Making All the Right Choices: Antica Trattoria al Sole, Italy

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Europe, Italy, Travel Recommendations

On my most recent trip to Italy I experienced a big disappointment when a friend of mine from Vicenza and I were supposed to get together and the plans fell through. Actually, it would have been a sad meeting because he owns a pizzeria and gelateria but is being forced to close his business for the foreseeable future due to skyrocketing energy costs. I’d been invited to come by for his final night in business and looked forward to seeing him again, as well as sampling his fine organic pizza and gelato one more time. But on the appointed night, I drove to his shop in Vicenza only to find it closed and dark. I sent a few text messages that went unanswered and was stymied by what might have happened. Confused and sad that I‘d apparently missed him, I then had to attend to the immediate situation: I was very hungry and it was after 8PM on a Sunday night, so I knew I might not have many options for dinner. Relying on good old Google, I searched, “best restaurants near Vicenza” and up came the name Antica Trattoria al Sole, which roughly translates into: Ancient or Old Restaurant in the Sun. It was located a few kilometers outside Vicenza in the small village of Castegnero, so off I went into the unknown.

Continue reading “Making All the Right Choices: Antica Trattoria al Sole, Italy” →

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Climbing New Hampshire’s Middle Sugarloaf Peak

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

Autumn. It’s that time of year again when New England achieves its highest level of “New Englandness.” The days begin to shorten, the air has a slight, but noticeable chill in the early mornings, the leaves start turning to a palette of all of my favorite shades of red, orange and yellow, and the smell of cider donuts and “pumpkin spice everything” assails the nostrils. I’ve always loved fall, and in my humble, native New Englander opinion, there is no better place to be in late September and early October.

Continue reading “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Climbing New Hampshire’s Middle Sugarloaf Peak” →

A Tour of Venezia: “La Serenissima”

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Italy, Photo Gallery, Venice

My first visit to Venice was in 1999 and that was the start of my love affair with what has become my favorite city in the world. I’ve returned to “La Serenissima” (the most serene one – a nickname often bestowed on Venezia), many times since then and I’ve probably taken a few hundred photos as I’ve wandered the city. Yet, with every new visit I add a few dozen more because Venice has to be one of the most photogenic places on the planet. The light, the shadows, and the reflections on the water change a thousand times a day and look different with each season. Join me for a tour of La Serenissima and hopefully you’ll see why I love her so much. (Be sure to click on a photo to see captions!)

Andiamo!

Who Says You Can’t Go Home?

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Blogs, Psychology of Travel

One of my favorite songs has always been Bon Jovi’s Who Says You Can’t Go Home. I can relate to the lyrics, which talk about coming full circle in life: from wanting to break away from your hometown to explore the world, but ultimately realizing that home is where you really want or need to be. As so often happens with music, this song has taken on new significance for me over the last few months.

Continue reading “Who Says You Can’t Go Home?” →

Road Trip! A Journey Across the USA

by mattathomeintheworld, posted in Photo Gallery, USA

My first cross country drive was in summer of 1976 at the ripe old age of 18, and since then I’ve actually lost count of how many round trips I’ve made from coast to coast to coast, but I do know that it is close to 50. One of those trips actually took me from San Francisco to Texas to Virginia to Massachusetts to Alaska and back down to California… a mere 10,000 miles. Many people can’t understand why any sane person would opt to drive for six or seven days rather than taking a six hour plane flight, but these pictures may give you a glimpse of why I crave the open roads. Here’s a compilation of photos I’ve taken along the way over the years. (I first posted this photo gallery in 2016, but have made significant updates and additions to it since then, so I decided to republish it now.)

Let’s hit the road!