Posts Tagged ‘Grantourismo’
Feb 25, 2011
By Lisa T. Bergren
#1 Staring at the Pantheon aglow, beside husband and best friends, all of us abroad for the first time in twenty years. Stunned, we all kept repeating, “Can you believe we’re seeing this?!” (Rome, Italy) Continue reading
Tags: Egypt, family travel, Grantourismo, HomeAway, Israel, Italy, Montana
Feb 22, 2011
Home vs. Hotel (Part I)
An Interview w/ Lara Dunston of GrantourismoBy Lisa T. Bergren
Note: This is Part One of my interview with Lara Dunston of Grantourismo. Part Two of our Grantourismo interview follows as a separate post.
I’ve been following travel writer Lara Dunston and her photographer hubby, Terence Carter, since I heard they were going on a tour ’round the world, in partnership with HomeAway Holiday-Rentals. I was fantasizing about doing the exact same thing with my family, and love villas and apartments, so I was instantly engaged. The stories they posted on Grantourismo made me feel like I was along for the ride, and I figured they’d found out even more about rental homes that would be valuable for families like us, whether we were looking for a week away or longer. What follows is our chat… Continue reading
Feb 22, 2011
Home vs. Hotel (Part II)
More family travel chit chat w/ Lara of GrantourismoBy Lisa T. Bergren
NOTE: This is a continuation of my interview with Lara Dunston of Grantourismo. Read Part One of our interview if you’d like to know more!
Lisa: Talk to me about scouting out local grocery stores and tricks you’ve learned about getting what you want when you don’t speak the language.
Lara: You’d assume that all property owners would have a folder of information in the apartment that lists the nearest supermarket or market, but not all do. Continue reading
Jan 15, 2011
The Luxury of Time
The Ultimate Form of TravelBy Lisa T. Bergren
I’m one of Those Travelers who tries to get a feel for a new place on a taster menu—in a lot of succulent bites. But we’ve returned to a few spots that have captured us the most and not spent time lost in maps or itineraries, but rather feasted on genuinely abiding in that unique intersection of longitude and latitude. Such experiences leave us pleasantly full. Continue reading
Nov 18, 2010
The Pulse of Jerusalem
Living Like a LocalBy Lisa T. Bergren
I pour bitey, new wine (kosher, of course) for myself while my husband does a taste test on Israeli vs. Palestinian beer (FYI: Palestinians win). We’re in the garden of the guesthouse, our favorite spot to feel the pulse of Jerusalem. Continue reading
In Israel, Jerusalem, Trip Reports
Tags: Grantourismo, HomeAway holiday rentals, Israel, Jerusalem
Oct 22, 2010
What’s in Your Backyard?
A Local's Favorite in Colorado SpringsBy Lisa T. Bergren
I love to discover the “local’s version” of a foreign town—the English cheese shop with the killer Stilton; the trattoria in Venice two bridges away from the Canalazzo, crowded with families; the local’s path to a hidden park in Aspen; the chocolate mousse stand in Paris where neighbors dare to complain about the portions; the pizza joint as thick with Brooklyn accents as their crust is thin.
But why do we have to wander so far afield to savor the nuances and gifts of a place? Why does it take an outsider to help us rediscover the treasures in our own backyard? Continue reading
Sep 25, 2010
Classic Colorado Comfort Food
Rustique: Aspen, ColoradoBy Lisa T. Bergren
Like most places, Aspen, Colorado is a treasure to visit off-season. Nestled among the mountains and surrounded by massive, namesake groves relinquishing their summer green to autumnal gold, the town is quiet and accessible this time of year. Continue reading
In Colorado, Trip Reports, USA
Tags: Aspen, Colorado, comfort food, Grantourismo, HomeAway, restaurant, Rustique
Jun 9, 2010
A Dream Realized
From an Image in a Magazine to Living ItBy Lisa T. Bergren
It began with a “Room with a View” feature in Conde Nast’s Traveler. A shot out the window from Terre di Nano that captured what I’d been longing for—a visit to the heart of Tuscany—territory in which we could just be, absorb, live like the locals. Continue reading
In Articles, Couples Only
Tags: couples, Grantourismo, HomeAway, Italy, Tuscany, villa
May 19, 2010
A Dinner Among Friends
Locanda Rosati, near OrvietoBy Lisa T. Bergren
Our arrival into Rome is less than auspicious. Everything takes longer than expected or proves impossible; the rental car, the Friday night traffic, the phone with international access, the directions to the inn, the GPS. By the time we roll up in front of Locanda Rosati, we are stressed, bickering and exhausted. Continue reading
In Italy, Trip Reports, Umbria
Tags: B&B, food, Grantourismo, HomeAway holiday rentals, inn, Locanda Rosati, Umbria
Mar 28, 2010
View on a Venetian Neighborhood
A Different Kind of CanalBy Lisa T. Bergren
In Venice, ancient city of mariners and merchants, we rented a second floor apartment facing Via Giuseppe Garibaldi. This wide avenue, once a waterway, now a canal of stone and cement, swirls with grandmothers pushing children too old to be in umbrella strollers (but in them anyway), schoolchildren, businesspeople. Here, the tolling bell of a neighborhood church awakens us each morning, calling parishioners to mass. We hear the creaks and groans of shutters pushed aside, the metallic grate of gates opened in front of tiny shops and markets and bars. Continue reading
