Menaggio, a lakeside hamlet of some 3200 souls, is located on a coveted perch at the middle of Lake Como where the three long legs of the Y-shaped Lake Como combine. It shares this mid-lake perch with the very popular waterfront towns of Bellagio and Varenna, both of which are easily and conveniently accessible from […]
It is the middle of May and I’m full of feelings of elation and anticipation upon debarking from the train at Varenna Italy’s tiny but lovely and characteristically Italian train station. It is a short downhill walk to Lake Como’s waterfront and the ferry boat landing. A brief wait for the next ferry boat […]
Ah, yes, the Cote d’Azur. Cool, clean water, towns with long beaches lined with wide pedestrian promenades, and bright blue skies. Well, not always. Sometimes the skies are grey, especially in October when I came sauntering through. I don’t blame that on Antibes. And, sometimes, such as in Antibes, long beaches lined with pedestrian walkways […]
Halfway between Nice and Monaco on the Cote d’Azur lies Heaven. Call it Heaven on Earth or call it what you want, but for Beatrice Rothschild, an heiress of a wealthy French banking family, this was her vision of Heaven. Clinging firmly to the peninsula called Cap Ferrat, this villa and gardens are a must-see, […]
You feel a bit light-headed. There is a white mist all around you. Looking downward through the mist you see in the distance a deep blue sea simmering in the sun. Stationary goddesses looking out over the sea with a look of longing for something, or maybe just quiet contemplation surround you. Now you see […]
Of all the towns and villages along the cote d’Azur, there are few that provide a postcard perfect place full of pastel orange and yellow ochre buildings that hug the oceanfront along a small harbor populated by sailboats and fishing boats, tranquil and peaceful winding steep pedestrian-only lanes, a smart collection of affordable shops and […]
A small dog dressed in his best suit greets visitors on the piazza. An old man hangs his head out his window to greet his neighbor in the street below. The narrow cobblestone lanes seem to go on forever with plants in Pompeiian pots that adorn doorways and windowsills while plush vines climb up the […]
Not all of life on the cote d’Azur is centered on the oceanfront with its exquisite wide beaches and quaint and lovely towns full of museums and shops and row after row of cafes and restaurants. Go a few miles or kilometers inland and there lies a number of small appealing hill towns each with […]
Nice, France is a jewel of a city located along the fabulously blue Mediterranean Sea on the Cote d’Azur. This iconic city is famous for its beaches and seaside promenade and its boundless creative energy that comes from its never ending spirit of savourer la vie (savoring life). An expression of this creative energy is […]
europe on 15 espressos a day 