I will be adding this blog to my website. Www.gregsitlay.com. Hope you will follow my posts 
Greg’s Italy A blog from www.gregsitaly.com
A year in Italy or more????
As we have been in quarantine and survived, we are dreaming of staying for a year, or more in Italy.
This is not he easiest of things. Especially right now as restrictions on travel for Americans exist. I do not blame Italy, the US has had its own problems and has excluded visitors from a number of countries. The hard part is getting permission to stay in Italy for more than 90 days. Permesso di soggiorno, permission to stay, or residency permit.
After a bit of research, it first appears to be a daunting task. If anyone reading this blogs has ideas, send me an email at greg@gregsitaly.com
Spacious apartment in Milan would be perfect for a long stay. Large living room kitchen combo. Bedroom with queen bed and nice shower. About 100 feet from tram stop and walk to many restaurantes
The bureaucracy of dealing with the Italian Consulate, can be very trying to ones sole. You must be financially secure and not a drain on the Italian economy. Banking records showing your last three months records are required. I am exploring several types of visas.
Our destinations would ideally be on the shore. Possibly Sicily with its many beach areas. This is going to be along project, and may never come to pass. It is possible to stay for 90 days without a visa, this is also an option. I will continue to write about this in future posts. Your comments are greatly appreciated.
Italy Photo Journey
Every place we visit, we find some beautiful sights.
CORTINA DI AMPEZZO 
Cortina d’Ampezzo 
VENEZIA 
MILANO, THE CANALS 
VENEZIA 
VICENZA 
VICENZA 
VICENZA 
CAMPO DEI FIORE, ROMA 
AMALFI 
ALBEROBELLO 
OSTUNI THE WHITE CITY 
OSTUNI 
NAPOLI 
AMALFI 
OUTSIDE OF VIESTE
These are a few of the over 15,000 photos from the last 20 plus years of traveling to Italy.
About a week ago, but some years ago. We celebrated our retirement and explored new areas of Italy.
It was July 5th, 2008. We arrived in Milano and started to explore. We learned about the trams, the buses, and getting lost. It was fun.
Our trip went everywhere, Verona, MIlano, east, west, north south. At one small town, Tessimo, the innkeeper spoke only German
Now it is 12 years later,and my and possibly your world has been changed by the Covid19 virus. American are not welcome in Italy. I understand this and the need to protect the citizens of Italy.
It has not stopped our planning for out next trip. Sicily is our next destination.
Angela and I have visited most of Italy. From the north and Cortina di Ampezzo to Calabria and Reggio. Sicily has heritage for my wife’s family. That will be our next return is it. It is also amazing. So much is on this island we will never discover it all
The duomo, Siracusa
It was a one hour walk to the top to Castelmola. When I got down to the bottom, una birra e una pizza. I was definitely wiped out, but the view was beautiful.
Castelmola
The walk was worth it. At the top a festa was I progress.
A happy wave from a woman in Palermo.
When things change we will be back in Sicily
Published with WordPress on an iPad as we are in Connecticut away from the virus hitting Florida so are. A little behind as usual in posting.
Non vedo l’ora. I can’t wait.
The best cheese comes from Italy. Visiting this year is out, and I got hungry, 
So I searched on Amazon for Pecorino cheese. Sheep’s milk cheese. I found a great product and decided to order it,
It was shipped UPS Air and arrived in two days from Parma, Italy.
It was packed with a styrofoam inner container with cooling jej.
This is it. Just about 4 lbs.
It even includes a cutting knife.
It is a softer cheese than Parmesan with a wonderful aroma and taste. Pecorino Toscano is a PDO cheese made in the Tuscany region of Italy. You can order directly from them at the following web site
For me all cheese that I have eaten in Italy is great, and now I can bring it home. My 2 kilo order cost $79 with UPS air shipping. That was a good price. See the photo below that show a shop window in the Trastevere section of Roma where the price for kilo was 63 Euro.
In Florida you can visit Doris Market in West Palm which specializes in Italian Foods.
I Never Forget A Meal
I am borrowing the title of a book by Michael Tucker who also fell in love with Italy and has always loved food. Italian food and Italian meals are to be savored and enjoyed. His book was great and you can find copies on Amazon. Also recommended is “Living in a Foreign Language” also by Michael Tucker which is similar to Under the Tuscan Son, but with more humor and a bit of attitude.
We are on the island of Ischia, a small island off the coast of Napoli. We stayed in a small hotel with great views of the area and had a pleasant lunch of Prosciuto e Melone.
We also hand Insalata Capresse with fresh mozzarella di buffala
At anolther ristorante in ischia we had frutti di mare. As fresh as you can get.
While staying on Lake Carda in the town of Brenzone we had a waterfront dinner of Cacio e Pepe
Lunch at a winery in Vicenza 
Below is home made pasta in Milano, I took a pasta making class.
Felt is was time to lear how to do it, I had a pasta making machine at home that my bother bought about thirty years ago.
Nothing like your own fresh pasta
Pasta alla Norma
Mixed fruit that we bought at the market in Siracusa Sicily
Below is beefsteak Florentine
You start with aged meet. This is from Il Pandemonio, Florence Italy
It comes rare to medium rate, It is a think steak, about 1.5 to 2.0 inches.
There is nothing like it.
Back in Catania, Sicily
An entire meal of antipasti
My wife Angel and I after a wonderful meal.
Il Torre Del Mangia, Siena
Piazza del Campo
Insalata Capresse
There are more to come. This Brunello from 2011 met it Demis in 2020 as we reminisced about Italy.
Three Years Old
Three years ago I had the idea of doing a blog about Italy travel. I already had a web site ( http://www.gregsitaly.com) but it did not allow me to narrate travels as easily as WordPress does. It allows posting from iPad, iPhone, and Mac with access to all my 20,000 photos of Italy. So thanks to all those who have stopped by and I hope to share some more thoughts and photos during these difficult time. This is not a commercial site, Lo faccio per condividere il mio amore per l’Italia, I do it to share my love of Italy.
View from Fondaco dei Tedeschi.
Free entrance to some of the best views of Venice. You can reserve a time slot online.
Visit their web site
https://www.dfs.com/en/venice/t-fondaco-rooftop-terrace
A bridge in Vicenza
From the Grand Canal, Norwegian may not return.
The Markets of Italy
To me nothing is more beautiful than the way Italian markets display their food. The quality is overwhelming, the aromas intriguing, and the tastes are fantastico.
Fish Market In Catania, Sicily
Catania Fish Market
Stall in Amalfi
Catania
Fruit and Vegetables
Lemons, Catanzaro Calabria
Autogrill
A Pasticciera in Erice
Blood Oranges, Palermo
Garlic Aglio
Melenzanie – Eggplant
Mushrooms, Rome
Artichokes, Carciofi Roma
Fresh Bread, Roma
My banana harvest, Vero Beach, FL
Not Italy but this came from a Tree in our front yard.
Ciao
Stylized Photos From Past Trips
St Peters At Night
Duomo Milan
Lady On The Balcony, Palermo 2014
Somewhere Near Lake Maggiore 2008
More Photos From Past Trips. The Daily Market in Siracusa, Sicily
AT THE MARKET IN SIRACUSA, SICILY
Cipolla di Tropea.: The Calabrese cuisine is a reflection of its history – it is not refined or elaborate, normally simple, using most of the time vegetable such as the onions, in particular the red onion, the red onion of Tropea. These famous red onions are grown in an area which stretches in both directions along the coast from Tropea. Important enough to be sold in Sicily. (Google)
