the top of the city, a peak at the castle and a museum, we ate a delicious lunch, while Elena studied for her gravely important medical school exam, which had already been postponed at least twice - driving her crazy. Marisa took me down to ... read more