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 Padua

Today we’re continuing our Italian Adventures by taking the train from Verona to Padua to explore this ‘miraculous’ city that predates Rome. Visiting Padua…with a few fun facts and history before beginning our tour. Facts about Padua: Unfortunately the city fell on hard times when: Things to see: Palazzo Bo: When Visiting Padua you must […]

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: Heavenly Churches

Thanks for joining the Venice Explorer tour.Venice is a city of heavenly churches, in addition to the glorious St. Mark’s Basilica, the city has over 200 churches (100 on the main islands – Centro Storico) Today we are going to make pilgrimmages to some of Venice’s most serene churches Salute Basilica The Church and Basilica […]

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 […]

Fun Facts About St. Patrick’s Day

Today we’re taking a ‘virtual trip’ to The Emerald Isle – Ireland. This beautiful country is home to AMAZING culture and history. Over 32 million Americans have Irish ancestry – so it makes sense that many of the traditions and lore of Ireland have become important in American cultue as well. In the US we […]

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 […]