The Joy of Abruzzissimo!

Nine issues in, and I have been remiss. Of course, I don’t even know what day it is most weeks and time has lost all meaning, so I won’t be too hard on myself.

Anna, at work  

But here’s the story: early into the lockdown in 2020, I got an e-mail from a friend in far-away Abruzzo. Anna is also a writer who has created several businesses in the region offering tours, cooking classes, a place for ex-pats to gather online and basically sharing the joys of Abruzzo and its traditions to anyone who will listen.

We were introduced a few years ago by mutual friends in the lovely town of Santo Stefano di Sessanio (I think, it’s been a while!) and have stayed in touch. It’s the positive side of social media. In 2019 (again, I think!) Tim and I talked our friends Lou and Vicky into going on Anna’s walking tour of Tocco da Casauria, which turned out to be one of the best days in Abruzzo to date.

Anyway, she asked me if I might be interested in working with her on the launch of a new magazine that would be all about Abruzzo. There’s no money in it yet, she said, so of course, I said yes, because that’s what I do for love. We agonized over names and article ideas, split up the writing (she and her small band of contributors do most of it) and set about making a thing: The first English-language magazine about the whole marvelous Abruzzo region.

Full disclosure for new readers: Tim and I own a small apartment in Abruzzo, in the town of Sulmona, and have ourselves become Abruzzo aficionados. So it was a perfect fit!


Abruzzissimo Magazine presents a great mix of stories each month (10X/year), focusing on local traditions, food and wine, places to go, stories of ex-pats who have bought and renovated homes, recipes, restaurant reviews, a calendar of events — even the occasional contest — and more. It’s a lot of hard work and long hours, but it’s been so rewarding. And the best part (for readers)? It’s free! Just sign up and it will appear like magic in your mailbox at the beginning of the month.

As the stateside Copy Editor and proud Abruzzo promoter, I invite you to join us on this journey into what I believe is one of the best-kept secrets in Italy. Abruzzo is charming, rugged, historic, green, breathtakingly beautiful — and only two hours from Rome!

So if you can’t be there in person now, you can be there in spirit with this lovely publication. Sign up, sit down with a glass of vino or a cup of cafe, and dream about when travel is possible once again. And put Abruzzo on your bucket list!

Buon viaggio!

Thoughts on Leadership in a Time of Crisis

You don’t make the timeline, the virus makes the timeline — Dr. Anthony Fauci

In other times, my suitcase would be fully packed by now for an April 8 departure to Rome. In other times, I would have a full schedule of things on my itinerary to show you: fantastic restaurants; cooking classes with friends; wine tastings with some of the best in the region; natural beauty to take your breath away; historic churches and museums. New friends to make, new food to eat, new memories to savor. And so much more.

But these are not other times. This is now. And we who love Italy are all feeling so many emotions at once. Grief. Fear. Pride. Horror.

And as we stand on the shore of our own oncoming tsunami, we feel all of that for ourselves as well. Is it harder to know, or to not know? I’m not sure . . .

Things are difficult here in the States right now. A leadership vacuum at the top – and sheer stupidity from some in Congress and in state and local government – has made some of us wonder how many of us will truly get out of this alive. For sure, none of us will get out without being changed in some way. Let’s hope it’s for the better (apart from the 20 pounds it looks like we’re all going to gain).

In times like these we look for heroes. I posit that two Italian-Americans have risen to that level: Dr. Anthony Fauci, who brought us first out of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s-1990s, and was there for every ensuing pandemic. And Governor Andrew Cuomo, who every day brings me to tears with his facts, his eloquence, his heart, and his personal observations. Earlier this week, when he quoted from his father, the late Governor Mario Cuomo, my heart nearly couldn’t take it.

Although I live in Massachusetts now, I will always be a New Yorker. I was born just outside the city, went to school upstate, and arrived with my degree in the Big Apple in 1973. For 17 years, I lived in Brooklyn and then Manhattan. I love the noise, the bustle, the promise of New York. I love the air brakes, the honking horns, and the colorful language. I love the melting pot of it, the theatre of it, the uptown and downtown of it.

So I am very proud that another Italian-American is in charge of the state today. And that he has his head on straight and that he is able to clearly articulate what we need to hear in an honest, professional, and compassionate voice.

Years ago, his father asked an Italian-American reporter, “Were you always Italian?” An odd question, but one which I have wrestled with for most of my life. To him, “being” Italian meant not just loving Rome and Florence and Venice – that’s easy. It meant understanding the Mezzogiorno [southern Italian] culture, too; being Italian meant overcoming the urge to hide the impoverished land of your ancestry. He both understood and overcame.

Perhaps, in a similar way, that embracing of all that is New York has rubbed off in a major way on his son Andrew, and that has contributed to Andrew’s being the level-headed and admired leader that he is today.

Of course, there are flaws, as with any human being. But for now, he is the best we have and I believe we are the better for it. Every single day.

We don’t know where this Covid-19 pandemic is going to go, or where it will add end (or even when). For now, we can stay inside, wash our hands, try not to eat a pound of pasta at one sitting, and think of where we might have been next month. And think about when we will go again.

Italy needs us. We need Italy. And if it is meant to be, we will be there together again before too long.

Stay safe.

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March-ing In

Italy, and the spring and first love all together should suffice to make the gloomiest person happy. — Bertrand Russell

About this time every year, I start to get antsy. I drag out the suitcase and start making piles of the things I plan to bring to Italy in May, just about six weeks away. I can’t help myself. When I’m here, I miss Italy. When I’m in Italy, well . . . I’m glad I’m in Italy.

That said, some pretty amazing things are going on right here and now. Stateside. And I wanted to share them with you.

First, and maybe most important, I have successfully finished the first completed draft of my new book (working title: Becoming Italian). Some parts have already been edited about a million times, but this is the one completed manuscript that I can send to my first reader (Tim) and which I will then clean up to send to my other first reader (Sharon). Tim reads for accuracy, Sharon reads for soul. It’s a splendid combination.

Second, I was invited to be a part of the first Boston Italian Expo, coming up in April at the Dante Alighieri Society in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I’ll take any excuse to get down there, but this one is particularly meaningful. I will join a fine group of participants, Italy lovers all, who offer crafts, services, food, music, and opportunities of all kinds to people who want to learn more about — and maybe even travel to — bella italia. It’s free, so if you’re in the Boston area, come on over. Besides the expo, there are seminars, a concert, and even a chance to win a trip for two to Chianti, in Tuscany!

Finally, I had an appointment last week to talk on the phone with a writer in Abruzzo about my business, Travel Italy the Write Way. I thought it was for a story for her wonderful blog, and we had a fantastic 45-minute conversation. Then I found out she was writing the article for a major international digital newsletter (which I don’t want to jinx by naming here)! This will be terrific exposure for my growing travel business, and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ll post the link here and on Facebook when the issue has been published.

So, despite temperatures that are moving in the wrong direction again, and winds that are sometimes downright terrifying, things are definitely on the move. We did that idiotic Daylight Savings Time thing already and I actually saw two pathetic (but living) sprigs of Snowbells in the garden today, buried under two inches of damp leaves and doggie poo. Still, it’s a sign, right? Good things are on the way!

Buon viaggio!

Thinking about going to Italy?

Here are a few reasons to travel with Travel Italy the Write Way Tours and Linda and Tim Jenkins:

  • We create unforgettable experiences for small groups of travelers (never more than 12 people) who don’t like tours.
  • Why “the write way?” Writing is something Linda does all the time when we travel; if you would like some journaling tips, just ask and she’ll set some time aside for a little “workshop.”
  • We always provide you with a journal, anyway, just in case you get inspired.
  • We always provide you with some free time and are happy to help with suggestions for touring sites and restaurants.
  • The reason we do not include airfare in our trips is that we want to give travelers the option of arriving earlier or staying later and extending their trip beyond just our offered destination(s). Besides . . . we’re not travel agents!
  • When we say, “dinner on your own” or “lunch on your own,” that doesn’t mean we can’t eat together. It just means those meals are not included in the price.
  • We provide all ground transportation, museum entrances, local tours, all breakfasts as well as many dinners and lunches. One of the reasons we do this is (a) to give you the experience/adventure of choosing your own meal experiences, and (b) to choose not to eat if it’s all been too much that day!
  • We encourage the “passeggiata” – the town walk, starting about 5:00 – even in large cities, along the main corso. We’ll experience together this most Italian of rituals.
  • We do not believe in Single Supplements.

Please watch for information about our May 2019 tour to Milan, Lake Como and Lombardia and also our October 2019 tour to Matera, Alberobello, Lecce and many other gems of the mezzogiorno. Contact me for more information.

Italian Tours

Tours for people who don’t like tours.

Italian Tours

Led by author and blogger Linda Dini Jenkins and her husband, Tim, Travel Italy the Write Way tours are small group, intimate experiences where the locals take the lead. Linda and Tim have forged strong relationships with winery owners, cheese and olive oil producers, chefs, hoteliers, ex-pats and others who, together, will give you an experience you’ll never forget. LEARN MORE…

Italian Vacation Rental

Your home away from home.

Italian Vacation Rental Abruzzo

If you’re looking for an exceptional self-catering experience, consider Casa Linda in the heart of old Sulmona, one of the most beautiful small cities in Abruzzo. Less than two hours from Rome’s Fiumicino airport, Sulmona has everything you need for a relaxing holiday. It’s also close to the beach and skiing/hiking areas. Casa Linda is a charming, well-appointed apartment, lovingly restored by one of the area’s preeminent architects, just steps from the Cathedral of San Panfilo at the edge of the Villa Communale (city park). LEARN MORE…

Books & Writing

Dream. Travel. Write.

Writing has long been Linda’s passion, and she started writing about Italy nearly 20 years ago. Travel Italy the Write Way combines her love for Italy with her love for travel writing, blogging, and finding new ways to tell about the experience of travel in both prose and poetry.

Even if you can’t travel with her in person just yet:

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FROM THE BLOG

November 1 is Reclamation Day

There was only one sign for pumpkin spice anything, and it was at the train station in Rome. Starbucks, of course, and my apologies to all who love the fall-themed brew. But then there was the Trick or Treat sign on the Irish pub (!) in my Italian town of Sulmona. It was jarring. Halloween hasn’t yet come to Italy in a big way, and that’s fine with me. Call me a grump. Because the rest of the year (as most of you know) I live in Salem, Massachusetts where, over the past 20 years, Halloween starts in early September and runs through mid-November. The crowds are staggering – nearly one million people come into town on Halloween weekend alone.…

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