Karin Loves Italia

 I ordinarily write a blog post once per week, but yesterday was a highly unusual day so I am filing a special report. Yesterday was John the Baptist Day in Florence.  John the Baptist (St. Giovanni) is the patron saint of Florence, and the importance of his feast day is right up there with Christmas in the Florentine calendar.  I only know this because the housekeeper who comes every two weeks told me she couldn't come yesterday because of the holiday. Three major events are held on June 24th each year.  The first is a lengthy parade of people, cows and horses all dressed in Medieval costumes. All of them have their heads firmly on their shoulders. Thankfully, there were no reenactments of what happened to John the Baptist! I took these photos and videos from the television. We were advised to watch from home. Do note that yesterday it was 94 degrees in Florence!  I don't have photos of the women participants, but most of them were wearing velvet gowns.  T...

For quite some time I have been telling my sons that when I die, many years from now, I would like them to sprinkle some of my ashes in front of each and every Broadway theater. My fondest desire is unlimited access to shows throughout eternity.  After visiting Lake Como, however, I am rethinking this strategy.  My new plan is to have the three of them journey to this magnificent locale together, ask our new friend, Alberto, to drive them into the lake on a traditional wooden boat, and dump me overboard.  Heaven is Lake Como. See? Speaking of death, I tried to catch up on the headlines while on the train to Como.  This one from The New York Times caught my eye.  "Drinking Coffee Lowers Your Risk of Death."   Really?  I have always believed my risk of death is 100%, but if drinking a few cups of coffee a day can lower that risk, I'm all for it.  I have had two fully caffeinated cups of Americano every day since reading that article, and I...

I have no right to complain about the number of tourists in Venice. I am, after all, one of them. We moved to Bucks County 40 years ago when "rural" was an apt descriptor for our bucolic home. I wanted to be the last family allowed in.  Any further suburban sprawl would mar the beauty of our little town while increasing traffic and displacing farmers. That was a pipe dream! I feel the same way about Venice. Let me in, but please keep all the other tourists away so I can enjoy the magnificence of the city on the water in peace.  Honestly, compared to Venice, Florence is a ghost town. Coincidentally, the night before we left for Venice, we watched our new favorite Neflix series,  Somebody Feed Phil,  (Thank you for the recommendation, JoAnn) and Phil was in Venice. Phil Rosenthal is Anthony Bourdain minus the cynicism.  He is a "Nice Jewish Boy" who travels the world and reports on his experiences, most of which involve food.  Unlike Bourdain, Phil is sweet a...