Back to Italy: Matera – The Cave City

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Janette

One hour West of Alberobello in the Puglia region, visitors can find Matera, known as the “cave city.” Matera may be the third-longest continuously inhabited human settlement in the world. It dates back to the Paleolithic period, more than 10,000 years ago!

We signed up for a tour that guided us around the city for about two hours. Along the way, we learned about how the original dwellers lived in caves carved into the rocky hillside. At one overlook, visitors can view original dwelling openings across the gorge that divides the city. At the bottom, a Tibetan-style bridge spans the water where hikers can cross.

Residents abandoned the cave dwellings on the old part of the gorge slopes. They moved across the gorge for more protection. Once there, they constructed new homes, a church, and other essential structures.

The last cave dwelling now stands as a museum for visitors to tour. It was amazing to see how simple the dwelling was. It was remarkable to see how few things were necessary to live a thriving life. We learned about the tradition of gifting rooster ceramics. This tradition symbolizes love and protection in this area.

Over time, the city was built up above ground. It continued to use an underground cistern and plumbing system (ahead of its time) that is still in use today. Beautiful buildings, neighborhoods, and churches were erected that overlook the gorge below.

Our tour was definitely worthwhile, and we learned amazing details of this city’s history. You simply must visit if you are in the area!

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Back to Italy: Alberobello

Posted on May 19, 2025 by Janette

About 3.5 hours East of Naples sits the iconic town of Alberobello in the Puglia region. Visiting the “heel of the boot” was a highlight of my trip. I’m glad we had two days to explore the area’s unique charm.

Alberobello is known for its beautiful building style. The town has over 1,000 trulli, or small stone houses painted white with gray, stone-covered, conical roofs.

Most of the town is only open to walking traffic, so the area has a slow, comfortable atmosphere. We saw cacti everywhere, suitable for a warm environment, completely covered in stone.

Little shops line the streets, creating local hustle and bustle. There were tourists, but this place never felt crowded, so it was easy to take pictures of the scenery.

If you travel to the area, visit the bar “Il Trulletto,” which serves pepper espresso. If you order a beverage, you can take it up the back stairs to the small roof deck. This is one of the few decks you can access for a view of the Trulli roofs.

The area has many handicrafts that visitors can purchase, including many different ceramic decorations. It was fun to see ceramic versions of cacti!

In almost every ceramic shop I saw, visitors can take home a Pumo. To be more precise, it is known as a Pumo di Fiore. A Pumo is the symbol of the Puglia region and stands for a flower bud before it blooms. These can come in all sizes, colors, and designs and represent abundance and fertility. Essentially, it’s a good luck charm for the house, so I had to purchase one.

Some varieties have three leaves around the bud, some have four, and some are intricately decorated, or very plain. I learned that years ago, the complexity of the Pumo signified family status. Mine is small and simple, but I’m glad I have my own piece of Puglia in my home.

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Back to Italy: A Local Dining Experience

Posted on May 11, 2025 by Janette

The luxury of staying with family allowed us to try something truly magical. We arranged for a local chef to come to the house and teach us how to make a full meal. We chose stuffed zucchini flowers, pumpkin ravioli, and strawberry and cream crepes. This experience was a highlight of the trip!

We started out learning about the fresh ingredients and how to choose the best items. We roasted the pumpkin in the oven while we prepared the filling and stuffed the zucchini flowers. Then, we made the light batter for the chef to fry them.

Next, we made our pasta dough. It took some time to get it just right. Then, we set it aside to rest.

Next, we scraped the roasted pumpkin and added other delicious ingredients to the bowl for the ravioli filling.

After the dough rested, we learned how to use the pasta machines. We also used a knife or simply our fingers to make multiple pasta shapes. We used plastic trays to make the ravioli, which we filled by hand.

We finished up the ravioli while our chef started cutting up the strawberries. We were tasked with making crepes using a crepe maker. We also mixed together the delicious cream recipe.

We learned so many tips and tricks. We ended with a delicious meal. It was one of the best I’ve ever eaten! Thankfully, we all received copies of the recipes to try recreating that masterpiece at home.

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Back to Italy: Royal Palace of Caserta

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Janette

Visiting Italy again was a true blessing. It was so soon after my last trip. I stayed with family this time, which made it even more special. Over the course of one week, I saw many locations. I never heard about these places before. Discovering them is my favorite part of traveling. Uncovering hidden gems farther away from the big-ticket items brings a different sense of joy.

The first stop was the Royal Palace of Caserta. This palace is located about 30 minutes north of Naples. It is amazingly huge and is the largest palace complex constructed during the 18th century in Europe. With over 1,000 rooms and 300 acres of land, visitors need plenty of time to visit this beautiful location. The entrance grounds were difficult to appreciate. I snapped a picture of the poster’s aerial shot to get a better view.

After walking through the main archway, I realized everything on ground level was basically a covered porch. The living space was one level above!

Before exploring the inside, we made our way through this huge porch to the back of the palace. We decided to take the tram all the way up the hill at the back of the palace grounds. Since rain was forecasted, we decided to explore outdoors first. This is the view looking back at the palace!

The grounds were spectacular. We saw man-made grottoes. We also saw items recovered from Pompeii that were relocated here a few hundred years ago.

After taking the tram back to the palace, it was time to go inside. This meant traveling up 2 flights of stairs to visit the livable portion.

There was so much to see in every room. Stunning stonework, beautiful paintings, and amazing geometrical designs were found everywhere.

This location did not disappoint. Tickets were very reasonable and visitors can easily spend most of the day here. The covered porch area had a cafe with drinks and snacks. Restaurants were just a few minutes away on foot. If you are in the area, consider stopping by!

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Diversity is Necessary.

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Janette

Diversity is nothing to fear. Although “diversity” is being negatively brought into conversations at all levels right now, it’s important to remember that diversity is necessary for growth, success, and life itself.

Biodiversity is needed for living organisms to survive. Species rely on each other so that every group succeeds, thrives, and builds resilience to fluctuations. Whether we refer to ecosystems or the economy, diversity of thought and experience fosters survival. This allows everyone to endure environmental fluctuations and times of uncertainty.

Diversity creates cultural understanding and promotes empathy. Opportunities to share different perspectives, traditions, and creative solutions offer everyone the chance to be heard. They also ensure individuals are understood and valued for the knowledge they carry.

Diversity is beautiful and educational. This is especially true for those fortunate enough to leave our comfort zones and travel beyond our immediate surroundings. Every time you travel, you learn, you grow, and you shed a one-perspective approach to the world. Realizing that everyone has something to offer is an amazing breakthrough to equity and fairness.

Don’t be afraid of diversity, be afraid of it disappearing and dismantling the balance of a healthy system.

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Fall Foliage

Posted on November 17, 2024 by Janette

Who doesn’t love to take a leisurely fall drive to admire the changing colors of the leaves? Well, this gal takes the opportunity to do so every year. I used to live abroad, in an area that does not have this magical occurrence. I look forward to this time of year and enjoy capturing the amazing colors nearby.

My favorite trees are the ones that turn bright red, and I was so glad to capture a few. A year ago, we experienced a great deal of rain and strong winds just as the leaves turned color. That unfortunate combination caused many leaves to fall prematurely. Safe to say that this year we had quite a show to admire!

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Jim Thorpe or Mauch Chunk?

Posted on October 25, 2024 by Janette

This tiny town is nestled in the Pocono Mountains. Although I have been to the Poconos before, I have never ventured to this historic location. My mistake was not realizing what a tourist trap the little town would be! My advice? Get there early in the day to find a parking spot. Even though I took off work and traveled here on a Friday morning, it was still busy.

We arrived early and found a church parking lot charging $20 for the day, which was perfect. From there, we only had to walk for a few minutes before we reached the main streets. I used this MAP to find the shops we wanted to see, but it wasn’t necessary. It seems impossible for anyone to get lost or turned around here.

One of the museums guests could visit was the Old Jail Museum pictured below, which looked very interesting.

I also learned that the town of Jim Thorpe (named after a Native American athlete) was originally named Mauch Chunk. This name is the Lenape phrase meaning “Bear Mountain” as the town is nestled against a hilly backdrop. Visitors can see references to “Mauch Chunk” listed on shop signs, paying homage to the original name.

The narrow streets were hilly and the environment felt like a European town. Buildings were colorfully painted and there was a beautiful aesthetic to every inch of the area.

Around every corner, little shop signs described interesting wares found within. There were coffee shops and small eateries, vintage/antique shops, or places selling unique or handmade goods. One of my favorite places focused on seasonal goods and decorations. Naturally, I had to buy a selection of tiny glass pumpkins from a seasonal shop! Another fun stop was a sassy print shop that made funny cards and other paper products. The printing machinery was visible for visitors to admire along with vintage components scattered around the store.

No visit would be complete without documenting a street mural. This was the only mural I noticed, and it was added to a beautifully restored building.

Although I did not take the train ride, I appreciated seeing the bustling station. Many families were using the short ride to further appreciate the Fall season on a nice sunny day. Now that I know what to expect, I would love to return and visit again!

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Mississippi: The Magnolia State

Posted on October 17, 2024 by Janette

Anyone who knows me understands my love of decorating and home renovation shows. Perhaps it’s my love of making a mess only to reorganize, making a space feel new. This was the inspiration for a recent trip to Mississippi. The Magnolia state had two things I wanted to see: another state capitol, and Laurel. For those unfamiliar, Laurel is the rural area where HGTV show Home Town is filmed.

Arriving in Jackson was interesting. It had a small airport and the city felt like a small town. The downtown area was easy to navigate and the capitol building stood proud on the city block. This was my 24th capitol building visit…almost halfway through the list!

Upon entering, we were greeted by the friendliest staff. They showed us the gift shop and we lounged in the guest area before our tour started. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and took us all around the building. Amazing stained-glass features were everywhere.

The center of the building offered beautiful views of a colorful dome. I learned the color was added later and not original to the building. Apparently, the color was added sometime later and was beautifully done.

The next day, we traveled to Laurel, the charming small town where the show Home Town is filmed. It did not take long to spot the places on our list. The first stop was Ben’s workshop and general store.

We signed up for a golf cart tour of the town, which was fun. During the tour, we learned about many houses featured on the show in past seasons. We made our way back to the car and took a ride around the “downtown” area. Keep in mind that this is a small town, as advertised. There are only a few streets to explore and many of the businesses close at 5pm. However, there was still much to see as street murals were everywhere!

While we were visiting, we did some great shopping! Lots of small businesses can be found with awesome products. We also paid a visit to each coffee shop, and visited the welcome center featured on the show. Lastly, we visited the Lauren Rogers Museum of Art. This museum is free and definitely worth a visit. I was very excited to visit this area and the trip did not disappoint. This proved to be a great weekend getaway, so pay Laurel a visit and see the charm for yourself.

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The Point of Pittsburgh

Posted on October 4, 2024 by Janette

I visited Pittsburgh a few times in college, about 20 years ago, and then again in 2014. It’s amazing how your memory of a place can differ from a new experience in a quasi-familiar place.

A work conference brought me to the city for a few days at the end of Summer. The visit provided me with the opportunity to rediscover the city after many years. The first thing that struck me was how “sleepy” the city felt to me. Traffic was light, the streets were never crowded, and most restaurants felt almost empty until later in the night. As someone who does not enjoy large crowds, I enjoyed the feeling of space and room to breathe.

I always love seeing street murals when I explore. There were many peppered throughout the city.

Walking around the downtown area brought back some memories. I loved visiting the small businesses in Market Square, seeing the new restaurants in the area, and taking pictures of the beautiful nearby architecture.

I remember some buildings, but the next two photos were new locations for me. The inside of a nearby hotel was awe-inspiring and the church was stunning.

One area I had never explored before was Point State Park. My hotel window offered a great view, and I had a few chances to explore on foot during my stay. After viewing the Point, I saw the beautiful waterfall and color-changing lights at the bottom of the convention center. Pittsburgh may feel like a small city, but I had lots to do, see, and experience for a few days.

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A Week in Myrtle Beach

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Janette

Living in a valley surrounded by mountains can be quaint, peaceful, and romantic. Yet, I’ll never pass up time to spend on a beach! Towards the end of summer, I had the opportunity to spend six days in Myrtle Beach, and it was glorious. I had a beautiful view outside the window and perfect weather for enjoying the sand and waves.

I tried a few new things during my vacation, but kayaking is one of the most memorable activities. We had an early morning departure for our tour. It was cloudy so we did not bake under direct sunlight, making the temperature perfect. About halfway through our trip, our guide led us to an uninhabited island. We parked the boats and had time to explore on foot.

The island was covered with birds and everyone explored the sand looking for sand dollars. The sky and flora were beautiful that day, so we enjoyed taking pictures and walking to the surf.

The other activity no one had tried before was the “Beyond Van Gogh” immersive experience. We started with the guide explaining the background of Van Gogh’s life. Next, we entered the hallway, reading letters Van Gogh wrote to his brother and other family members on large boards. The hallway led us into the main space. Large screens covered the room’s perimeter and some were in the center. Projectors cast images of Van Gogh’s work onto the screens and the floor. This truly made us feel like we were inside his paintings. Some of the portraits were animated, so we saw men and women blinking to us from the screen. This was a truly unique and memorable experience.

The rest of the week was filled with days at the beach, ice cream, new restaurants, shopping, and mini golf. We even managed to fit in an escape room and a murder mystery dinner…so much fun!  I could not believe how much there was to do, and I would love to go back!

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