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Maria e Susanna Sent has several shops where they sell their glass jewelry, the cutest one of them all just off the Ponte San Moisè in San Marco. This boutique is about as big as a broom closet, and that is certainly part of its charm. The real impact, though, comes from the jewelry this artistic duo started creating on the island of Murano back in 1993. Their line of mostly necklaces and bracelets is made in a unique process that creates murrine and filigree glass and plates in glass fusion. They also have shops in Murano and in Dorsoduro near the Peggy Guggenheim Museum.

Even with Segway tours rolling through and street performers loudly competing for audiences, the 15th-century Piazza Navona somehow retains a shred of grace and elegance in modern Rome. Calm Renaissance palazzi face the piazza’s centerpiece, the famous and complicated Bernini work, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (“Are these colossal male depictions of the four great rivers of the world writhing on top of a boulder not fancy enough? Let’s top it with an obelisk for a little visual interest.”). The piazza itself was created when a 1st-century arena was paved over to create a market square—you can still sense the oval track of the arena in the shape of the opening. Come for a gelato and some excellent people-watching, especially in the evening.

In spite of featuring in all the guide books, this Santo Spirito favourite has a loyal local following, and the place is always packed out with a mix of tourists and Florentines who line up for good value, homecooked food. I would recommend choosing the Tuscan specialities such as the hearty minestrone with rice and black cabbage and the oven-roast guinea fowl (‘faraona’). Homemade apple cake is a great way to finish.

One of Rome‘s best bakeries and among the city’s most historic institutions, Antico Forno Roscioli is a family-run business. Depending on the time of day, you might find patriarch Marco or his son Pierluigi hard at work. There are a variety of baked goods, including pizza by the slice, flatbreads, loaves, and sweets. The pizza bianca (flatbread brushed with olive oil) and pizza rossa (crispy flatbread dressed with light tomato sauce) are sensational, and the pane di Lariano (crusty sourdough bread) is the best in Rome. Be sure to check out their wine bar/restaurant/gourmet food shop—called, simply, Roscioli—nearby.

The Buddhist temple complex of Dambulla consists of five cave temples carved under a very large overhanging rock. The temples were carved out over several centuries, but the oldest dates back to the 1st century B.C.E. The temples include numerous carved statues of Buddha, and his faithful disciple Ananda, as well as Hindu deities.


The largest of the caves is known as the Maharaja Vihara Lena, or Cave of the Great Kings, so named because the cave contains the statues of two ancient, great Sri Lankan kings—Valagambahu and Nissankamalla. Fifty or so Buddha statues, including a life-sized granite one, are all contained inside the temple as is small stupa surrounded by eleven seated Buddhas.


The cave walls and ceiling are entirely painted with paintings depicting early Buddhist historical events and murals with traditional Buddhist designs. Like all the other cave temples, this one is dimly lit, preserving the vibrant colors of the paintings and murals.


Another unusual feature of this particular cave temple is the large metal bowl that was placed inside the cave centuries ago, presumably to catch rain dripping from the cave roof. It’s said that even in a severe drought, the water in the bowl does not dry up.

Dambulla is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites located in the region known as Sri Lanka’s Cultural Triangle. If you ever go to Sri Lanka, you must go to Dambulla. It is a very unique and spectacular site!

At the foot of the Rialto Bridge with fantastic views of the Grand Canal, Osteria Bancogiro sits under the archway of the Bancogiro (a bank founded in 1600) from which the tavern gets its name. Here, you’ll find a ground-floor wine bar serving carefully curated varietals by the glass and bottle, as well as stellar crostini cicheti choices like salumi and cheese, warm octopus and eggplant, and shrimp curry risotto. There are also blockbuster canal views from tables on the stone terrace in front. Upstairs, surrounded by brick walls and vaulted ceilings, the stylish dining room offers a full menu of intriguing, modern Venetian dishes, including cocoa fusilli with boar ragù and a flavorful sea bream fillet.

This small, family-run wine shop in the Oltrarno district has been a gathering place for Florentines since 1947. Now run by the founder’s grandson and his family, it remains a place where neighborhood denizens come to buy wine to take home or to have a chat over a glass. Inside the shop, floor-to-ceiling shelves display bottles from a variety of Italian regions and vintages, with options in every price range. Glasses of red or white wine, dispensed from taps, can be enjoyed at the narrow bar. Or linger a little longer: Ask for a seat at one of the sidewalk tables, then order a glass of Chianti and a snack of chicken liver pâté (made from Nonna’s recipe) served on grilled Tuscan bread.

A useful address for a snack after a visit to the Uffizi or Palazzo Vecchio, this gourmet sandwich bar and deli, hidden away down a narrow lane, serves delicious panini plus the odd salad. The sandwich selection (made with focaccia freshly-baked in a wood-fired oven) changes daily but ingredients are top-notch and sourced from all over Italy: gorgonzola cheese and salty anchovies is a favourite of mine. The price of your sandwich includes a glass of wine.

Perched on a steep hill in the lovely neighborhood of Alfama, you will in no doubt leave with a great souvenir or gift. Sellers throw down blankets or rugs in rows and sell a variety of hand-made goods, antiques, books, clothes, military objects, etc. I took home two wonderful brass bottle openers and a couple of old world maps. Getting to the market is easy and the trip there is quite beautiful; take the Tram 28, or Tram 12 up the hill through the tight, and narrow neighborhood streets (becos). After you’ve spent all of your Euro, take a short walk over to the Santa Engracia Church, Museum of Decorative Arts, or the National Pantheon. Oh, and don’t forget to take in the views and snap a few pictures.

The Hotel Flora is an ivy-clad 17^th-century palazzo tucked down a narrow alleyway in San Marco. It’s hidden from the crowds, but still an easy stroll to the buzz of San Marco Palazzo and the Grand Canal. Like all grand Venetian homes, it’s had its share of interesting inhabitants over the years, including a School of Painting, a salon for well-known local artists. Continuing the artistic legacy, the Romanelli family—photographers, writers, and antique collectors among them—has owned the hotel for the last 50 years.

In the classic manner of a pension, the hotel is intimate and the staff welcoming and friendly. Rooms are cozy and decorated with traditional antique furnishings, heavy drapes, and bold brocade wallpaper in some. Pop down to the Victorian-styled bar for an aperitif, or linger over an espresso with a good read in the hushed garden.

In the 20th century, the Church of Santa Engrácia was converted into the national pantheon, in which important Portuguese personalities are buried. The first stone of the present building was placed in 1682; it was the first baroque-style building in the country. The work lasted so long that it gave rise to the popular expression “works of Santa Engrácia” to designate something that never ends. It took 284 years to complete the church, finally finished in the year 1966. Inside you will find the interior paved in colored marble, and outside you can’t miss the giant dome. There is a terrace at the top—you only have to climb 187 steps—but then you can enjoy the wonderful view over the river and the city itself. Among the illustrious personages buried here is the famous fado singer Amália Rodrigues. Sundays and public holidays are free until 2pm. To get there, take Bus 734 (at Martim Moniz) or Tram 28.

Landing in heat-soaked Kuala Lumpur after being on the road for 24 hours can be disorienting. Incessant chanting (“vei vel shakti vel”), monkeys screeching, wafting incense, a glorious moon, and a million people.


Thaipusam falls on a full moon and is the celebration in remembrance of Lord Murugan (his statue pictured at the base of the steep 272 steps to the Waterfall Temple at Batu Caves - the top being the best view) who received the “vel” (sacred spear) from his mother, Shiva’s wife, to kill three demons. Killing internal demons seems to be the order of the day for devotees.


The festivities begin with a chariot bearing the statue of Lord Murugan being drawn through the streets starting from Sri Maha Mariamman Temple and then on the second day (when I arrived), the fulfilling of the vows by devotees takes place at the Batu Caves after people walk barefoot approximately 15 kilometers starting in the middle of the night from Kuala Lumpur. The chariot returns to the Temple on the third day.


The real highlight is watching devotees with huge decorated frames (“kavadi”= burden”) supported by spikes that pierce their chests and backs as penance for answered prayers. As one devotee said to me, “Life is an act of gratitude and this is the ultimate day of gratitude to our deities.” I felt a deep empathy for the intense devotion and commitment of the Tamil Hindus I witnessed. This is truly one of the world’s great festivals of purification and atonement.

The Roscioli family, famous for their nearby bakery Antico Forno Roscioli, opened this restaurant/wine bar/gourmet shop in 2005. Book several days in advance for lunch or dinner and be sure to request a ground floor table near the back of the dining room, the best of the available dining areas. Start with a selection of cured meats and a plate of burrata, then move on to spaghetti alla carbonara, one of the best in town, therefore the world. The wine list is outstanding and has surprisingly affordable labels from every Italian region. If you can’t snag a table, pop in for an apertif before dinner service.

Formerly the private residence of Gioacchino Murat, king of Naples and Napoleon’s brother-in-law, Palazzo Murat has the mark of aristocracy—white-walled interiors are outfitted with elegant antiques, oil paintings, and decorative tiled floors—but also the welcoming atmosphere of a dear friend’s home. The 18th-century villa is tucked away behind cascades of bright bougainvillea and greenery-filled grounds fragrant with jasmine and citrus trees yet centrally located in Positano’s pedestrian zone, making it an ideal base for shopping holidays and seaside idylls alike. The pool is especially impressive, flanked by a lawn studded with chic sunbeds and backed by a storybook scene of pastel-hued houses stacked higgledy-piggledy along the hillside. Just steps away is the charming Al Palazzo restaurant, which incorporates ingredients from its vegetable patch and twinkles with candlelight in the evenings. As for the guest rooms, soothing white spaces are accented with pops of blue and lemon yellow, and French doors open onto lovely balconies with views of the gardens, town, or sea.

When people think of Florence, they usually think of Renaissance art and crowded museums filled with altarpieces and “Madonna and Child” images. While the Renaissance is the biggest draw of this historic city, there is a lot more to its art-museum scene. The Palazzo Strozzi is a fine example of a museum that doesn’t just showcase great art but also plays an important role in the community. Inside this Renaissance palace—a work of art in itself—visitors will find temporary exhibitions that cover a variety of time periods and cultures.

On Thursday evenings, the courtyard is transformed into a social hub with hip Florentines having drinks and coffee at the café and on outdoor couches. The museum also offers free entrance to the downstairs exhibition space on select evenings and, in summer, hosts movie and music nights. Palazzo Strozzi has also gotten on board with making art an interactive experience, especially for children. Parents can purchase a family ticket which includes kid-friendly activities including workshops, sketching in the galleries, storytelling, and “stroller tours.”