Mix one part Prosecco Valdobbiadene, a beautiful light, dry, effervescent Prosecco, with one part pepato (pecorino cheese with peppercorns); swish softly; and wait patiently but not long at all, the Prosecco molecules will meet those of the pepato in a quite remarkable holy explosion of flavor. Really, why would one ever both with brie and chardonnay? (For future reference, I am reminded to click here for a delicious brand of Presecco. And we’ve been buying the pepato at … more
Category Archives: Travels with Charles
Italian stone (umbrella) pines of Rome
They’re everywhere. Stone pines, also called Italian stone pine, umbrella pine and parasol pine. Any wonder? Symphonies have been written about them (The Four Pines), and websites. Above are two that I captured today while walking through Villa Celimontana, a 16th-century villa & public park at the top of Caelian Hill.
I Cappuccini
Link
Today’s visit to Il Convento dei Cuppuccini di Vea Veneto, including the Capuchin Crypt. Imagine it must really liven up for Dia de los Muertos.
The Capuchin Crypt is a small space comprising several tiny chapels located beneath the church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini on the Via Veneto near Piazza Barberini in Rome, Italy. It contains the skeletal remains of 3,700 bodies believed to be Capuchin friars buried by their order.[1] The Catholic order insists that the display is not meant to be macabre, but a silent reminder of the swift passage of life on Earth and our own mortality.[2]
Described by Frommer’s as “one of the most horrifying images in all of Christendom”,[3] large numbers of the bones are nailed to the walls in intricate patterns, many are piled high among countless others, while others hang from the ceiling as light fixtures.
Anniverary of the Battle of Guadalcanal
From NY Times: “On Feb. 9, 1943, the World War II battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an American victory over Japanese forces.” My father was there, in the engine room of a U.S. Navy ship.
John Keats’ grave in the Protestant Cemetery of Rome
“This Grave / contains all that was Mortal / of a / Young English Poet / Who / on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart / at the Malicious Power of his Enemies / Desired / these Words to be / engraven on his Tomb Stone: / Here lies One / Whose Name was writ in Water. 24 February 1821”
A perfect day
Hung out in the morning and worked. At 2 pm Charlie and I walked along the Tiber and through the Jewish Ghetto to the Pantheon, about 40 minutes away, with a stop for a prosciutto sandwich. We hung out at the Pantheon for a bit, found a great gelateria where Charlie enjoyed – really enjoyed – a dark chocolate gelato. We then walked back home with a lovely detour through Campo di Fiori and a … more
A post I would really, really prefer not to write
But I will because I’m committed to document our entire adventure, good and bad. And today was bad, very very bad. But not as bad as it might have been. Charlie and I got in a car accident. Thankfully no one – not us, nor anyone else – was hurt, but our car was totaled. Here’s what happened. We were driving north west on the Malecon about 1:30 pm, looking for an Oxxo store where … more
CONTEST: Name That Rash
For drinks and dinner, name that rash and/or bug bites, with dessert added for a quick cure. Hints include: Came on last night Only on my back, mostly on my right side Itches and burns Eager to get rid of it The suggestion of teenage acne as a cause and calamine lotion as a cure excluded from the contest. [Digger, you are specifically encouraged to enter.]
Gallery
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mddelapa: Last week I started re-reading Steinbeck and Rickett’s Log to the Sea of Cortez, so this MBA post caught my eye. What a dream Baja must have been in 1940. montereybayaquarium: #ThrowbackThursday: Kelp Forest, Rocky Shore, Open Sea. Wonder why our exhibits are arranged by habitat? Local marine biologist Ed Ricketts, the inspiration for “Doc” in Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row,” championed the study of intertidal “zones,” an idea that influenced the design and layout of the … more
More on the technological nuances of Tumblr
I wrote to Kimberli: For whatever reason, a number of people told me they never saw the Shit Ball post. I suspect it’s because they’re going to this URL: http://travelswithcharles.tumblr.com/ Rather than this one: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/travelswithcharles In the first URL, it appears all private posts are “private,” that is, hidden. In the second URL, they show up. Kimberli wrote to me: The first link is to your open follow blog and the second link is to … more