by Neil We have been in Roviano for about a month now and it is proving to be quite the interesting experience. The most common reaction we get from Italians we meet who don't live here is "Roviano?" "Why Roviano?" Good question, difficult to answer. The decision to stay here was based on wifi availability, …
Cocullo and the Festa dei Serpari (aka Snake Festival)
By Rachel On Tuesday we travelled to Cocullo to experience the Festa dei Serpari. Taking place annually since 1392, the festival celebrates Domenico di Soro, the patron saint of Cocullo, who is believed to have made snakes from farmers' fields disappear. As part of the festival, a statue of the saint is transported in procession …
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Hiking to Anticoli Corrado
by Neil Living in Roviano is wonderful. Perched here up on the mountain side you get an amazing view of the valley, being able to see for miles in many directions. It also piques your curiosity as to what the places are that you can see around you and, more importantly, how do I get …
Hanoi revisited
by Neil I was going to call this post Hanoi hangover, but that might have given the wrong impression, although Hanoi has been hanging over me for the past couple of weeks or so. After leaving Vietnam, I having been feeling like I haven't done it justice in my posts, so it's time to do …
Tivoli and the Tempio della Sibilla
by Rachel Hard to believe that we've been in Roviano for two weeks already. We're settling into a bit of a routine and I think that the people of Roviano are getting used to seeing us around (hopefully aren't fed up with us and our barely existent Italian yet!). We've also had the great pleasure …
Ha Long Bay
by Rachel Visiting Ha Long Bay yesterday was our one foray out of Hanoi and what a great day it was! The 2.5-3 hour drive each way made for a long day, but the weather was perfect for a boat ride and the bay was beautiful. According to our guide, Vietnamese legend says that the …
Singapore Interlude
by Neil We arrived in Singapore on March 29th and entered a world I could never have imagined. Nothing anyone could have told me would have prepared me for this experience. Singapore is Wow, just Wow. It is hard to find an appropriate adjective, but take your pick; exotic, energetic, diverse, world class, world leader, …
Bia Hoi
by Neil So, Hanoi has this great tradition, custom, ritual, whatever you wish to call it called Bia Hoi. This translates as "New Beer" and it's pretty straight forward. Beer is brewed at the brewery in Hanoi with no preservatives added, so the beer has a shelf life of less than 24 hours. Vendors collect …
Adelaide Murals
By Neil Like many major cities, Adelaide has its fair share of graffiti. Whatever your views on the artistic merits of this form of expression it's fair to say that not everyone appreciates it and it is not going anywhere soon. The question is always one of how a city administration responds. In Adelaide, there …
Grand library spaces – the State Library
by Rachel As we count down our last days in Adelaide and Australia, another library-related post only seemed appropriate. It's down to the wire, but we finally got ourselves to the State Library of South Australia (we've only walked by it I don't know how many times!). The State Library is one of the grand …
A year of discovery 