We go to Naples on a bus, not the most charming city ever. It’s crowded with tall residential buildings with all the wash hanging on the balconies. Every apartment has a balcony. The traffic is a mess; Neapolitans seem to regard lanes as nothing more than a suggestion. We arrive …

We take a cooking class at Scoglio di Frisio, a restaurant near the train station in Rome. The chef praises Jessica for her excellent questions about how sauces are made. “Brava,” he tells her over and over as they consult about the sauces, discussing how the addition of wine prevents …

I am standing in a Christmas market in the Piazza Navone, trying to explain the limits of our suitcase to a child who does not wish to understand. You can guess who wins this argument. “Let’s have dinner there,” Jess says and points to a bistro. She orders the grigliata …

If you happen to be a guest at an actual castle in a small town outside Verona, and the check-out time is noon, and it happens to be New Year’s Day when you are leaving, and you have perhaps engaged in revelry the night before, no one will be so …