Hello! I am Rossi.
I live in Kent, England and I am originally from Varna on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Prior to moving to England, I spent six years living in Italy which were preceded by 14 years in England. So, at present, my mind is a mish-mash of trilateral cultural expectations and norms.
I used to be a journalist, a translator (English, Spanish, and Portuguese into Bulgarian), and an editor. Currently, I am a mature student taking a two-year Certificate in the History of Art at Oxford University Department for Continuing Education.
My blog Rossi Writes was started in November 2014 and currently has over 400 blog posts on a variety of travel topics. My favourite themes are history and art and I also publish lots of practical travel tips and exhaustive travel guides making it easy for you to plan your own explorations.
I take all photos used to illustrate my blog posts. First, with a Nikon D90 and currently, with a Nikon D780. I use Lightroom to process all my photos.
I try to update my Facebook page and my Instagram account regularly, so read on and let me know what you think.
Best wishes 🙂
Rossi
Mandie Charles
Tuesday 22nd of August 2023
Hi Rossi Your website is amazing, thank you. I will be travelling from London - Verona Airport - Lake Garda (Antica Dimora Desenzano) in April next year and have been trawling the internet for information on airport to resort transfers. It seems as though the train is a very good option, but I wonder if you could let me know roughly how much a taxi would cost please?
Thank you so much x
admin
Tuesday 22nd of August 2023
Thank you for your kind words, Mandie! I don't live in Italy anymore and I am afraid I don't know the exact current price rates for the taxis there. I returned to Desenzano del Garda last summer for a holiday and we took the shuttle bus from Verona Airport to Verona Porta Nuova train station and then the train to Desenzano. As always, it was very quick and problem-free. If you need up-to-date prices for the local taxis, Verona Airport recommends three companies on their website: https://www.aeroportoverona.it/en/transport/taxi.html Their phone numbers are provided, too so you can contact them directly if you wish. I Googled the first company to see if its website provides more details and there is a designated page for rate calculation: https://radiotaxiverona.it/calcolo-tariffe/ It's in Italian but it's easy to decipher and Google Translate can always help further. The page also lists tables with the official rates. I hope that this information will give you some ideas how to get a quote for your exact journey! Have a lovely time in Italy!
Best wishes,
Rossi :)
Eleo Carson
Saturday 8th of October 2022
I enjoyed this Padua and local cities e mail. Could you include the wonderful Basilica San Zeno in Verona as so many people just go to Verona for shopping and to see R and J’s so-called house. It deserves to be better known. I have visited three times and was always the only person there. Some remarkable frescoes on the wall, inc The Last Supper with five scorpions walking along the tablecloth (a bad omen); Lazarus arising from his tomb with onlookers holding hankies to their noses and a lovely baptism of Christ standing in a bright blue striped river. Also huge and wonderful bronze doors with I think 48 panels of biblical scenes at the entrance. Eleo Carson
admin
Sunday 9th of October 2022
Dear Eleo,
Thank you for stopping by and for your lovely comment. I have a detailed blog post covering three one-day itineraries for Verona and it's true that the Basilica of San Zeno is not included in it as it is slightly further away from the cluster of other sights covered and the itineraries are quite busy as they are. I need to write a separate blog post about all the things to do in Verona and in it I will definitely include the basilica as it's a must-see. I just need to find the time to do it as I recently started a history of art course and it's taking my days. About the scorpions you mentioned: I don't recall this particular detail off the top of my head. I have seen several Last Suppers around Northern Italy with lobsters as part of the meal. This, apparently, is typical for this corner of Italy and the lobster is a multilayered symbol representing the promise of eternal life among other things, too. I was wondering if these scorpions could be in fact lobsters or are actual scorpions which would be a new motif for me to explore. Thank you again for stopping by.
Best wishes,
Rossi :)
Angelo
Monday 27th of June 2022
Your articles are excellent and helped me to plan a wonderful trip several years ago. I still enjoy reading them, and hope to use more of them soon to plan another one!
admin
Tuesday 28th of June 2022
Thank you for your kind words! Wishing you happy future travels!
Rossi Thomson
Claudia L Preston
Monday 26th of October 2020
Thank you! I had to cancel my trip to Verona for this month. I received your email today which gave me hope about coming back soon. Grazie! Claudia
admin
Tuesday 27th of October 2020
I hope you have a chance to travel to Italy as soon as it is possible to do it safely. With everything that is happening at the moment in the world, we can only hope. Best wishes,
Rossi