We celebrated our anniversary at the Inn at Perry Cabin in Saint Michaels, Maryland. There was nothing better than sitting by the pool, in the kayak, on our balcony, in the adirondack chairs and watching the water go by. 
Our Everyday
Sharing our stories, big and small.
Posts tagged “travel”
One of the experiences I insisted on having during our trip to Italy was a cooking class. There are many options and it becomes challenging to discern one from the next. Fortunately our hotel recommended a private class offered by La Piaggia. This experience was beyond all my expectations; it was intimate, immersive, elegant and casual all at once.
Podere La Piaggia is a family run estate nestled among the hills of Chianti Classico. Situated on the slope overlooking Siena and the Val d’Elsa, the estate occupies an area of just over forty hectares, half of which are uncultivated and consist of woods, while the rest of the land is divided between vineyards and olive groves. In the center is the farmhouse, with the cellar below dating back to the 1600s. Three generations tend to this land. Despite the necessary modernization carried out over the years, La Piaggia holds to the ancient winegrowing tradition with a respect for nature in all of the production phases.
Castello di Ama is a winery in Siena, Italy. Ama takes its name from a small hamlet that dates back to the 12th century. Five centuries ago, it was the hub of a florid farming and winemaking business overseen by a group of local families. In the 1970s a group of families, fallen under the spell of this magical spot, set themselves the task of reviving Ama’s past glories and of producing a Chianti Classico that would rank among the world’s most prestigious wines. Today Castello di Ama, one of Tuscany’s most famous wineries, is owned almost entirely by the couple Lorenza Sebasti and Marco Pallanti.
There is an ideology, a romantic notion of “getting lost”. To get lost is to throw away the maps and the plans in hopes of discovering something new. Driving on the Autostrada, 70 kilometers outside of Rome, we saw a small town sitting on a high cliff. It was shocking in contrast to the surrounding landscape. We drove into the small town on a narrow road that runs one-way through the entire town. And when I say narrow, I could reach my arm out of the car window and touch the stone walls. I craned my neck to stare up the length of the buildings and the only thing keeping my mouth from hanging open was the repeated utterance “Guys look at this, what a gem!” It was a gem because it was a treasure we were not seeking yet discovered all the same.
Tagged: family, family vacation, Italy, Orte, photography, travel, travel photography
The Tiber River rises at Mount Fumaiolo in Emilia-Romagna and meets the sea at Ostia, meandering its way through Italy for 252 miles. Legend says Rome’s founders, the twin brothers Romulus and Remus, were abandoned on its waters, where they were rescued by the she-wolf, Lupa.
Tagged: family vacation, Italy, photography, Rome, street photography, Tiber River, travel, travel photography
Tagged: Ancient Rome, Colosseum, family vacation, Italy, photography, Roman Forum, Rome, travel, travel photography
The view from Belvedere Palace in Vatican City
Encircled by a 2-mile border with Italy, Vatican City is an independent city-state that covers just over 100 acres, making it one-eighth the size of New York’s Central Park. Vatican City is governed as an absolute monarchy with the pope at its head. The Vatican mints its own euros, prints its own stamps, issues passports and license plates, operates media outlets and has its own flag and anthem.
Rome is a juxtaposition of old and new. It is modern, the energy and sophistication reminding me of New York City while its low skyline revering history reminds me of Washington D.C. Yet here the history is ancient. The Colosseum, built in 70 AD, rises up at the end of Via dei Fori Imperiali, a road constructed by the order of Mussolini in 1923. While the road is highly controversial due to the demolition of ancient and medieval structures and the continued damage to the ancient monuments, it has created one of the most awe inspiring views in the world.
Tagged: history, Italy, photography, Rome, storytelling photography, street photography, travel
Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The gift and annual celebration honor the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan and the continued close relationship between the two countries. Today’s National Cherry Blossom Festival has grown from modest beginnings to the nation’s greatest springtime celebration spanning four weekends and including events such as the Blossom Kite Festival which showcases the creativity of kite makers and skill of fliers from across the US and other countries.
Text adapted from http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org
“We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.”
– Willy Wonka
Tagged: dance, music, photography, street performers, street photography, travel, Washington D.C.
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