Category: Italy
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Giacomo Puccini: Historical Sites in Lucca, Italy
Lucca is a walled city in the Tuscany region of Italy. The walls, built in the 16th century, are a popular option for walking or biking around the city. It’s a convenient getaway destination for travelers visiting Florence (about an hour an a half drive) when they want to escape the busyness of the city.…
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Getaway Guide: Exploring Elba, the Island of Napoleon’s Exile
Elba is the largest island of the Tuscan archipelago and the third-largest in Italy (behind Sardinia and Sicily). With its beautiful beaches and clear blue water, it is a popular getaway for beach lovers, especially during the summer months, but Isola d’elba offers much more. From hiking, swimming, and watersports, to history and museums to…
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101 Movies Set in Italy You’ll Love (or Hate)
Even if you can’t travel to Italy right now, you can get your Italian culture fix with these 101 movies set in Italy. This list represents films set in Italy, not necessarily filmed in Italy – we all know that set designers can make a studio backlot look like the meandering streets of Venice or…
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Wine With MJ: Virtual Wine Tasting, Valdo Prosecco
We’re back with our virtual wine tasting this week we feature Penny Sadler, travel and wine writer, WSET student, and wine tasting host. Our wine selection was Prosecco – my favorite of the sparkling (spumante) options, and we tasted Valdo Marca Oro Prosecco DOC Brut. Joining us at about the 30 minutes mark was Matteo…
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5 Tuscan Towns for a Perfect Day Trip
It’s been a while since we’ve traveled to Italy, and it’s time to start making plans for a return visit. Our travel preference is to travel with friends and rent a home in Italy to use as a home base. Having a home base lets us set up a combination of days at leisure to…
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You’ll Love These 9 Art Masterpieces in Florence, Italy
Florence, Italy, attracts millions of visitors each year and is well known for its art – art museums and galleries housing many of the world’s great art masterpieces. It has long been considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The city is just one of the many reasons that I love Italy.…
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Visiting the Ruins of Pompeii: From Tragedy to Tourism
The ruins of Pompeii have become one of Italy’s most visited sites. On August 24th, 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted in a violent two-day display that destroyed the city of Pompeii, Italy, and the surrounding area. It is one of history’s largest recorded volcanic eruptions, and a tragedy by any measure. The city was buried…
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Visiting the Ruins of Pompeii: From Tragedy to Tourism
On August 24th, 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted in a violent two day display that destroyed the city of Pompeii, Italy, and the surrounding area. It is one of history’s largest recorded volcanic eruptions, and a tragedy any measure. The city was buried under ash and pumice for nearly 1700 years, and was presumed lost…
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Talking About Tuscany on the Amateur Traveler
I’ve written here many times about how much I enjoy the small towns and villages in Tuscany, predominantly the southern part of the area. From staying at La Montalla in Contignano, to wine tasting in Montalcino, to shopping and dining in Pienza, to exploring in Montepulciano, it’s all part of how I love to see…
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Photo Friday: Art of St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice
No matter where you are in Venice, it seems like there’s an arrow pointing you to San Marco Piazza. And why not? Along with the gondolas on the Grand Canal, the piazza is one of the most popular spots in a city that’s full of popular spots. The Piazza fronts Saint Mark’s Basilica, a Catholic…