Livorno Italy, Part I: Classy Italian city with a clumsy English nameLivorno is a lovely Italian city with an ugly English name – Leghorn (an English-language garbling of the city’s Italian moniker). Who wants to stop and see “Leghorn”? Almost none of the 3.5 million tourists who pass through Livorno every year while boarding ferry boats and cruise ships bound for somewhere else. Their ... Read Full Article
1 Week in Tuscany Itinerary
One Week in Tuscany Itinerary - A Most Wondrous Week in Italy Tuscany’s family run agriturismos, multicolored, multi-textured hillsides, flowing vineyards, delicious food and wines, and friendly people draw millions of visitors each year. While some people rush through multiple countries in a few days, this 1 week Tuscany itinerary will give you some time to truly explore the atmosphere and ... Read Full Article
7 Days in Italy: 1 Week Itinerary from Venice to Rome
7 Days in Italy Itinerary Italy is gliding down the Grand Canal in Venice, under the Rialto Bridge and onward to the enigmatic St. Mark’s Square. Italy is staring in awe at Michelangelo’s masterpiece David or the heavenly Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. Italy is imagining the gladiators and wild beasts fighting to the death in the mighty Colosseum. Italy is delicious foods and wines, beautiful ... Read Full Article
Tuscany Regions: Exploring Etruscany
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
Guide to Wine Tasting on Mt. Etna in Sicily
The Mt. Etna volcano in Sicily is famous for steaming volcanic chasms, snowy peaks, and wild jeep expeditions, but the volcano’s most recent claim to fame is its wineries and wine tastings. Just a short drive from the famous seaside resort town of Taormina, as well as the bustling coastal city of Catania, Mt. Etna’s wineries are easy to access, and this guide provides all of the information needed ... 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