Author: Tricia A. Mitchell
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Of Orange Groves & Tangerine Sunsets: An Ecotour in Rural Malta
Living in Valletta, where there isn’t much green space, Shawn and I have swiftly fallen for the charms of Malta’s countryside. While honking horns and heavy traffic prevail in the densely populated parts of the Mediterranean island, the feeling is relaxed outside these urban areas. Open fields are dotted with agricultural plots of land and rocky walls, and the…
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The Doors of Valletta, Malta
Valletta has ties to the Knights of Malta and the British. The city is also home to some vibrant and diverse doors.
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Harvesting for a Cause: Picking Olives in Mediterranean Malta
Strolling some Mediterranean sidewalks during the late-autumn months, it’s not unusual to see shriveling olives wasting away on the ground. There are, of course, locals who spirit away buckets of a forgotten tree’s olives, or the odd pigeon that might take a peck at the bitter fruit, but it’s been my observation that a considerable amount of urban olives go to waste.…
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Feeling Festive in Malta: Celebrating a Festa in the City of Bormla
When I first visited Malta, my new Maltese friends told me about the islands’ beloved festas — days on which church parishes honor a patron saint in the most celebratory of fashions. These feast days are replete with fireworks, food, parades, and elaborate decorations. Most festas are crammed into the summer months, and my maiden Maltese visit in November…
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The Windows of Asti, Piemonte, Italy
Perhaps best known for its annual Palio, a 700-year-old bare-back horse race replete with pageantry and tradition, Asti also has a lot to offer architecturally and gastronomically. The Northern Italian city once had more than 70 towers, which symbolized wealth and power. While there are less of them punctuating Asti’s skyline today, the city also features impressive churches…
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From Homeless to Highness: A Reunion with Cocoa the Kitten in Ticino, Switzerland
“Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me.” -Carl sandburg As I went to say goodbye to Cocoa, I found him basking in the afternoon sunlight and grooming his lustrous black fur. Occasionally, he would stop and gaze out the window at the Swiss paradise before him – a landscape sprinkled with palm,…
