Shivering in Matera November 7th 2006 Our latest trip was to Matera in Basilicata. This is where the film "The Passion" was shot. It is about two and half hours southeast of Brindisi. We took the slow road once again and were richly rewarded. It was a pleasant morning drive. We arrived around noon at our B&B "Villa Paola." Very clean and hospitable; I highly recommend this place. The owners were very nice and helpful. The hos ... read more
Europe » Italy » Apulia » Brindisi Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the city-states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI establis... ... read more
I was sitting in an Irish pub and the crowd was doing singalongs. A friendly chap asked me to stand up and sing and I hesitated. He said to me, "If you don't sing you'll never be one of us. You'll always be just a tourist." So I sang.
I travel to meet the locals and go to the places they hang out for dining, drinking, and fun. I go to be more than just a tourist. Who wants to be treated as "just a tourist?" It is a hell of a lot fun to be more than just that.
In the words of my hero, Anthony Bourdain: "Be a traveller, not a tourist." ... full info