As Filippo came into the living room and registered who he was being called to talk too, he immediately stood up straighter and said hello. He later told me his mind was racing about what he might have done to provoke a visit from the police, this officer, who everyone calls “Jackson”, once scolded him for skateboarding along the road, but nothing he had done recently came to mind. Then from Jackson’s bag, came an envelope which contained…

After a lifetime of travel, one starts to think a new destination will not hold any unique surprises. Such was the case for Morocco - my expectations for Imprint’s first Morocco tour were way too low. This is an amazing travel destination. And perhaps more importantly, it is a country where Western travelers can experience a democratic, moderate Muslim culture.

In Italian the word for “bread” is pane, the etymological root for which is pà meaning “nourishment.” We find the same root in the translation of “meal”, pasto. I personally love our idiom for describing a very good, honest, humble and true man: “buono come il pane” (“as good as bread').

Few places in Europe are as diverse and spectacular as Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and the rest of the Balkans. But there is also a lot of recent history here from the spark of the First World War in Sarajevo, to the partisan’s guerrilla warfare against Hitler, and onto the 24-hr news cycle of the wars here in the 1990s. 

After years of organizing wine tours in the Piedmont region in Italy, I still have to warn travelers about traveling in August. From an Italian’s perspective, Ferragosto lasts for almost the entire month, although the official date is August 15th. Italians traditionally take the whole two weeks off surrounding this day.

Having just spent 3 weeks in Southeast Asia, enjoying jaw-dropping sights, mouth-watering cuisine, eye-opening historical and cultural lessons, and connecting with intriguing, kind, generous, and delightful people all over Vietnam and Cambodia, I am feeling really torn about the need to be vigilant about public health safety and the incessant focus on the fear of contracting COVID-19 and how that’s creating devastating, rippling effects in global economies, encouraging xenophobia, and making people panic worldwide. 

As a woman, I cherish the hard-earned rights, freedom, and respect that my gender enjoys in America and throughout the Western World.  We've come a long way in the last century, but we still face challenges and work diligently to hurdle them.  And because we recognize the value and contributions of women, no matter where they live, we want all women to savor the same opportunities we have.