Euro Fall 2024: Mainz
For our flight from Italy back to the US we had the option for a multi-day stopover in Germany. Not too far from Frankfurt is the bulk of Germany's wine region along the Rhine and Mosel rivers, so we decided to make this area the final destination on our trip. Since...
Euro Fall 2024: two nights in Rome
On Monday we took the train from Bari to Rome. The train trip itself was strange in that there was no space for larger bags, so we were forced to reshuffle our packing in order to jam our bags in the small rack above our heads. Nonetheless, we arrived in the late...
Euro Fall 2024: a weekend in Matera
After a week in Valle d'Itria we checked out of our apartment and headed north to the very edge of Puglia and Basilicata, with Matera as our destination for two final nights in southern Italy. Saturday, Oct 5 Driving north the olive groves thinned out and we started...
Euro Fall 2024: Puglia coastal towns
Pulia is also known for its coastline, and on this trip we visited several of the sea-side towns. southern Italy map with coastal towns inset location Puglia coast towns we visited Towns we visited Brindisi Brindisi has a charming Italian coastal vibe, with clean and...
Euro Fall 2024: food in Locorotondo and wine “experiences”
Tuesday, Oct 1 Our first dinner in Locorotondo was also our best. Pavì wine restaurant is located just outside of the narrow old town, with a terrace overlooking the landscape. It was chilly though so we chose to sit inside the cozy cave-like dining room. I tried the...
Euro Fall 2024: a week in Valle d’Itria
Following our week in Bari and weekend in Lecce, we next headed to the middle of Puglia, Valle d'Itria. southern Italy map with Valle d'Itria inset location Valle d'Itria towns we visited Known for vineyards, olive groves, and hilltop towns, we were expecting this...
Euro Fall 2024: Lecce food & drink
Saturday, Sept 28 Dinner at Crianza - you definitely needed reservations here! Lots of people turned away. We sat outside and enjoyed watching the streams of people, and a considerable number of cars and bikes, go by. We started with a bottle of the Tenuta Paraida...
Euro Fall 2024: a weekend in Lecce
On one of our longer drives last year we listened to a podcast about Lecce and the baroque architecture in town. As usual, it made us want to see it for ourselves, so Lecce was a natural choice for a weekend while we were in Puglia. After the stress of our rental car...
Euro Fall 2024: Bari food & drink
Monday, Sept 23 Our first dinner was at Ruffiano, where we had made reservations - they were busy on a Monday night, and we were seated at an outdoor table. Little did Leandra know that the mosquitoes had a reservation for her feet that night! They didn't have a list...
Euro Fall 2024: taralli cooking class
I was so excited when I first spotted this airbnb experience as most of the other cooking classes I found in Puglia were on the pricey side and almost always included pasta making, which I already did in Bologna years back. Marcella’s class was 2.5 hours for about $40...
Euro Fall 2024: Bari sights
There were three main spots outside our neighborhood that we explored: Lungomare di Bari, Bari Vecchia, and Murat. Lungomare di Bari is the seaside walking area. It's hard to tell from a map just how busy the road right next to this promenade actually is, but it is...
Euro Fall 2024: a weekend in London
After our flight delay we had two full days left in London, and we spent virtually all of it with family. Saturday, Sept 21 We took it easy Saturday morning, making plans to check out a few different art exhibits in the afternoon before dinner in Soho. Our afternoon...
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Wisconsin + Chicago
Rugby World Cup (Sept)
Seychelles (Nov)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)