Not only can shadow journeys be concurrent, but they can also be leisurely...

This time last year, we were already in Turkey -- heading from Izmir to Selcuk, to be precise.

This year's shadow-journeying self, meanwhile, is still in Italy.

It doesn't matter. I don't have shadow-schedules to keep to. I can be on this journey for the rest of the year if it retains my interest.

The other day I wrote a little piece for Vintage Travel about my modest experience of Italy and Italian. Reading in my diary about asparagi con le uova and pinot grigio made me think we should do a bit more shadow-eating. Good decision. They were both delicious.


I've also been scrubbing up my language for free with Coffee Break Italian.

And I'm really enjoying reading Gianrico Carofiglio's Le perfezioni provvisorie (Temporary perfections), a detective story featuring Bari-based lawyer Guido Guerrieri.

Bari does not figure -- or has not figured so far anyway -- as a major player in its own right, in the way that Vigo does in the novels of Domingo Villar. Nevertheless, it's an excellent read. The legal vocabulary took a bit of getting used to, but generally the Italian is not too difficult.

I'll close with a few picture of Bari that I didn't have room for in my posts last year: