Discover the Most Romantic Places in Italy What could be more romantic than a honeymoon in Italy to some of Italy’s most romantic cities – Bellissimo! From the most famous cities to lesser-known romantic destinations, continue reading and swoon over all the incredibly romantic places you can visit in Italy and add them to your […]
Best Day Trips From Rome You Can’t Miss
Best Day Trips from Rome Rome is an amazing city and there are so many top sights to see in Rome that it can occupy your for weeks. But sometimes the hustle of the city can get to you. The honking, the crazy driving, the sheer masses of people. To break up your stay in […]
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 […]
How To Order Gelato in Italy
How to Order Gelato in Italy: Rules of Three One of the most authentic Italian experiences is also the most delicious: Gelato. For a few Euros, you can join the locals as they enjoy a cup or cone throughout the day or as part of their evening stroll, the passeggiata. Every visitor to Italy is […]
Capitoline Museum: The Story Behind Boy With Thorn
I had never been to the Capitoline Museum. The first time I saw Boy with Thorn, he was a black and white projection snapping in and out of focus on the classroom wall. It was my senior year of college, and I was fulfilling my Literature and Arts general education requirement with an Italian Art History […]
Five Quirky Museums in Europe
When I travel to Europe, I am always on the look-out for museums or sites that are a bit out of the ordinary. I think that the following five quirky museums fill the bill: From Magic Ice to fans, to computers, these museums present a different slant on museum-going. The Magic Ice Museum – Istanbul […]
My Favorite Foods of Europe
To travel is to taste the world. And Europe presents a particularly eclectic hotchpotch of flavours. From the strange to the sublime, I’ve sampled various dishes and foodstuffs throughout my jaunts across the continent and here (in no particular order) are some of my personal favourites: Gran Canaria Though the Atlantic archipelago presents a popular […]
10 Ways to Beat Jet Lag in Rome
How many times have you arrived in Europe feeling like an extra from The Walking Dead—eyes puffy and mumbling something incoherent (English in this case)? Having begun many trips to Europe in Rome, I’ve found that there are lots of things to see in Rome to help you beat jet lag. If you like to […]
Exploring Rome from the Piazza della Repubblica
While we had been to Rome before and had seen all the major sights, this time we were interested in a less frantic, more in-depth visit. We stayed in a great location near the Piazza della Republica on the Via Nazionale. The Piazza della Republica is impressive with gorgeous semi-circular colonnades surrounding the white marble Fontana delle Naiadi. It is not […]
Hiring a Tour Guide: Is it Worth it?
My husband, Bill, and I had never hired a private tour guide before our recent trip to Italy. In the past, we read our guidebooks, consulted the internet, and reviewed EuropeUpClose.com to see what our writers had to say. We then did our own thing. We have also been part of large group tours, but this experience showed us the value […]