While my parents were visiting, we sought out to see this absolute gem – Cinque Terre.  My camera couldn’t do the beauty of these villages justice.

Read about it HERE.

Strolling the streets of Levanto at night

A street artist shows off his work in Levanto

Fishing boats tied off in Riomaggiore

The cliff top town of Manarola

My parents flew in, eager to visit with us and see Julia.  We spent a lot of time going around the lake – we enjoyed the gardens of Villa Carlotta.  One day, we set out to recreate my grandfathers photo from over 63 years prior.

Read about it HERE and HERE.

Julia is all smiles in the gardens of Villa Carlotta

My attempt at recreating an exact photo my grandfather took 63 years ago

After our trip to Abruzzo, we flew with Jen’s family over to Scotland for an amazing getaway.  The landscape was among the most beautiful we’ve ever seen.

Read about it HERE and HERE.

The regal Balmoral Castle in Ballater, Scotland

The River Dee was a beautiful body of water

The river tied together the whole area

A sheep crosses the road in the Highlands

Scottish cattle have a very unique look

The sheep are are very much a part of the landscape

A long and desolate road is full of beauty

Boundary markers far older than anyone I know still stand today

The Scottish Highlands is one of the most beautiful places on earth

Jen’s family came to visit and we all hit the road for a trip to Civtella Messer Raimondo in the Abruzzo region of Italy.

Read about it HERE.

Dusk sets in Guardiagrele

Dolce Far Niente – the Italian phrase that captures the refined art – the “sweetness of doing nothing”

Pasta dries in the Farabella pasta factory

Côtes du Rhône & Riviera, France

We embarked on a wonderful road trip to visit our good friends Michel and Shirley at their home in Sablet, France.  Before we arrived, we took a detour through the French Riviera.

Read about our trip HERE, HERE and HERE.

The Pont du Gard in the French countryside

Wonderful old windows in Gordes

Street graffiti in Côtes du Rhône

Vineyards in Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Julia stops to smell the flowers

The hillside village of Gordes is absolutely amazing

Gordes is considered L’un des Plus Beaux Villages de France (One of the Most Beautiful Villages of France)

Angels and people alike come to daydream in Gordes

The buildings in Gordes were truly special

Julia hands me part of the beach of Nice

She keeps part of Nice’s beach to herself

Beaulieu-Sur-Mer’s mountain’s at night

Beaulieu-Sur-Mer’s harbor at night

The yachts in port at Beaulieu-Sur-Mer were jaw dropping

Bellagio & Tuscany, Italy

We loved spending time with my sister, Michelle and her husband David.  The real highlight though, was watching Julia get to spend time with her cousin, Elsa.  Among other day trips, we visited Bellagio and Tuscany.

Read about their visit HERE.

Double rainbow…DOUBLE RAINBOW!

Double rainbow over Bellagio makes for a perfect family photo

Sun sets over the Tuscan hills

When our good friends Nathan and Danielle came to visit this past spring, we took a boat ride to Bellagio.  I was able to capture a couple photos on an otherwise cloudy day that I found particularly striking.

Read about their visit HERE.

Torno, a small town on the shores of Lake Como is a lucky recipient of rays of sun breaking through the clouds

A boat along Lake Como transports tourists and locals toward Bellagio

We have always loved Tuscany – we have been lucky enough to spend time in Tuscany long before we moved to Italy.  But we were really lucky to discover that one of our friends from high school now calls Tuscany her home!  The trip did not disappoint and neither did a couple of the pictures.

Read about our trip HERE and HERE.

The calming and serene countryside of Tuscana (Tuscany)

A single tree frames this peaceful scene in Voleterra, Tuscany

The hills behind Beth’s home

A view of Tuscany from Volterra

Salzburg, Austria

The Hohenwerfen Fortress dominates the landscape in a small town of Werfen outside of Salzburg.  This tour of the castle was our first visit inside of a medieval fortress, our first falcon demonstration and the first time an eagle flew directly over our heads.

Read about our trip HERE.

An eagle approaches on a swift path directly toward me

Julia spots and then shows Jen her favorite animals in the petting zoo

A falcon soars over mountain tops outside of Salzburg, Austria

The Dolomiti mountains are purely breathtaking.  An expansive mountain range that spans across northeast Italy and home to our Zia Claudia; they were also our home for several days during Easter 2013.  This road trip was the first time I filled my camera’s memory card – the scenery is like nothing we’d ever seen in our lifetimes.

Read about it HERE and HERE.

Beautiful Lake in Alleghe, Belluno – Dolomites in Background

Italian Flag Flies Over Lago di Alleghe

Two Bell Towers Signal the Importance of Belluno’s Church

Dolomite Mountains Surround the Capital City of Agordo

Statue in Canale d’Agordo “To His Fallen and Missing” -June 28, 1992

View of Monte Civetta from Canale d’Agordo

Julia walks the same streets of Canale d’Agordo; where Pope Giovanni Paolo I walked as a small boy

Read about our trip HERE, HERE and HERE.

The perfect pour of Guinness, complete with shamrock

A perfectly poured pint at the Guinness Storehouse Sky Bar

Julia sneaks a taste of Guinness in a pub in Dublin, Ireland

Ireland “Greens” the city during St. Patrick’s Day

Verona, Italy

Verona was the first major “road trip” that we took when we got here.  While I have many beautiful memories of Verona, my favorite photo was of my two girls in front of Castello San Pietro.  Julia was a huge hit with tourists in Giulietta’s House – they lined up to take pictures of her.

Read about our trip HERE.

Julia becomes a celebrity in Giuletta’s House, Verona

A Little Peck of Love in Verona

First Photo

When we first arrived in Italy, Jen suggested we start a blog as a type of “journal” for our time here. We wracked our brains for names and eventually fell in love with a domain name that would become our way of life.  Sipping Espresso evoked a feeling of a newfound, slow-paced Italian lifestyle.  Additionally, we wanted to drink up everything that Italy has to offer.  But first we needed a photo…

More to come…