Life’s soundtrack should be big: Rossini Opera Festival makes a splash

The Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, Italy was over the top! I love watching live orchestras and this one had 5 string basses. 🙂 And the audience was as fun to watch as the opera! I didn’t expect a fashion event. Of course people are well dressed at a fancy cultural event, but there was so […]

Create something new: What would you do with 500 olive trees?

500 olive trees. Sciacca, Sicily. © Laurel Decher, 2016. I recently came across another inspiring example of using your inheritance to create something new. Alessandro inherited 500 olive trees with his grandfather’s Sicilian property. Most people look at 500 olive trees and think olive oil, but Alessandro had a different idea: soap. His engineering Ph.D. […]

What’s it like to visit historical sites for a story world you’ve only imagined?

The Middle Ages come to life in Arezzo, Italy. ©Jan Decher, 2002 The itinerary included the most important and accessible places in the story: Bologna (nearest airport and unexpectedly beautiful) Casa Cares near Tuscany (a family visit to this retreat center brought me to Arezzo and the story) Camaldolì monastery (an 11th century monastery and […]