Museum

During our 3-week stay in Italy in October ’06, the most unusual hotel we stayed in was Country House Montali (Via Montali 23, 06068 Tavernelle di Panicale, ITALY; phone +39 075 8350 680, fax 144 or visit www.montalionline.com). I think it might appeal to many ITN readers.

Its exquisite and varied cuisine is vegetarian. The Umbria region of Italy may be a meat eater’s paradise, but even meat eaters like me relish a change. For €80 ($106) per person per day, our half-board included breakfast and dinner — superb cuisine, lovingly served.

The National Museum of Denmark (Frederiks­holms Kanal 12, Copenhagen; phone [+45] 3313 4411 or visit www.nationalmuseet.dk. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-5. Admission free) is one of the largest archaeological museums we have ever visited anywhere. Be prepared to wear comfortable shoes and put your coats in the free lockers provided.

Even though we spent five hours there, we did not see everything; we did view exhibits covering the period from 1300 B.C. to A.D. 1800.

“Saving Private Ryan” and “The Thin Red Line” are about as realistic as war movies get, but I saw a couple of battle films that they couldn’t hold a rifle to. In one, British Tommies in World War I clambered over the top of their muddy trench to face withering German fire that cut many down. In another, Russian troops in World War II made their final assault on Berlin, a destroyed city that looked like the backyard of hell.

I returned to Paris in October ’06 and visited several places of interest.

One of my favorite London museums is the Guildhall Art Gallery (Gresham St., Guildhall Yard, London, EC2P 2EJ, U.K.; phone 020 7332 3700 or fax 020 7332 3342). This gallery is one of the best-kept secrets in London. I discovered the Guildhall while reading a newspaper article on the tube!

Kraków, Poland, is a small city. The Old Town — encompassing the town square, the old city walls, the opera house, museums and churches — is less than a square kilometer. The castle, called the Wawel, is a kilometer from the town square. Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter, is a 15-minute walk beyond the castle.

by Judith Anshin, Contributing Editor

From London, ENGLAND, Jan. 12, 2007. . .

We often stay in the Bloomsbury section of London (the last time in November ’05) and enjoy visiting the sights of “literary London.”

There are several museums in Quito, Ecuador, but two that my wife, Barbara, and I visited in January ’06 deserve special mention.