Opera and Shakespeare in Verona

This week I’m back to my posts about Italy, picking up in the north as we journey from Lake Maggiore towards the Adriatic coast. At mid-day we stopped for lunch in  the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Verona, a city best known as the setting for Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet as well as its Roman ruins and summer opera festival.

The Verona Arena

The Camargue, Delta of the Rhone

Port St. Louis, July 2012 - Situated at the mouth of the Rhone River, Port St. Louis marked the end of our river cruise through Burgundy and Provence with Avalon Waterways. We started the day with breakfast – and a mimosa – and then boarded a motor coach bound for St. Rémy de Provence for the Provence Extension to our tour.

The Quay in Port St. Louis

Afternoon in Arles

Arles, July 2012 - This was the last day of our Burgundy and Provence river cruise with Avalon Waterways. We'd spent the morning in the French countryside touring an olive farm and the hilltop town of Les Baux de Provence. Following lunch on board ship our afternoon was dedicated to a walking tour of Arles.

Tour de la Cavalerie and Arles City Gate

"R" is for Roman Ruins

This is Day 18 for the

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

for 2013.

The topic for today is the Romans and the ruins of their ancient settlements found outside the walls of Rome.

The town of Pompeii south of Rome was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, preserving extensive ruins under layers of volcanic ash.

The Ruins of Pompeii

"N" is for Nîmes

This is Day 14 for the

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

for 2013.

The letter "N" is for Nîmes. All who share the modern obsession for jeans owe their thanks to this city where denim fabric was created. The English word denim comes from the French "de Nîmes" (from Nîmes).


Located in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France, Nîmes is better known for its well preserved ancient Roman buildings, like the Maison Carrée

Maison Carrée, Nîmes