Rick Bailey's Blog: Stuff happens, then you write about it, page 4

Some San Marino sights

Got Math?

I’m driving down Via IV Giugno (June 4th Street) from Serravalle, where our apartment is, into Dogana. Four lanes of divided highway, it’s a curvy stretch of road. Drivers here take the curves fast and accelerate on the long straightaways.  Everyone, it seems, is in a big hurry. What’s the speed limit? I don’t know.…More

Hell Yes

If you’re interested in hell, look for it in a church in Italy. It stands to reason. The church’s goal, among other things, was to keep you out of hell. The process starts with scaring the pants off you. Up there on the walls of the cathedrals and duomos, in frames and frescoes, in statues,…More

What Pizza Can Be

If you’re ever in Padova, you don’t want to miss this pizza experience. Yes, pizza experience. We intended to have a cicchetti lunch, preferably one that involved a table and four chairs, on a sunny Saturday at 1:00 p.m., when everyone in Padova was descending on the Via del Santo and Via delle Erbe with…More

Venice Backstreet Walk

The two nights we spent in Venice I forced myself to stay in bed until 5:00 a.m. Then I got dressed and went out walking the city. At that hour you share the streets with the sweepers. Otherwise you don’t see anyone. It’s dark. The city is an elaborate series of back alleys, but you…More

About Fano

At one time it was a mild curse (and may still be), a joke expressing the rivalry between two towns. When a person from Pesaro would say, Va a Fano! it was sort of like saying go to hell. If Fano is hell, you won’t mind ending up there. A few miles down SS16 (aka…More

From SP258, Torriana and Montebello

Slow travel on the backroads means you’ll have time to feel a vibe, coming from the hills and vineyards and olive groves, from the castles and churches, from the countryside..   This route takes you to Torriana and Montebello. But before that, if you’re up for a short hike to the top of a hill, set…More

Bologna Inroads

The first time I tried driving into Bologna from the airport, I made the obvious decision: Look for the bullseye sign that says CENTRO. Usually if you go in that direction you’ll come to the old city. First sign I saw I went for it, and drove around in circles for half an hour or…More

From SP258, Santarcangelo di Romagna

Set your navigator for Parcheggio Piazza Ludovico Marini, Santarcangelo di Romagna. From SP258, aka the Marecchiese, you drive mostly north on SP49, crossing the Marecchia River on your way to Santarcangelo di Romagna. The riverbed is wide, while the river, especially in the dry season, seems little more than a trickle. Ahead and to the…More

Pastry Me

Tizi and I are sitting in Cesari in Rimini on a Sunday afternoon. In front of us, on a little white plate, are six pastries, three for her, three for me.  These are bigne, cream puffs you can eat in two bites, one of them filled with coffee-flavored crema, one with chocolate-flavored crema, one with…More