Paris City of Night (the thriller) is set in the last days of a snowy, cold year in Paris… with murderers and madmen and secret…
The life and times of critically acclaimed author David Downie in Paris and Rome, France and Italy.
Month: December 2010
A Fine, Simple Meal in Camogli at La Rotonda Camogli rivals the Cinque Terre these days when it comes to desirability. The less I say…
Tonight we’re having chicken done in the style of the Italian Riviera, that stretch of craggy coast we can see way down below. Hereabouts this…
Pandolce is one of the Italian Riviera’s culinary icons. It’s found from the Cinque Terre near Tuscany, to Genoa, all the way to Ventimiglia on…
Until today I’d only ever enjoyed the espresso, cappuccino, snacks and amazing wines at Da Nicco. This upscale, panoramic caffè-bar-hangout is just off the Via…
Sometimes you need that critical distance, the view from afar, to understand the perplexing phenomena of the day. Some of the most astute, clear-eyed critics…
A century ago, people were smarter. Royals from cold climes headed for the Italian Riviera to winter—in places with palms, palace-hotels and yacht clubs. Places…
At our local post office in San Rocco this morning we arrived with a box of sea biscuits to send to a friend in New…
One day in the mid 1990s when Alison and I were creating the first edition of “The Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam” (later hijacked and handed…
Everyone knows about the focaccia of Genoa and the Italian Riviera but who remembers the region’s hardtack? Sea biscuits? Those hard, dry crackers that sailors…
Practically abutting Santa Margherita Liguria is Rapallo, a slightly bigger and better-known seaside resort. Like Santa, Rapallo has two excellent focaccia-makers (the half dozen others…
Santa Margherita Ligure is as famous for its frescoed buildings as for its focaccia, but since you can’t eat frescos even though they look downright…