In autumn 2019 my son and I visited the Langhe region in northern Italy. Langhe is the hilly area to the south and east of the river Tanaro in the province of Cuneo in Piedmont. This stunning area is famous for its wine, cheese and truffles. Piedmont is surrounded on 3 sides by the Alps, …more

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Since we bought our apartment in Bagni di Lucca in northern Tuscany almost 15 years ago I spend 6 months of every year in glorious Italy. I am often asked by first time visitors to Italy how to make the most of their trip. Time is precious and there is much to see. If I …more

Moving to Italy was my dream. As I approached retirement age, I could be found most nights surfing the web, searching for my place in the sun. Those cold, wet winter evenings in Galway, Ireland, glass of red wine (Italian) and a few potato chips for company, I scanned a multitude of property websites in …more

One Saturday night earlier this year I waited backstage muttering “l’allodola” under my breath, while a young jazz musician with a bright white satin tie covered in musical notation chatted to me, clearly trying to cheer me up. “I’m really English,” he said in Italian, “aren’t you impressed by my Italian?” Applause drifted back stage …more

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10 years ago we bought an apartment in Bagni di Lucca. We did almost no research. An Italian friend suggested Lucca as a suitable place to buy. We loved Lucca, but a home there was a bit out our price range so we headed north to Bagni di Lucca, a collection of villages in the …more

I wouldn’t be surprised if you hadn’t heard of Abruzzo. I certainly hardly knew of its existence before one particularly torrid, sticky Roman summer. Fed up of staying indoors all day to escape the heat and the frayed nerves of the Romans, my boyfriend and I were looking for an escape route. We dreamed of …more

Ever wonder what it would be like to make Europe your home? After having lived all around the United States and traveling much of the world, my husband and I moved to Portugal more than seven years ago. Here’s why we stay. Lifestyle Born in Brooklyn and living almost 30 years in Los Angeles, I’m …more

Have you ever started a project, determined to finish it no matter how long it took? Well, that was me this past summer I spent most of my long, hot, humid summer days focusing on completing my latest, longest project … my novel Lady on the Run. I began this story in the ’70s, and …more