Corsica: Land of Pristine Beaches and Pristine Rental Cars

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Europe, France: Corsica

For years I’ve wanted to visit the French island of Corsica, intrigued by stories of its incredible natural beauty. I’ve been to 10 of the Greek islands and to Sicily and Sardinia in Italy, and have loved the scenery and amazing beaches to be found on all of them, but people assured me that Corsica trumps them all. Corsican culture is a mixture of Italian and French influences and so I assumed that I would feel right at home there, so I was eagerly anticipating my 5 day visit to this Mediterranean paradise.

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The Amazing Beaches of Corsica’s West Coast

Read on!

Where the Pappardelle Fly and It’s Hard to Say “GUDABYE”: Italy, Summer, 2017

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Blogs, Italy

As I do almost year, as soon as my semester is over and I am free for the summer, I head for Europe and while I frequently visit other countries, my main target is Italy. This year, after a few days on the Greek island of Mykonos, I flew into Venice, picked up a rental car, and began a three week visit to my adopted home.

Handmade Pappardelle with Wild Boar Ragout
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Lo Stadio – An Evening at San Siro with Tiziano Ferro

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Italy, Music

I’ve been following Italian pop music since my first visit to Italy in 1998, and over the years have discovered a number of amazingly talented singers and songwriters that I now follow regularly. I’ve also been fortunate enough to have the chance to see some of them in concerts both in the U.S. and in Italy. So far I have seen Eros Ramazzotti twice, and both Laura Pausini, and Giorgia once. But another of my favorite artists, Tiziano Ferro has been more elusive…

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Mykonos with Italian Book-ends

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Blogs, Greece

Every year, within hours of the final graduation ceremony at my university, I’m usually Europe-bound, sometimes with a group of students for a study abroad trip, sometimes solo. I always try to leave before May 15, because after that magical date, air prices increase by $700 or so. This year I used frequent flier miles for the trip, and because I booked in December, I could leave any damn day I chose to! I opted to have a week at home after school ended and it was really a nice change, as I felt a lot more together by the time I was ready to leave on the 22nd. I’d made dozens of plane, hotel, car rental and airport shuttle reservations over the last months, and everything was perfectly planned. Or so I thought…

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Mykonos, Greece

Read on!

Hawaii: Paradise Found

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Hawaii, Travel Recommendations, USA

I’d put off a visit to Hawaii for many years, thinking that all it had to offer was the crowded beaches of Waikiki or corny lounge singers performing “Tiny Bubbles”. I could not have been more wrong, and I’ll always be grateful for the day when I finally discovered the Hawaiian Islands and for the fact that I’ve been able to return to them many times since.

Landing in Paradise… passing Lanai on the descent into Maui
The welcoming face of Hibiscus blossoms
Welcome to the “Aloha State”

Let’s explore the islands!

Cucineria Pane Vino & Zucchero, Montepulciano

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Italy, Toscana and Firenze, Travel Recommendations

Every visit to Italy that I make requires careful planning to be sure I’m able to dine at all of my tried and true favorite restaurants. Still, I always enjoy finding a new place to add to my list and on a recent trip to Tuscany I had one of the best dining experiences ever at a restaurant called Pane, Vino & Zucchero, which means Bread, Wine and Sugar. That sounded like a winning combination to me, and I am so glad I discovered this place!

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Antipasto of cheese, meat and fruits

Read more about Pane Vino & Zucchero:

Wildflower “Superblooms” and an Unpredictable Earthquake Fault: Exploring the Heart of California

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in California, U.S.A.

When I was young and growing up in Massachusetts, I had an almost scary obsession with California. Perhaps it was the influence of TV, beaming images of the “Golden State” into my living room on a daily basis, but to me, California seemed like the Promised Land, and from an early age I dreamed of going west.

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The Golden State is even more golden this week with a wildflower “Superbloom”

Explore the heart of California… read more:

Spring Break in Italy: A Lot More Fun Than a Run to the Grocery Store

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Blogs, Italy

Years ago I studied Italian at the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco. We had a great class of 12 people who all got along famously and shared a love for Italy, the Italian language and our phenomenal teacher, Diletta. We were also a group of avid travelers. One night in class, a student named Andrew shared that he’d be missing the class the following week as he was off to Rome for a week. A couple of weeks down the road, it was my turn to announce that I would be away in Italy and would have to miss class for the following two weeks. Then our classmate Judy volunteered that she and her husband would be in Venice at the end of the month and that she too would be missing class. Diletta, shaking her head in a mix of disbelief and envy muttered, “You people run off to Italy the way I run to the grocery store!”

Let’s run off to Italy! Read more!

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for: GELATO!

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Italy, Uncategorized

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If only gelato came in this size…

Gelato. This has to be one of the most beautiful words in the beautiful Italian language.  It was love at first taste when I sampled my first spoonful of the Italian version of ice cream almost 20 years ago, and during my time in Italy it’s not uncommon for me to have a “3 gelato day”, with a scoop or two in the late morning, again as a late afternoon pick me up, and finally as a late night, after dinner treat. Most people I know who have been to Italy cite gelato as one of their favorite things, though I have occasionally encountered the odd, misguided person who shrugs and dismisses it with, “It’s just ice cream.” No, poor misguided one, it is not “just” ice cream.

Get the scoop on gelato… read on!