TheTravelsketcher’s Tuesday


Thoughts for the season – Week two of Advent, seeking peace. “Peace on earth…” This was the angel’s message to the shepherds on the first Christmas Eve. It was the time of pax Romana, the 200 year period of relative peace thanks to the iron hand of Rome’s military. Yet there is much more to…

This week in Umbria and Tuscany


We finish up the Italy portion of our journey this week. We are in Siena today, tomorrow we drive to the airport in Milan, spend the night then have an early flight on Saturday for Amsterdam. What a crazy ride. We loved Umbria. I remember when we were planning this I thought only of Tuscany,…

Faith at Assisi, a bit of hope


Last Monday we returned to Assisi. We went down the stairs in the Basilica of Saint Francis to the chapel of his tomb. Two priests were there, quietly available, they handed out prayer slips to those who wanted to submit a prayer, or they just acknowledged your presence with an encouraging nod. I sat in…

Umbria is not umber,


We are in the Umbria region of Italy which is where the color umber got its name. Umber is a very dark brown color, and burnt umber a common color on pallets, but the color does not represent the ambience we are experiencing in Umbria. It has been a delightful place to visit and to…

Michelin, more than tires


Yesterday we returned to Assisi to visit the Basilica of St. Francis. The weather had changed from sunny Sunday to Normandie rain. We parked at the end of the city near the Basilica, which we discovered was the end with few restaurants. Lunch being a higher priority at the moment, we searched for food. We…