Festa del Redentore, Venice

The third weekend in July is a very special occasion on the Venetian calendar. This is when Festa del Redentore, the Feast of the Redeemer, celebrates the end of a devastating plague that killed 25% of the population of Venice. I first read about the festival in Rosanna Chiofalo's debut novel, Bella Fortuna.

Redentore Church, Venice

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

"Y" is for Year

If I could spend an entire year in Italy, how would I pass my time? What a wonderful dilemma that would be! There’s no shortage of interesting events going on all year long: music, sports, religious celebrations, and festivals for everything from crickets to truffles. Here’s a small sampling of events taking place in Italy for every month of the year.

MediEZEvales

Our visit to Eze Village on the scenic Côte d'Azur came with an unexpected bonus, a medieval festival called MediEZEvales. We'd taken a bus to the hilltop town in the morning, hoping to avoid the worst of the mid-day heat, but there were already signs of the coming attractions. The festival was scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.

MediEZEvales in Eze Village

Avignon and the Pont du Gard

Avignon, July 2012 - The Avalon Scenery sailed at night and we woke up in Avignon, the City of Popes. We'd finally arrived in Provence!

Avalon Scenery double-docked in Avignon