Simple Italy – Page 2 – Celebrating Your Inner Italian

Remembering Luciano Pavarotti

Posted June 6, 2019 by Sharon 2 Comments

I’ve spent quite a bit of time with the late Luciano Pavarotti this week and it has been emotional.

Last Saturday, Walter and I were in Pavarotti’s hometown of Modena, Italy. I made a pilgrimage to his statue outside the opera house, now named Teatro Comunale Luciano Pavarotti in his honor.

We drove out to the countryside to tour the light-saturated home where the great operatic tenor lived and died. The building is now Luciano Pavarotti Casa e Museo (Luciano Pavarotti house and museum). It’s a treasure trove of audio, video, photographs, celebrity fan letters to the maestro, theatrical costumes and more. The walls are adorned with Paravrotti’s colorful paintings and a glass box showcases some of his art supplies.

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Marionette Museum in Palermo

Posted May 23, 2019 by Sharon Leave a Comment

By Walter Sanders

At first I balked at paying 5 Euro for a ticket to see what … a marionette museum? But Sharon said, “We have to experience this. UNESCO lists the Sicilian puppet theater on its Intangible Heritage site.”

Now I think that the Antonio Pasqualino Museo Internazionale delle Marionette ticket is a bargain.

Located in the ancient Moorish La Kalsa district of Palermo, the Museum is housed on a narrow side street between Piazza Marina and Via Butera. If you miss the modest signage, you may very well miss the museum.

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Ferdinando Scianna Exhibit in Palermo

Posted May 8, 2019 by Sharon Leave a Comment

Ferdinando Scianna: Viaggio, Racconto, Memoria (Travel, Story, Memory) is currently showing at the Modern Art Museum in Palermo.

I had never seen Scianna’s work prior to this show. Now, I can’t imagine a world without it. His eye is keen and empathetic.

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Palermo Flea Market

Posted May 5, 2019 by Sharon 2 Comments

By Sharon Sanders

Our first full day in Palermo started with great time at the Sunday flea market. Mercatino Antiquario di Piazza Marina runs weekly from 7 a.m. to midday. Dozens of vendors surround the lovely gated park and nearby streets.

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Milis in Sardinia

Posted May 3, 2019 by Sharon Leave a Comment

By Walter Sanders

Sardinia tour guide Paola Loi connected us with the mayor of Milis Sergio Vacca.

In 2018, when Sharon was studying Italian in Bergamo, and I caught up with her in Cremona, we met up with old pals James Martin and Martha Bakerjian.

These renowned Italy bloggers split their time between northern California and a small town in the wild and wooly Lunigiana section of Tuscany near Massa Carrarra.

The pair met in the mid-1980s when they both worked on an archeological dig in Sardinia. They share an avid interest in Italy and blog at Martha’s Italy, Wandering Sardinia, and Wandering Italy

Over lunch we decided to meet again in 2019 to explore Sardinia together. In April, 2019 we boarded a Corsica Ferries boat in Livorno for an overnight crossing to Porto Aranci in Sardinia. [Read more…]

Bosa in Sardinia

Posted April 29, 2019 by Sharon Leave a Comment

The banks of the Temo River in Bosa, Sardinia. The Malaspina Castle is on the hill (above left).

Driving south from Alghero on the northwest coast of Sardinia, it’s a scenic hour-long drive south to the ancient town of Bosa. On a fine sunny April morning, with tapestries of wildflowers cascading down the mountains to the Mediterranean Sea, you might think you were in Paradise.