Sunset vibes at castle Solitide. Picknick. Aperol Spritz. Weekend vibes. Friday after work. Chill out. 

Dear Italy, 

my first time in Italy: when I was 2 years old, chicken pocks included. I don’t remember but my parents do. 

I pretty much spent my childhood & teenager summer vacations with my family in Bibione, swimming on the Adriatic Coast, visiting Venice, Luna Park… great memories. 

A cruise stop in Palermo in Sicily as teenager. 

Later, when I was a student, I came with my bestie and we did Interrail: Rome, Florence, Pisa, Milano, Cinque Terre & Genova. We had a blast. 

Hubby and I visited Lago di Garda and Verona just the day after borders were opened up in COVID pandemic. 

A year later we came with Aperoli and toured Lago di Como. The Italians loved our mini. Aperoli did great on the tight winding roads around the lake and in the mountains. 

And now we just returned from 3 weeks in Liguria, Sardinia, the beautiful Amalfi Coast and Tuscany. 

What can I say: we are in love with you, Italy, the land of espresso and olives, mopeds and Romans! It’s your simplicity of living. Slow afternoons at the beach. Aperitivo. Delicious dinner. A glass of red wine. Dolce Vita. 

Who doesn’t love Italian food? It’s so unfussy, yet so good. The very best pizza, for example, is one hand-made, with skill and passion from years of being genuinely proud of what you’re making. Fresh, local cheese and tomatoes, the smell of fresh basil leaves, and a beautiful, crispy crust. Walk down a side street and find a trattoria. That’s the one: the one with the steamed-up windows and the delicious smell drifting out from inside. You’re beckoned in, and for the rest of the evening you’re treated as if you’re a long-lost member of the family. A bowl of fresh pasta, a delicate seafood main and a rich dessert later (plus a couple of glasses of wine), and suddenly life seems awfully simple.

Italy, you are sexy. No matter if it’s the ladies in their bikini string tangas, a sexy cut that shows just enough skin, but maintains a bit of mystery, at the beach or the expressions of affection displayed by all the lovers on the town. Oh la la! What a public intimacy, but why not, that’s you, Italy! 

La Dolce Vita – one of the things that’s amazing about you is just how very Italian you are. There are few countries on earth that live up so completely to their own stereotype — and I mean that in the best possible way. The girl on the back of the scooter, laughing wildly, hair flying behind her, clinging onto her boyfriend as he navigates the traffic. Two people having a discussion over a morning espresso, voices raised, gestures flying; are they discussing last night’s football, a major legal case, or the mileage on a Fiat Panda? It doesn’t matter; what matters is that it’s important now.

This, after all, is the real you, Italy. The day to day occurrences that makes us happy, as a tourist, simply to be a part of. And that’s why we know that when we can once again visit you, it’ll be the same vibrant, lively, dramatic place it’s always been.

That’s what we know is you, Italy. It’s crazy, and there’s nowhere else like it.

Well, we love everything about you, Italy. From the fashionable north to the rustic, beautiful south, and the island of Sardinia, there’s a million reasons to visit. So let’s do it! We are sure to be back again! Soon. Very soon!

Ti amo,

A, S & C

Tuscany… rolling hills, sleepy small charming towns, sunsets, vineyards and orchards, Chianti wine, olives & olive oil, sunflowers, and the birth place of Leonardo da Vinci… yes! That’s Tuscany! 

We stayed at an “agriturismo”** in Tuscany, means we stayed in a home in the countryside that is open to hosting guests with opportunities to connect with the land during the stay. In our case experiencing the vineyard, wine tasting included 😁 what a fabulous connection! 

** Agriturismo: the word comes from agri (agriculture) and turismo (tourism), so it basically means agricultural tourism.

Temperature is much cooler compared to the Amalfi Coast, good time for drinking red wine again!

Short stop but delicious and beautiful, we have to come back to Tuscany!

Next stop: Lombardia, the very north of Italy and the border to Switzerland. 

We are right in the mountains. It’s all about curves, curves and more curves. The drive ridiculous, the view amazing! 

Back home in Germany.

Italy is known for its incredible places. What they end up doing is leaving you wanting to go back and explore more of Italy. This is exactly where the island of Sardinia comes in 🌞

We were already wowed by just entering Sardinia’s Port. 

Are you ready for crystal blue water? Sometimes shades of turquoise? And dreamy white sand beaches?

Besides the divine beaches, Sardinia is dry. And wild. 

We apparently picked out a village in which locals become very old! Older than 100 years! Wine is one of the secrets. Let’s see how much wine we can drink in one week. For life extension. lol. 

Our relaxing vacation life goes like this: sleeping in, cappuccinos for breakfast, reading, swimming, ice-cream, a little snooze, swimming, aperitivo, dinner, sleep 😃

A boat trip to remote white sand beaches.

Leaving one paradise and on the way to another one: the Amalfi Coast. Now boarding our ferry. 

Arrivederci, beautiful island! 

Stopover in Switzerland. 16.5C degrees. Rain. But great little hotel nestled in the mountains (would have never found it, if our Bulli hadn’t broken down).

Got a bit confused coming out of Gotthard tunnel and every sign in Italian, made us think we were in Italy… in fact we were in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland… hope we didn’t get flashed. lol.

We are in Italy: blue sky, 33C degrees, the smell of rosemary, listening to the crickets. Amore. And feeling super hot with quite a bit of temperature change compared to our German summer.

Adapting fast: long siestas in the big heat. Italian dinner and outdoor life starts around 8:30pm when it’s cooled down to „only“ 27C degrees.

First gelato, OMG, soooo good!

Italy so far….

Ready for the night: taking the ferry to the island of Sardines. Bye bye Genova!

The Amalfi Coast is a 50km stretch of luscious coastline, and simply stunning and the craziest part of Italy I have seen so far. 13 charming towns that cling to the dramatic cliffside. And lots of traffic on the tiny winding cliff roads.

It’s all about Amalfi lemons…

The Amalfi Coast road offers some of the best views of the Amalfi Coast. However, it certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted! With narrow lanes, wild Italian drivers, tourist drivers, and steep cliffs, there are definitely some hair-raising moments. Hubby almost having a nervous breakdown driving those tiny busy little roads… we parked the car for the rest of the time here… but even going by public bus made me nervous…

Amalfi Coast, beautiful, delicious and we found another little paradise. Bella Italia 🫶

Next stop: Tuscany. Slowly making our way back north.

Stopover in Switzerland🇨🇭16.5C degrees. Rain. But great little hotel nestled in the mountains (would have never found it, if our Bulli hadn’t broken down).

We are in Italy 🇮🇹 : blue sky, 37C degrees, the smell of rosemary, listening to the crickets. Amore. Feeling super hot with quite a bit of temperature change compared to our German summer.

Adapting fast: long siestas in the big heat. Italian dinner and outdoor life starts around 8:30pm when it’s cooled down to „only“ 27C degrees.

First gelato, OMG, soooo good!

Italy so far….

We arrived in Genova, capital city of Liguria, birthplace of Christopher Columbus and the city with the biggest port of Italy: good night! We are taking the ferry from here to Sardegna ⛴️

…and so the holidays continue… life is great 😎

Wow! One week Olympic Games and so many fantastic athletes, games and impressions! I put my favorite ones together. Enjoy!

51 verschiedene Disziplinen gibt es bei den Olympischen Spielen in Paris – neu dabei sind unter anderem Breaking, Skateboarding, Sportklettern und Surfen.

One thing I am continuously struck by is that the power of the Olympics is in their humanity. In the way that the full spectrum of human emotion is on display in every single sport, in every single event, in every single athlete.

It is in the triumph, the disappointment, the humility, the camaraderie, the determination . . . not just on the track or the field or the mat or the pool, but on the sidelines as well. If you look closely, you can see it everywhere.

Jordan Chiles and her parents overcome with raw emotion after she nailed her floor routine, the last of the four events she competed in to help Team USA reclaim the gold in the women’s gymnastics team all-around finals.

Ilona Maher’s sisters cheering wildly in identical shirts as she led her sevens team to a first medal, and the rugby player’s even more important message to the world that “all body types can be Olympians.”

The ear tug that Stephen Nedoroscik uses to signal “Hey” to his loved ones, which started through the TV for his Polish grandfather, a WWII vet who died last year.

The sign reading “Ryan, it’s a girl!” that Ryan Murphy’s wife held up after he won bronze in the 100-meter backstroke.

The knitting that settles British Olympic diver and anti-bullying advocate Tom Daley while he cheers on his teammates.

The revelation that Egyptian fencer Nada Hefez competed at seven months pregnant.

These are only a few.

We admire these athletes not only because they humble and amaze us, but because in each of their stories we can see glimpses of ourselves – we can see our own struggles and victories and comebacks and experiences and joy.

We love the Olympics because they reveal the depth and beauty and strength of the human spirit.

And when we allow ourselves to see it, not only in the most elite athletes and competitors, but in ourselves, we can restore our connection to each other in the world.

I cannot think of anything more powerful than that.

…pearls for your 40th birthday.

…him catching mice in the garage.

…when he lets you chose from the menu first and he takes something else.

…he’s awaiting your opinion on his beer.

…he’s having me the “nicer” looking espresso (with better crema).

That’s us 10 years being married!

That’s a decade! That’s 3.652 days! Or 87.600 hours! Or 5.256.000 minutes which is over 315 million seconds! Wow!

To many many more years!

Love is … when he follows your travel ideas without questioning. Hello from Italy!

ti amo 💋

I’m ready for the rest of this summer! I have my umbrella, my flip flops, my mittens, my suntan lotion, my winter coat, my sunglasses, my thermals, my iced tea and my hot chocolate! Hello summer 2024! (Fair enough it’s quite a summer since 2 weeks… fingers crossed.)

The good news: skin cancer risk is very limited. Veggies, plants & fruits love the weather conditions and are happily growing. At least there’s (so far) no drinking water necessary to keep garden & fields wet. The weather was perfect for those, who are working all day. It’s great for sleeping under the roof without A/C.

We are off to Italy 🇮🇹 Crossing fingers for sunshine & blue sky 👋