My darling mother took us to Italy for our annual rendezvous. Here she is at our hotel in Levanto, the fabulous Hotel Al Terra di Mare.

The Cinque Terre is a series of five small towns on the western coast of Italy, north of Rome, west of Florence, south of Genova and Milan. We stayed in Levanto, just north of Cinque Terre. Levanto has a lovely, long white sand beach with plenty of eateries and gelaterias. The shopping is easy to navigate as the town has a central piazza (Piazza Cavour) from which two streets take you to either of the main shopping lanes (Via Viviani or the city park).

A three minute train ride (only 1 euro) takes you to Monterosso, the nearest town of Cinque Terre. It's another short train ride or a 45 minute coastline hike to the next town. Choose your style, as either way you'll find yourself endulging in the pleasures of the Italian coast. Oh, don't miss out on eating taglioni alla pesto. It's a local pasta with our favorite Italian sauce.

Here my lovely mother sits at front of the Duomo in Florence. She visited with the men to her left. They were from the Ukraine but worked as carpenters in Florence now. Don't you love international acquaintances?

What are some of your favorite cities or international spots? Where have you found yourself able to revel in the flavors of another culture? Do share.