Needle and shuttle at the Schaustickerei in Plauen

Vintage postcard saying 'Greetings from Plauen, Germany,' with circular photos of landmarks surrounding a central town hall building.

Most Sachsen itineraries stop at Dresden porcelain and Leipzig canals. Plauen sits farther southwest in the Vogtland — a lace town that still smells of machine oil if you show up when the hall is running. I start at the Schaustickerei on Obstgartenweg, a 1902 stickerei complex in Reusa where the old embroidery machines still … Read more

Fiocco di Neve on Via Arena della Sanità in Naples

Vintage postcard showing Naples icons and text: 'Greetings from Naples, Italy' with landmarks around the edges (Duomo di Napoli, Castel Nuovo, Castel dell'Ovo, Santa Chiara, Gesù Nuovo, Spaccanapoli) and a central Naples scene.

Most people hit Naples at the waterfront or along Spaccanapoli, where the city is already posing. I drift north of Via Foria instead, where the ground drops into a valley that used to sit outside the walls. Rione Sanità does not straighten up for visitors. Scooters pile under laundry lines. Fruit stalls yell over church … Read more