For as long as I remember, I have always wanted to visit Venice at Carnevale time. This year, I finally managed to tick it off my bucket list. Having visited before, some 15 odd years ago, I was familiar with Venice and the islands of Murano and Burano. Whilst I could, of course,  see the […]

I had only been to Bologna once and that was just passing through on the train, which really doesn’t count. So, when the opportunity arose to go there for the weekend, of course the answer was yes! Being a fairly short journey from Rome (just two hours and twenty minutes), it was cheap and easy

Oh, Frascati, I have loved you for so long! I have been making a pilgrimage to this hillside town in the so-called “Castelli Romani” near enough every time that I visited Italy for the past 18 years. As a regular visitor to Frascati, I have always been drawn in by its beauty, history, and of

As a Brit, it seemed almost incredible that I was able to sit outside on 23rd December and enjoy a meal lakeside in Trevignano… Yet here we were, the day before my flight back to the UK for Christmas with my family. I also couldn’t quite believe that my first term in Italy was done

Despite having been born to Pietro di Bernardone, a wealthy cloth merchant, Francesco (born Giovanni) is the man who became known as the Poverello (“Poor Little Man”). He is arguably one of the most venerated religious figures in Roman Catholic history. Born in Assisi in the 12th century, Francis was a wealthy young man who gave

The world’s largest Christmas tree? Why, yes, I have seen it… Having spent the night in our hotel in the countryside, just outside of  Perugia, we made our way to Gubbio. No, I hadn’t heard of it either! I had, however, seen pictures on Instagram of the world’s largest Christmas tree. The tree, which has

The 8th December in Italy marks the Feast of the Immaculate Conception bank holiday. Having a good chunk of days off together, Nadia, my Canadian friend, and I decided to embark on a road trip to Umbria. For such a long time, I have wanted to go to Perugia and Assisi. Im not particularly religious,

My life this academic year is the polar opposite of my life in years gone by. Having once worked all the hours that god sends in a school, giving up outings and meals with family and friends for the sake of catching up/ keeping up with my mammoth workload, I am now free to enjoy

Autumn is truly upon us. My lovely friend Jo came to visit from Spain this week and it has been just great showing her around. Halloween also happened. Wow, I am truly gobsmacked at how well Bracciano does Halloween. The shops were all decorated, the kids were trick or treating in the shops, rather than

One sunny afternoon this week, I decided to take a trip up to Viterbo. About 50 minutes from Bracciano by train, Viterbo is a beautiful medieval city nestled in the Lazio countryside. With beautiful buildings, imposing squares, winding streets and a tonne of history, Viterbo is a true treat for visitors and locals alike. I