A Different Kind of Culture Blog

A different kind of travel Blog: Humor, Culture and Stories about Italy, Europe, California and around the World.

Californian Surfing vs. Italian Surfing

You may be surprised to learn that Italian Surfing is not a dish. No doubt that it could be an excellent name for pasta. But surfing is...

“Meow, Meow” Around the World

We love them. They love us. We’ve encountered them in Bora Bora, Antigua, France, Italy, Slovakia, Greece, and many other countries...

Big, Fun, Tuscan Wedding

When is the perfect time to get married? First, you need to find someone that wants to spend the rest of her of his life with you. But...

The Story of Two Italian Penguins in Love for Over 60 Years

Most species of penguins are monogamous. They will mate with the same penguin, season after season. It is a beautiful, loving...

The Craziest Easter Celebration in Europe

Every time I mention our Slovakian Easter tradition to Americans, they look at me with horror in their eyes and their mouth wide open....

Leonardo da Vinci Cracks a Joke

In 2019, we celebrate Leonardo da Vinci’s 500-year anniversary (15 April 1452 – 2 May 1519), who is one of the foremost exponents of the...

Top Models’ Infatuation

In Poor Richard's Almanack, Benjamin Franklin wrote: “Beauty, like supreme dominion, is but supported by opinion.” The perception of...

Love, Sex & the Etruscans in Volterra, Tuscany

There are many enigmatic civilizations that historians continue to speculate about. One is the wealthy and powerful Etruscan...

Allure and Mystery of Villa Il Cerretino, Tuscany

When we visited Florence a few years back, we stayed one night at Villa Il Cerretino in Prato, Tuscany. What an intriguing experience!...