Prisoner of Hopes

Prisoner of Hopes: a blog about Hopeful Living and Finding Adventure in the Everyday Things of Life

Rainy Days Are Still Beautiful: Travel Goals

Sunny, magical days have to be interrupted occasionally. And so the rain set in for a multi-day period of grey clouds and damp pavement. Since we were in Italy to experience Italy, we set off for a wet drive around the lake to Cannobio on Lake Maggiore (….not to be confused with Cannobio on Lake…

November 11, 2024
Markets and Mountains: Travel Goals

Today is my favorite day! When I travel in Italy, I can’t wait for market day, the day that a town has a pop up outdoor market. Usually each town has a set day for the market. In that way vendors can go from town to town, and the townspeople can plan their shopping. This…

November 10, 2024
A Walk On the Wild Side: Travel Goals

After several weeks of touring historic sites and churches, we decided to broaden our Italian experience. Our destination for a local weekend experience was the Pombia Safari park. It is essentially a drive through zoo. You could drive your own car or ride in their safari wagon. We opted to drive. We arrived early, parked,…

November 8, 2024
The End of the Road: Travel Goals

Wanderlust…our internal yearning of wanting to see new things, hear new sounds, smell new smells….means that every day we venture out to parts unknown. We try to keep the destination within two hours drive to ensure we have enough time to enjoy each new spot without tiring or feeling rushed. We never know what we…

November 7, 2024
Stranded: Travel Goals

Sometimes things are not as you want them to be. You just have to take a deep breath and deal with them as they are. We wanted to take the ferry to Intra and then on Isola Madre, the last Borromean island we hadn’t visited. It was market day in Intra…and I love market day.…

November 7, 2024
Been There: Travel Goals

I am a contrary traveler. I don’t mean to be, but I almost never enjoy the “it” places. I read the guidebooks and just to say we have been there, we dutifully go, to the “must see” places and I am almost always disappointed. I don’t like crowds. I don’t like the so called “ugly”…

November 6, 2024
In Search of Counts and Kings: Travel Goals

It is still raining on the banks of lake Maggiore. Today we took a long drive to the city of the Kings of Savoy, Venaria Reale. It is sunny there. The drive took just under three hours as we rejected the autostrade in favor of backroads.. We saw farm houses and vineyards as we meandered…

November 6, 2024
Gardens and Galleries in Verbania: Travel Goals

Some days just exceed expectations. I woke up to a beautiful pink sunrise. The rain had washed the earth clean and the birds were singing their thanks. We had no where to be and took our time, lingering over coffee. We drove around the lake to Verbania and the Villa Taranto. I wasn’t expecting much.…

November 5, 2024
Rainy Day In Milano: Travel Goals

Today was a washout. It rained all night and all day. Outside adventures at the Lake looked dismal. I searched the radar for anywhere dry and came up empty. So we headed to Arona, parked blocks away from the train station, and walked through the flood to buy a round trip ticket to Milan. We…

November 5, 2024
Convents, Cable Cars, and Clothing: Travel Goals

The day was overcast as we drove around the lake to Santa Caterina del Sasso. An ancient monastery along Lake Maggiore, Santa Caterina is carved into the rock. It hangs above the lake as if suspended by magic. After parking and trying to decipher signs that seemed to suggest the monastery was is two different…

November 4, 2024