Italy – Botkin Creative

Milan in the rain, on the cheap

I arrive in Milan on a gray and sopping wet day, and am greeted in the baggage claim area by a bevy of tourist fliers, all of which appear to be for shopping. Haute couture shopping, fine leather goods, discount malls in nearby Switzerland. The fliers and the weather are so discouraging, in fact, thatContinue reading “Milan in the rain, on the cheap”

The fortress of San Nicola

The most inhabited island in the Tremiti archipelago is San Nicola, although that’s not saying much. After leaving the docks, we ran into a woman who had a bed and breakfast on the island, and that’s about it. Our main purpose for seeing the island was to examine the fortress, which had a long history;Continue reading “The fortress of San Nicola”

The lighthouse of Capraia

On the island of Capraia, there is bright sunlight, harsh wind, seagulls, and not much else. It was once tended by a lighthouse, which has since fallen into disrepair. Now nobody lives on the island at all. You can find only the remnants of civilization, unless you bring your own. But nonetheless, it is beautiful.Continue reading “The lighthouse of Capraia”

Photos from the Adriatic

One of the highlights of my trip was exploring the archipelago of the Tremiti islands. Though the place is supposedly overrun with tourists during the later summer months, there was practically nobody but us — the Italian man and the French woman I went with — and some seagulls.

CouchSurfing Italy

In Italy, my accommodation is taken care of via CouchSurfing, a website and, for some, an entire way of life. It’s like karma, or Christianity, or anarchy, or socialism. I think different people have slightly different motivations for doing it. Some (the ones who “are not true couchsurfers”) are just looking for a free placeContinue reading “CouchSurfing Italy”

In search of the best pizza in Rome

Louis has family in Rome, and he asks me to go visit them for him. They’re his second cousins or something along those lines, and there are three brothers who own a pizzaria not far from the Spanish steps, he tells me. Also, as a bonus, it’s supposed to be the best pizza in Rome,Continue reading “In search of the best pizza in Rome”

The papal blessing that was not

There’s a whole passel of people, Catholic and non, going to Rome with Emily and Thomas to see them get the papal blessing on their newly-minted marriage. I have the same flight from Cork they do, as does Mary, so we all share a cab to the airport. Em manages to convince Aer Lingus toContinue reading “The papal blessing that was not”