Cassa Museo Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti was a renowned Italian operatic tenor who crossed over into popular music, becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. Born in 1935 in Modena, Italy, Pavarotti began his music career in the 1960s, making his debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème in 1961.  

Pavarotti sole over 100 million records, won numerous Grammy awards, and was  appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1988 ! He was also known for his charity work and performed with fellow tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras as The Three Tenors.  Pavarotti passed away on September 6, 2007, due to pancreatic cancer. 

Rome

I last visited Rome in early 2000, but I don't have any pictures from the trip, because my house was burglarized shortly after I returned and I did download my pictures, before the burglar stole my camera. Because I have a one day layover in Rome, I decide to revisit some of significant Roman landmarks. Unfortunately because of the religious holiday on 15 August the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel was closed to visitors.

Colosseum (Colosseo) 

Colosseum (Colosseo)  Selfie

Roman Forum (Foro Romano) Selfie 

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Roman Forum (Foro Romano) 

Roman Forum (Foro Romano) 

Pantheon 

Pantheon Interior Ceiling

Piazza Navona

Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi)

A partial African tour group reunion w/ Stefano and Deb

After traveling ten months around Africa with Stefano and hearing about amazing southern Italy food and culture, it became time to experience myself. With Stefano as our guide, Deb and I not only experienced Southern Italian food everyday, but we also visited 2 UNESCO sites and numerous Southern Italy beaches. My favorite foods were the ubiquitous seafood (of course), horse meat sandwich and incredibly fresh cheese purchased directly from the farm!

Southern Italy's Cities and Beaches

I learned the ocean and beaches play of very significant roll in southern Italy culture. Everybody heads to the beach during their August vacations. It's traditionally mandatory. Most of the homes don't have air conditioning, so the beach is the coolest place. The towns are deserted during the day.

Matrea de Sassi

Matera di Sassi is one of the oldest inhabited cities on earth. In 1993, it was designated as a UNESCO world heritage site. The ancient cave dwellings were first occupied during the Paleolithic period and show evidence of continuous human occupation through several millennia until the present day. A popular guide book describes it a "one of the most unique landscapes in europe". It has also been a set location for “The Passion of the Christ” (2004), “Ben Hur (2016), “Mary Magdalene” (2018) and is a set location for the next James Bond “007/ bond 25”.

Trulli

"A trullo (plural, trulli) is a traditional Apulian dry stone hut with a conical roof. Their style of construction is specific to the Itria Valley, in the Murge area of the Italian region of Apulia. Trulli generally were constructed as temporary field shelters and storehouses or, as permanent dwellings by small proprietors or agricultural labourers. In the town of Alberobello, in the province of Bari, whole districts contain dense concentrations of trulli. The golden age of trulli was the nineteenth century, especially its final decades, which were marked by the development of wine growing." Per Wikipedia

Southern Italy Food Tour