Italian Adventures: Basilica of St. Anthony In Padua

We’re continuing our Italian Adventures with a visit to The Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua. St. Anthony is one of my favorite saints of my Catholic faith. He is the Patron of Lost Things. I’ll be the first to admit he has brought many of my emergency prayers before God… So what is a […]

Italian Adventures: Giotto’s Scrovegni Chapel

We’re continuing our advenures Italian Adventures in Padua at the astonishing Scrovegni Chapel. Considered to be “one of the most supreme achievements in Western European Art,” (citation: Professor Kloss on The Great Courses), The Scrovegni Chapel includes frescos by Giotto that forever shifted the course of art history. You’re thinking…that is a bold statement, why […]

Italian Adventures: Visiting Verona

Today on Italian Adventures we’re visiting Verona! A jewel of Northern Italy, Verona is roughly seventy-five miles west of Venice. This ancient city is located at the base of The Lessini Mountains (also known as the Italian Pre-Alps) and has a population of 250,000 people. Chances are when you hear the word ‘Verona’ you are […]

Venice Explorer: Six Districts

We’ve covered a lot of ground on our Venice Explorer travels, from St. Mark’s Square and Basilica to museums and more…today we are going to learn a bit more about each of Venice’s six districts or ‘Sestieri’ We’ll start our journey in the oldest and one of the most vibrant areas of Venice: San Polo […]

Venice Explorer: The Music of Venezia

Buongiorno, Good day! Welcome back to our tour of Venice, Italy…today we’re going to learn a bit about the history of Venetian music. Truly we owe so much to the Italians for our current musical fabric. From wonderful church music to inventing the drama of opera – Italians love music. When I attended Belmont University […]

Venice Explorer: Must-see Museums

Venice is a city with deep history and cultural heritage. At one point Venice was the most powerful seaport in European – and primary gateway to trade with the East. During The Renaissance, Venice became an epicenter of artistic innovation. Some of the world’s greatest artistic masters like The Bellini Family, Giorgione, Titian, Carpaccio, Canova, […]

Venice Explorer: Fun Facts about The Grand Canal

After all our walking around St. Mark’s Square and The Doge’s Palace, I thought it’d be fun to catch a boat and tour Venice on water. This is afterall ‘The Queen of the Adriatic’ and a city of water. In Venice there are numerous ways to get around on the water. While Gondolas are the […]

Venice Explorer: The Doge’s Palace

In today’s edition of American Nomad, we’re continuing our tour of Venice with a stop at the gorgeous Palazzo Ducale, which is located just off St. Mark’s Square The Doge’s Palace or Palazzo Ducale was the seat of Venetian government. Venice as known as the ‘Most Serene Republic,’ as it ws self-governed by officials and […]

Venice Explorer: St Mark’s Basilica

In our last adventure we toured St. Mark’s Square (The Piazza) and today we’re going to step into the wonders of St. Mark’s Basilica One of the crown jewels of Europe, St. Mark’s Basilica defies words. It is a mix of ornate and graceful architectural styles from the Byzantine to Gothic. The Basilica is unlike […]

Destination Coffee: Venice

This edition of Destination Coffee is in heavenly Venice where on every street corner (and in between) you’ll discover heavenly pastries and delicious cappuccino and espresso. Italians take their coffee very seriously. They like their coffee often and drink it in small and fast portions, without milk. Popular drinks like Cappucino (with milk) are forbidden […]