Laura’s Blog

We had a great pasta class with chef Rosanna Passione. The pasta we made ended up being one of the courses for our last supper at the Villa. The tag line on Rosanna’s cooking brochure is “Invitare qualcuno alla propria tavola vuol dire prendersi cura della sua felicita.” Or in English, “to invite someone at […]

For years as we travel, Karyn Bristol has posed for headstands all over the world. Here’s the latest in the series: Tuscany. If you don’t want to wait for the email digest version of my virtual vacation posts, you can follow me directly on social media where you can also find short posts, videos and

We had another fascinating tour of the Villa with Gigi’s husband, Rodolfo, the youngest of thirteen children of the Budini-Gattai family. Graseilah translated for him as he showed us private parts of the Villa that we hadn’t had access to before. First, Rodolfo took us into a locked chapel, which he opened with a huge

At this time last year, I was approving the final audiobook files of The Burning Light of Two Stars and seriously ramping up to promote my soon-to-be released book, ten years in the making, for an October pandemic launch. Now the book is launched and it’s a year later, and here I am, savoring the

You might think that this whole trip is filled with long leisurely conversations over unbelievable food (check, yes, that’s true), senses drinking in verdant peaceful surroundings (yes, true), shared intimacies between new friends (yes true), and the pleasure of being surrounded by the sensuality of Italian being spoken around us (yes, true), but this Write,

Between the hills of Chianti and Valdelsa, a few kilometers from Florence, we went today to visit a family whose business is to harvest and create delicious products from truffles, a wild mushroom that thrives in the region. We began our visit by going out in the woods for a truffle hunt with Giacomo—not the

Yesterday, we had an extensive tour of the three olive oil mills at the farmhouse, one of which dates back to the 16th century. Our guide, Giacomo, the farm manager, is from the Bodini Gattai family that has owned and run this working farm for generations. Giacomo began his tour by showing us the tiny

Here’s how to use a bidet in Italy. If you don’t want to wait for the email digest version of my virtual vacation posts, you can follow me directly on social media: IG: laurasaridavis FB: thewritersjourney

OMG. Did I just die and go to heaven? Here we are—finally— three years later. The dream became a reality. It’s far more stunning in person than any pictures can show. If you don’t want to wait for the email digest version of my virtual vacation posts, you can follow me directly on social media:

This is the best swab I ever stuck up my nose. It is the one I’ve dreaded for months, the one I’ve taken extreme measures to prepare for. For instance, last month I visited my son and daughter-in-law in Medford, Massachusetts for a long weekend after teaching at the Rowe Center in northwestern Massachusetts. Eli

Before we came to Italy, Karyn and I didn’t give any thought as to what we wanted to see or do in Florence in the three full days we had before our travelers arrived, aside from getting over our jetlag and marveling over the fact that we had actually made it to Italy during a

If you walk around Florence, you see leather goods everywhere. From the cheapest tacky tourist shops to the highest end stores, brilliant leather is on display. It comes in the most luscious colors: butter yellow, creamy orange, brilliant reds, emerald green, glowing teal—in amazing combinations. I just wanted to touch it all, and at times

In January, when I returned from my first pandemic vacation, visiting our son and daughter-in-law and grandkids in Mexico (where I had indulged in lots of beer and guacamole), I stepped onto a scale for the first time in two years and weighed in at 178 pounds, which is pretty much the top of the

I’m a phone addict. There’s no doubt about it. My laptop and my phone are extensions of my being and my fingers. My work life is entwined with them. My teaching is entwined with them. My home life is entwined with them. I write on them, communicate on them, blog on them, post on them,

Despite a loud party going on outside our hotel window last night, .5 mg Ativan and my c-pap machine helped me sleep through the night. I woke up at 5:00 AM, which is pretty much when I’ve been waking up in Santa Cruz. I got up, checked the weather—60 degrees and heading up to 88—and