Looking for Legends by Scott and Tarantino
Eternally curious and dogged in their pursuit, married travelers Scott and Tarantino know how to track down a good story, and not just any story.
In fact, their book Looking For Legends, comes with a bold itinerary before you even get past the cover. “Let us take you somewhere you’ve never been before, and introduce you to our friends,” is the promise of the subtitle. Soon, you are right there with them, making stops in the United States, South America, Russia, Greece, Italy and more.
Better Than Any Souvenir
For the past 25 years, Scott and Tarantino have circumnavigated the globe, exploring such extremes as the icebergs off Greenland to the steamy jungles of Thailand. There are few continents their feet have not touched. But it wasn’t until recently that they realized it wasn’t so much the places they had visited that left an enduring mark, but rather people they had met.
The couple speaks to the phenomenon that so often happens after you return home from a trip. With family and friends, you scroll through photos of majestic mountains, spectacular waterfalls or quaint seaside villages, sharing the scenes that enthralled you. But the real fun comes in telling the stories of the people you meet, the ones who make those places their home. You are momentarily connected to them, yet forever bound by the vivid memories of those meetings — mental mementoes that stay with you for life.
“Wherever we went … we found more than places,” they write. “We found people, people who have captured the spirit of their place. They should have been worldwide, household names, but, outside of their settings, they were pretty much unknown or forgotten. And, if most of them are dead, so what? They were still very much alive for us.”
Unforgettable Places & People
Living or dead, these are incredible individuals worth knowing for their present-day contributions or the legacies they’ve left behind. Should those contributions remain constrained to such a small geographic spotlight? Scott and Tarantino don’t think so.
With a simple instruction at the start to begin with the first chapter and end with the last, you are encouraged to do some literary rambling of your own, picking and choosing between each adventure — something armchair travelers might call chapters.
Maybe you learn about the husband-and-wife rock-climbing team of Tony Howard and Di Taylor, who, with passion and commitment, worked for decades in local communities to build an intercontinental trail system spanning hundreds of miles in Wadi Rum, Jordan.
Then you land in San Antonio de Areco, Argentina, to the house that inspired poet and novelist Ricardo Güiraldes, who also happened to introduce tango to Paris in the early 1900s.
It’s on Kaladhungi, India, where Jim Corbett, a renowned tiger hunter, became a conservationist later in life.
Next, you decide to take a day in Luxor, Egypt. Do you know what’s there? The Rosetta Stone. Do you know who translated it? Scott and Tarantino know. It’s Jean-François Champollion (1790-1832), who by 16 had mastered 12 languages. If you walk around Luxor, his presence pervades.
Travel Tips, Sights & Scenes
As you take in the stories, linger over the original, hand-drawn maps and more than 150 images. There also are tips for travel and witty observations about sights and scenes the couple experienced throughout their travels.
To some people, this may seem an unusual way to take in the world or, more specifically, write about a global journey. That is, unless you consider that people are as known by the places they live or have lived, as places are known for the people who live or have lived there.
Scott is a multisport athlete, equestrian, coach, mentor and explorer, all while being a grandmother to eight and great-grandmother to fifteen. She has traveled to more than fifty countries, been to places high and low, and knows how to go along in order to get along.
Tarantino is an entrepreneur and private investor. His extensive library allows them to travel even when they stay at home.
