Small towns like Sorrento, Ravello, and Amalfi are built into the craggy cliffs all around Positano, each with its own set of legends, myths, churches, villas and complex history going back centuries in time. With transportation having its own set of complexity, Pam and I opted for a driver to further us down the Amalfi Drive.Pro drivers like Alessandro are essential! Every turn is a tight...[Read More]
Valentina, Ida, son Luigi, Papa Vigliano. Valentina runs the hotel affairs and makes ceramics, Mama Ida cooks, makes mozzarella each morning, Papa supervises everyone, including the 2 pigs, and 2 cows that make this an authentic agritourismo farm stay. This, like so many Italian families in business, members glean continued perseverance and success from ancestorial efforts, requisitioning only the...[Read More]
L’Italo-Americano on-line newspaper celebrates “The #1 source for all things Italian since 1908”. In their recent articles, I especially appreciated the exclusive interview with Superstar Chef Massimo Bottura, “Knowing the Past to Shape the Future of Italian Cuisine.”...[Read More]
It occurs to me that most of the culture in Italy is built in layers, upon layers, upon which its truths become known. We see it in art as the stiff figures of the 14th century transformed into more human forms in which beauty could be brought forth and appreciated in the natural landscape not just a gold background. We see it in the ever present layering of flavors and food. We see it in the...[Read More]
Have you ever heard anyone not rave about the food in Italy? Rare, indeed. My last trip had the bonus points plugged in. Norma’s hometown was in the Veneto, along with relatives and friends that coming out of every door. Then, too, because it was a Sister City visit to Crespano del Grappa near Mt. Grappa, the Military Corps of the Alps, “the Alpini”, saw to it our celebratory evening was...[Read More]
One earplug had popped out and I woke up, luxuriating and stretching in the large comfortable hotel bed my friend Lisette found for me upon my arrival in Venice not 24 hours before. It wasn’t time to get up. Street noise from below had gone on making it difficult to fall asleep and now voices and laughter continued. My travel clock glowed 1:17a.m. I needed more than a couple hours sleep, but the...[Read More]
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The Placerville Fairgrounds was a-buzz with visitors, competitors, vendors, and golf carts darting to and fro on missions of every description to keep everyone happy. Most of the day was a waiting game: for the spectators and competitors alike, until their turn came to pan....[Read More]
The year was 1947. The place is Pasadena, California. The people gathered around the bridge table are regulars. The topic is a regular complaint about the lousy weather, and the city congestion. It was, as L. G. “Frank” Beals put it at the time, “making him sick.” Frank was is one of the gang with a regular itch for country life and hopeful for a resolution to his “citified”...[Read More]
“You’re in luck!” Dianna greeted us. “A baby alpaca (cria) has just been born this morning.” As often happens, it was an easy birth. “Alpacas have an 11-month gestation period, and most of the time the dam needs no help, Dianna explained. “I came out this morning and there she was!” The baby cria was just a few hours old and still a little unsteady getting to her feet when we...[Read More]
Betty is a California-based writer whose work explores local history, travel, food, and the people who shape community life. Her storytelling is rooted in curiosity, culture, and real-world experience.
Stories of place, people, and culture - told with curiosity and heart - telling stories that bring places and people to life.
Betty is a Gold Country-based writer covering regional history, travel, food, and human-interest stories, with a focus on the people and traditions that define a place.