Tuscany Regions: Exploring Etruscany For most foreigners, a tour of Tuscany means Florence, Pisa, Siena, San Gimignano, and maybe Lucca. While these well-known cities and towns exemplify the Tuscany region’s medieval treasures, its history encompasses far more than the Medici, Michelangelo, and all that. The enigmatic Etruscans were a major civilization of ancient Italy, and a little-visited ... Read Full Article
Carnevale Di Viareggio – An Alternative to Venice?
Carnevale di Viareggio: FOLK ART ON A GIANT SCALE Poor Burlamacco! The clown character symbolizing the world’s most outsized Mardi Gras celebration is unknown outside Italy, and more’s the pity. The Carnevale di Viareggio is more accessible, family-friendly, and human-dimensioned than its better-known counterparts -- Carnevale di Venezia, Carnevale did Rio, and Mardi Gras in New ... Read Full Article
Puglia – Another Side of Italy
A Summer Jaunt through Puglia – Another Side of Italy You’ve experienced Rome, the domes of Florence, the beauty of Tuscany, the sea spray of Amalfi – where to next? Italy is home to a wealth of incredible regions and hotspots, some far more touristy than others. For a taste of something a little off the beaten track, Puglia has all the goods.Puglia, aka Apulia, encompasses the ‘heel’ of ... Read Full Article
Italy Can Mend a Broken Heart
For most of the summer, I was afraid to go to Italy. I was scared to hear the accent, to taste spaghetti Bolognese, to smell espresso. I worried that hearing my favourite Italian word, “Alora”, might send me straight over the edge. You see, I fell in love with an Italian last year.If this has happened to you before, I needn’t say more. If it hasn’t, let me fill you in: His name ... Read Full Article
Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy’s Paradise
Fresh grilled trout, fields of wildflowers, battling queens,and a lofty mountain—Paradise can't get better than that. This particular paradise is Gran Paradiso National Park, in northwestern Italy between Aosta Valley and the Piedmont region. Established in 1922 on land that had been saved as a hunting reserve, it was the country's first national park. Its main snow-covered peak, Gran ... Read Full Article
Italy From Bottom to Top: Tasting and Talking about Puglia Wine
Follow me as I journey from the southern tip of Italy’s Puglia region all the way up to the Trento Alps. I’ll be focusing on budget-friendly travel, and I’ll rarely use a car. Along the way I’ll sample traditional foods, visit lesser-known ruins and cities, sample excellent wines, and visit local cooking schools, the entire two months living out of a backpack. . .Day #8 Fabio Ingrosso and I ... Read Full Article
Italy from Bottom to Top: the Cuisine of Puglia
To enter Puglia’s culinary world is to walk into a combination of creativity and simplicity infused with fresh produce. For centuries, agriculture was the primary source of income, and you can taste the high standards of the local farmers who know just how a vegetable is supposed to taste. Chemicals have been introduced to the area, but even though most farmers use chemical fertilizers and ... Read Full Article
Visiting the Historical Trulli of Alberobello, Italy
Icons of the Puglia region of Italy, the conical huts known as trulli, poke out everywhere in the region, but nowhere are they as numerous as in the city of Alberobello. Demonstrating an architectural sense from another time (which sometimes seems like it comes from another world), trulli are made of hundreds of carefully placed stones. On top of their cone-shaped roofs are knob-like ... Read Full Article
Rome’s Fifth-Quarter Meats
When I first heard the phrase "fifth quarter meats," I asked: What are fifth quarter meats, and how can you get five out of four? The answer to this latter question illuminates the history of Rome’s unique style of cooking. The first quarter of a butchered animal was given to the nobles, the second to the priests, the third to the rich, and the fourth to the army. The rest of the Romans ... Read Full Article
Dining at Vini e Cucina Restaurant in Bari, Italy
Baresi cuisine focuses on vegetables, hearty pasta, and roasted meats and it is often served family-style. To get the full effect, my girlfriend and I ate lunch at Vini e Cucina, a restaurant that is popular among locals and known for serving traditional food. The restaurant does not offer menus but simply lists the dishes of the day when you sit down. If your Italian-language skills aren’t all ... Read Full Article