Susan Nelson

Did you know that English poet Lord Byron swam across the bay of Portovenere to visit his fellow English muse, Shelley, who was residing in the village of San Terenzo? Hence comes the name of the cove, The Bay of …

My first night at the Castello Verrazzano (yes, the bridge in New York is named after Captain Verrazzano) in Greve leaves me refreshed and eager to explore the new surroundings. I hike up the half mile to the castle from …

Ponza is one of six islands that make up the archipelago called the Pontine Islands. Set in the Tyrrhenian sea just off the west coast of Italy between Rome and Naples, Ponza is the largest and most developed. The port of …

“I love the way life is spent in Italy….It’s really nice to sit down and have a two-hour lunch, which the Italians do. I realized that I had spent 15, 20 years standing up and shoveling food down my throat. …

When I pass statues from antiquity, whether in a museum or in the environment, my curiosity perks. Who were they? What were their names and how did they impact their world? Most were worshipped as mythical deities or emperors who …

I thought long and hard about this one, because there are so many things I find charming about Italy. However, I do have my top three reasons that always have the same effect on me each time I return. After …

  Susan spent a few days in Rome and tells us why the Eternal city is a not-to-miss destination in Italy.   Amazing Rome. There is no one like you….Sounds like the beginnings of a song. But Rome demands its …

I was at a loss for words. What was this? My handsome Italian server had placed a heaping plate of black spaghetti in front of me, sprinkled with bits of calamari, tomatoes and zucchini strips. Colorful, to say the least. …

Susan takes us around Rome, exploring one of the misteries in the Chiesa dei Pellegrini.    While in Rome, I usually set some time aside to visit a few of the 900+ churches in the eternal city. Each one is …