Who doesn’t love a story set to music? And when you combine that with a 2000-year old amphitheater within the ancient city of Romeo and Juliet, you get an immersive adventure you can never replace. It’s opera season at the Verona Arena in Verona, Italy, home to the world’s oldest and largest International Opera Festival….
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Pea Festival? Yes! In Italy, sweet peas are a huge deal. These little legumes mark the arrival of Spring, and are the co-star of a famous Venetian dish: Risi e Bisi (rice and peas). And Lumignano, a quaint little village a mere bike ride from Vicenza, Italy where I live in the Veneto region, just…
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Finding read-aloud, rhyming picture books that are just right for the kiddos in your life can be a tricky process, but professionally established tools such as Lexile® and F&P (Fountas and Pinnell Literacy) help take out the guesswork. Penelope Pipp Publishing submitted the two picture books I’ve co-authored with Dr. Sam to get their reading…
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Landing May 5, 2026 in print and Kindle formats! More to come, but for now, parents, librarians, educators and caregivers can grab the FREE eight-page activity pack on the Free Printables page. It’s fun! It’s informative. And also, you get to Meet the Peas!
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A while back, I had the pleasure of visiting the elementary school library at H-Farm International School in Vicenza, Italy. The kids were fantastic and shared so many ideas and dreams of their own writing ambitions. Afterward, the librarian Filippo sent me interview questions about my books and the writing process. He recently shared the…
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Ever wonder how artisanal gelato is made? I shadowed a Vicenza gelateria from fruit crates to first scoops—no additives, all craft. Meet the makers, peek at the process, and bookmark flavors for your next Italy trip.
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Baptismal fonts, kitchenware, copper belts sold in Venice and … a lion’s tale? What do these all have in common? That’s the story behind Vicenza’s artisinal copper shop, Bottega Storical Dal Toso.
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“Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!” -Dr. Seuss The Tre Cime di Lavaredo is an iconic symbol of the Dolomites: three craggy mountains rising above the plateau. The loop hike circumnavigating around these giants is beautiful and at six miles, doable for those who, like me, are more of…
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Sam and I have dipped our toes into the podcasting world to share our journey behind the creation of Theodore, The Sloth Who Wants to Race. It’s been a learning process, and I have discovered I am much more comfortable typing on my computer than I am speaking … LIVE … about myself! But it…
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Revisiting the Grimm Brothers in Hanau, Germany during Christmas time
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