According to Wikipedia, “the Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenìssima, was a sovereign state and a maritime republic with its capital in Venice.” If you speak a wee bit of Italian, you’ll know that La Serenissima means the most serene, and if you know a wee bit about Venice, as …

Story and photos by Greg Aragon It’s always exciting to discover a new hotel destination, especially when it is full of pleasant surprises, and is an easy drive from Los Angeles. Such is the case with the Hyatt Regency Irvine, a newly-remodeled luxury hotel, with great location, modern rooms, a gourmet restaurant, an incredible pool area, and much, much more.  …

By Ed Boitano; Photographs by Deb Roskamp While driving deep into the desert of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, we sat three hours in a van, which was part of a convoy, apparently to assist other vans in case of mechanical failures or possible attacks from terrorists or unknown assailants. There were many checkpoints along the way, guarded by soldiers and policemen. …

Fireworks explode across the night sky. City streets and brick houses appear below shooting sparks and colors. Not a soul sleeps. We watch in awe and excitement as the clock strikes midnight; it’s Christmas morning. Upon realizing the fiesta below won’t be stopping anytime soon, we head inside and shoot off a confetti cannon, a jolting surprise for those who …

Traveling Boy is world renowned, for taking their readers to distant corners of our planet.Their reader response feels unsurpassed: who knew that the White Continent of Antarctica consists of 98% solid sheet ice; the Prophet Moses had two wives; Hadrian’s Wall stretched from sea-to-sea in Northern England; Polar Bears actively hunt humans in the Arctic Circle. There’s always suggestions for …

Photos by Ruth J. Katz I raise my baton to alert the orchestra that I am ready to conduct. In my best imposture of Gustavo Dudamel, I cue the woodwinds, then coax in the stringed instruments, and finally, I direct the brass-perching on the precipice and at the ready-to chime in. I punctuate my air-piercing baton-swirling, with a jab toward …

Story and photos by Richard Frisbie There are many sights to see on the road to Santiago, Spain, better known to pilgrims as St. James Way, or simply the Camino. Perhaps one of the most unusual I’ve experienced is Herreria de Compludo – the Forge of Compludo. Older than the pilgrimage itself, which became popular during the Middle Ages, the …

One thing you'll never have to ask, if you are ensconced-and I might add, you will be ensconced very happily and very pleasantly-in Hotel L'Orologio Roma, is what time is it? The hotel's name is a dead give-away: L'Orologio, or the clock.

In this pristine town of the Veneto, the art of Italian benessere is well-defined as centuries-old cures continue to soothe the body, mind and nasal passages of countless Europeans. Embraced by the verdant Euganean Hills, an archipelago of conical-shaped peaks dating back some 35-million years, the thermal baths of Abano Terme, just 54 km southwest of Venice, form the oldest …