As a historian and armchair archaeologist, I have traveled for 17 years to the deepest corners of our ancient past in search of lost civilizations all over the world. I have had the privilege of doing so with some of the top archaeologists and scientists in the world. Today, I enjoy the honor of serving on the Director's Council of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA, and as a Board Member of the Medieval & Renaissance Studies at CSULB.
As a writer and photographer, I have enjoyed the pleasure of writing and photographing for the Cotsen Institute's prestigious journals, in addition to over 150 business and marketing clients.
Life on the canals in Long Beach, California with my husband is one of social, culinary, and sailing delights.
<p style="margin:0in 0in 10pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;font-size:12pt;">Elisabeth was rude and selfish and demanding, and therefore had very few friends.<span> </span>When she sent out invitations to her birthday party, no one accepted.<span> </span>Her mother warned her that she needed to improve her manners and to try to get along with people.<span> </span>She told Elisabeth that she needed to use the magic word “Please”.<span> </span>So when Elisabeth went to school the next day, she thought of her mother’s advice, “What is the magic word?” and she started saying “Please” and also “Thank You”.<span> </span>She tried to become more thoughtful of others, and discovered that she was a much happier person.<span> </span>Imagine her pleasure when she returned home to find out that her new friends were all coming to her birthday party!</span><span style="line-height:115%;font-family:Arial, 'sans-serif';font-size:10pt;"></span></p><p></p>
Years ago, I visited the city of Florence for a few days. For some unknown reason, however, I had a difficult time leaving. Years later, I heeded her invisible call and revisited this ancient and exotic city. Once again, I had to pry myself away. After traveling the globe for 17 years, I have never felt a 'pull' quite like this. It left me curious enough to get it together and go for a third visit. But this time, I stayed for three months. And I fell in love. With the city. With her history. With the fantastic group of real-life characters that stormed out of the Dark Ages and chiseled the western world into an enlightened Renaissance. There are endless reasons why the city of FLORENCE is a favorite destination of so many travelers: the food, the wine, the people, the history, the landmarks, etc. For me, it is the stories. The stories of the people and places that made the city hauntingly interesting. These are the stories of the people I thought I knew plenty about: Michelangelo, da Vinci, Donatello, Dante, Botticelli, Machiavelli, Galileo, the Medici family, and so many more. But as you will see, we were taught very little about these guys. For example, did you know that most of these guys came from the little town of Florence? And that many of them actually KNEW each other? And did you know that it was these guys that unknowingly began that vague period in history called "The Renaissance?" You just learned three key little, albeit important, facts. Ok, so what's a Renaissance? The Renaissance was the 'force' that pulled the Western World out of the Dark Ages and into enlightenment. In fact, Renaissance is the French word for 'awakening' or 'enlightenment.' (Oops, you just learned another fact.) My book is jam-packed with little stories, trivia and factoids. It is super visual (over 450 images) and very easy to read. With this book in your hands, your trip to Florence could become one of the more interesting and memorable trips in your lifetime. And this is my hope: that you experience my favorite city in a way that will make it yours as well.
<p><span style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><em><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:14px;"><a href="http://florencetravelbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Zahi.jpg"><img align="left" alt="Dr Zahi Hawass" class="alignleft wp-image-817 size-thumbnail" height="150" hspace="15" src="http://florencetravelbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Zahi-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a></span></span></em></span><em style="font-family:'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:14px;">"With no direct competition in the travel guidebook arena, this is a game-changer for travelers that want to know more than simply where to eat or drink. Patty always has a smile on her face; she put that smile on every page of this book.” </span></span></em></p> <p><span style="font-family:'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:14px;">~ Dr. Zahi Hawass, Former Minister of the Egyptian Antiquities, Archaeologist, National Geographic Explorer in Residence, Author of nearly 50 Travel Books</span></p>