Italy has been the backdrop for some of our favorite films, and the beguiling scenery often upstages the acting. Don’t Look Now (1973), Room with A View (1985), Cinema Paradiso (1988), Il Postino (1994), Call Me By Your Name (2017) . . . well, we could go on and on. The stars, too, have often been smitten with the settings …
Francis Ford Coppola Palazzo Margherita, Bernalda, Italy– Francis Suite 9 Films and hotels have many aspects that are the same. For example, there is always a big vision, an idea. – Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola purchased Palazzo Margherita in 2004, transforming it into a luxurious Italian boutique hotel, believing it was time to introduce visitors to the stunning Basilicata region …
Quarantine to me always meant science fiction movies where something untoward has happened to the characters and they are forcibly removed by men in hazmat suits to an undisclosed location. I’d never imagined that for my next vacation I’d be actually booking my quarantine. A bit like shopping for your prison cell: Can we get something with a southern exposure and …
In Part 3 of our series on Celebrity Hotel Rooms and Suites, we hand off the episodes to Traveling Boy writer extraordinaire, Stephen Brewer. His selections are devoted to screen legend Katherine Hepburn, surrealist and personality Salvador Dali, and current Hollywood A-lister Gwyneth Paltrow. Celebrity Hotel Rooms and Suites, Part 3 Katharine Hepburn: Rosellen Suites at Stanley Park, Vancouver, British …
June 6th is a historic and memorable day for me. In 2004, when I was on KNX1070 with my travel show, I was in Normandy, France, at the invite of the French government, to be part of the world-wide media celebrating the 60th anniversary of D-Day – June 6th in 1944 when the allies invaded Europe. It was spine-chilling and …
Surrounded by angry neighbors, Costa Rica chooses national parks, wildlife preservation, free health and no-cost education through college. Oars up for these rafters on a quiet stretch of the Pacuare River, a classic pool-and-drop stream. ©Steve Haggerty/ColorWorld. TURRIALBA, Costa Rica – It was 6:01 a.m. when we heard them barking, insistent “huh-huh-huh-huhs” rising above the rain forest canopy. After a …
Wandering the hilly, narrow cobblestone streets in our home base of Montalcino, Italy, a Medieval city of interlocking passageways, steps and alleyways curving around and through and behind and beyond the main square, I reminded myself I was walking through history spanning eight hundred years. Stopping for lunch, I ordered a glass of the house wine. A bottle arrived at …
The last 18 miles of the road leading to the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica, full of ruts and potholes by design, takes over an hour and a half to navigate. The locals like it that way. And they choose not to fix it because it would be too easy then for tourists to visit.
I’ve been reveling in the warmth of my recent trip to Costa Rica, and not just because of the heat and humidity. This alluring Central American nation of five million Ticos (citizens), roughly the size of West Virginia, consists of just .03% of the earth’s landmass, but is home to 5% of its biodiversity.
Do you have a dozen or more buddies, besties who’ve been vaccinated for Covid-19 and are itching to get out of the house? Are they the free-wheeling sort, willing to splurge, always up for an adventure? Lastly, are they cheerful and tolerant, relaxed enough to share a house with 21 other people?
