If you’re like me, when you see an interesting restricted area, your first thought is “how can I gain access to this area without potentially being arrested?” Add a decaying structure to that restricted area and I am all for doing some amateur sleuthing. Along the waterfront in Wallabout Basin area in Brooklyn, NY sits…
Category: Travel
Missed Connection: Frankfurt, Germany
After Naples, my friend and I bid ciao to Italy. Our flight home was scheduled with a very tiny layover in Frankfurt, Germany. In order to make our connection flight, our initial flight had to go off without a hitch. We had no such luck. Our initial flight was delayed and left after the time…
Italy: Herculaneum
In 79 AD, another town lay in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius: Herculaneum. As Vesuvius continued to erupt, a volcanic pyroclastic flow (a fast-moving ground-hugging avalanche of hot ash, pumice, rock fragments, and volcanic gas that rushes down the side of a volcano as fast as 100 km/hour or more) approached Herculaneum and eventually buried…
Il Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli
If you only have one day to spend in Naples, I highly recommend that you spend the first part of it exploring the Naples National Archaeological Museum. So far this is definitively my favorite museum visit ever. Augusto and Campania Exhibit Upon entering the museum there is a special exhibition celebrating the two thousandth anniversary…
Italy: Matera
First Glance Same Old, Same Old At first glance, Matera resembled an average Italian city: a piazza where both modern and ancient architecture abut; ancient churches next to government buildings; restaurants and gelaterias selling the most amazing smelling and tasting delicacies; and sculpted artworks highlighting an important point in the city’s history. A Most Pleasant…
2015 Year in Review
As I reflect on how my life has changed in the past year, I’ve come to realize that 2015 was a year of adventure, cooking, traveling, eating delicious meals and trying new things. After 2014, a year where I focused on cleaning up my finances by paying off all my credit card debt, I realized…
Italy: Grotte di Castellana and Masseria Papaperta
History of the Grotte di Castellana The Grotte di Castellana is a series of caves in the Itria Valley that began to form over 90 million years ago. During the Cretaceous period, the valley was submerged by an ancient sea. For millions of years the lifeforms (shellfish and marine plants) left their carcasses on the…
Italy: Alberobello
The Road to Alberobello After leaving Ostuni, we made our way to our next stop on our tour of Italy, Alberbello. As we drove down highway, we began to see cylindrical structures with conical roofs doting the hillsides. These structures are called trulli’s and they are defining landmarks of Alberobello. Alberobello’s history is a tale…
Italy: Ostuni
Ostuni is a hilltop city that was believed to have been established by the Messappi people. In the 8th century BC, the Messappi started to build the first fortified towns in the region. These city was eventually attacked and defeated by Hannibal during the Punic Wars. Around 216 BC, the region was conquered by the…
Italy: Lecce and Otranto
Lecce is a southern Italian city that was founded over 2000 years ago by the Messapii people. The city’s main export is a very soft and malleable stone, which is traditionally used to carve sculptures. The city is also known for its olive oil, wine and ceramic production. The city landscape displays a plethora of…
Savory Sweet Neat 