It was early December and myself and three fellow singers from the ship had been asked to make the trip to the Vatican to make a film to be shown to the passengers in the build-up to Christmas. Glory, glory, Hallelujah! A trip to the Vatican!! At Christmas!! I'd been before, a couple of times,… Continue reading A Christmas Story: That Time I Got Kicked Out of the Vatican City
The port of Civitavecchia is often sold as 'The Gateway to Rome', which is a little misleading considering Rome is over an hour away by road. However while many people skip Civitavecchia completely in favour of the Colosseum and other Roman treats, this little port city is worth a look in too. This place has… Continue reading Things to do in Civitavecchia, Italy
I totes get it. People visit Pisa for the Leaning Tower; it seems to be defying gravity, Elphaba style. And it's one of the most popular landmarks in the whole of Italy, so it goes without saying that you should definitely check it out if you're in the vicinity. But there is so much more… Continue reading Things to do in Pisa other than the Tower
Most visitors arrive in the city of Livorno by cruise ship, ready to head out into the surrounding Tuscan countryside or to the nearby cities of Florence, Pisa, or Lucca. Don't get me wrong, it makes sense that you'd want to head further afield to the more interesting, classically beautiful places. But what to do… Continue reading What to do in Livorno, Tuscany’s Port City
Tuscany is one of the most-visited regions of Italy, famous for its rolling hills, scenic views and quaint villages. And don't even get me started on the region's most famous cities- Florence and Pisa. But if you're looking for somewhere off the beaten path in Tuscany, check out this incredible hidden gem. Here's how I… Continue reading One Day in Lucca – the hidden gem of Tuscany
Florence at any time of year is exquisitely beautiful. Its streets are filled with elegant architectural masterpieces holding artistic treasures galore. But Florence in winter, even in the freezing cold bleak midwinter, has a special kind of magic about it. I was rather on the sad side when I realised that that day when we… Continue reading Florence in Winter • A day trip from Livorno
When I declared to anyone on the ship who would listen that I was 'soooo excited' that we were docking for one day in Naples, I mostly heard back replies along the lines of 'I hate Naples, it's a dangerous place,' 'I won't bother getting off the ship that day,' and 'Naples is dirty.' In… Continue reading A Winter Day in Naples
Milan Bergamo Airport is to Milan what Stansted is to London. Once upon a time, the powerful forces of nature, Budapest airport, and the glorious company that is Ryanair all joined together in a magical but tragic alignment of the stars, setting off a chain reaction of events and strange surprises. The likes of which… Continue reading Milan Bergamo Airport is Nowhere Near Milan – that time we got stuck in Italy
I'm a bit late to the party here, given that we're almost one month into the new year, but at this particular moment in time I appear to be stuck in a hotel in Hamburg with not a whole lot to do. So what better way to fill the time than a casual reflection on… Continue reading A Rather Late Round-Up of 2017
Part two of my adventures teaching English in Italy: San Lorenzo in Le Marche. If you need to catch up on part one, here it is in all its bloggy glory. I may have been the one doing all the teaching, but here are all the lessons I learnt along the way. 1. What it… Continue reading Teaching English in Italy • San Lorenzo, Le Marche
