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I had extra-thrills watching Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey – because so many of the scenes at sea were filmed in the Aeolian Islands, where I spent happy days last September. The Aeolians are a seven-island archipelago, off the northwest coast of Sicily, named after the mythical King Aeolus, aka Master of the Winds. The character was cut from Nolan’s film, so we didn’t get to see Aeolus hosting Odysseus and his crew, sending him away with a favorable West wind, and a gift bag of dangerous winds, that Odysseus was ordered not to open. According to Homer, they were happily in sight of their Ithaka destination,Read More →

You’ll never forget those moments in Italian travel, when you step inside a doorway and get struck with such beauty, that your heart skips a beat…you catch your breath, tears come…. That was my experience in Ravenna last spring, walking into the Basilica di Sant’Apollinare Nuovo… Here is one of Ravenna’s many masterpieces, created in the fifth and sixth centuries. This is when the town, thanks to its position on the northern Adriatic coast, became a powerful port and trading center. While Rome was being sacked and the Western Roman Empire fell, Ravenna flourished, becoming a cultural center of the Byzantine Empire. It was aRead More →

Sweep Away the Old Year, Italian Style According to Italian tradition, La Befana flies through the night sky on January 5 to sweep away all the troubles of the old year, and clear the way for a fresh start, the Epiphany on January 6. I’ll go along for that ride! Here’s an excerpt from my book of essays, Letters from Italy, about my experience of celebrating La Befana in Rome, years ago… Postcard from Rome: The Legend of La Befana* “There is no Santa Claus in Italy,” my Nana told me when I was a kid.I had nightmares of how awful Christmas must be over there.NanaRead More →

Where HBO’s “My Brilliant Friend” was filmed… 300 Gradini, means 300 steps, which is how you get from the road, Via Flacca, to this dreamy stretch of beach clubs. It’s part of a beautiful coastline south of Rome, named The Riviera of Ulisse, as it is said that Circe lured Ulysses and his crew here… and they stayed an entire year. I was lured to 300 Gradini, by Eleanore Ferrante’s “Neapolitan Novels” — that led to HBO making an extraordinary series of the first three books — with more to come. In the story, scenes take place at the beach of Cetara in Ischia, but for theRead More →

Today, in Catholic tradition, is the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrating the day when the Angel Gabriel swept in and announced: THE DIVINE IS WITHIN YOU! Nine months later came Christmas. It’s no coincidence that both Florence and Venice chose March 25 as the date for their founding. Florence became a Republic in the 12th century, and traditionally celebrated their New Year on March 25, all the way up until the 18th century. This is still a day of grand parades and celebrations in the city. Venetians felt so connected to Mary that they chose the day to officially establish their Republic in 421AD.  TheyRead More →

Happy International Women’s Day! All over Italy on March 8, this holiday is celebrated with mimosa flowers, given by men to the women in their life, or by women to their friends. The flower represents strength, sensitivity, and resilience. It was chosen by Italian women to symbolize the holiday in 1946–a time when women’s contributions in World War II were recognized. International Women’s Day is a global day to celebrate all female achievements–past, present, and future. Courageous women began it in the early 1900s, holding demonstrations for the right to vote and for equal pay and working conditions.  The Union of Italian Women officially declared March 8 Women’s Day in 1945.TheRead More →

With Valentine’s Day, thoughts turn to chocolate. Here’s an excerpt from “100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go” to help you find the best places for chocolate in Italy… “Let them eat chocolate,” was the kind proclamation of Madama Reale. The year was 1678. Madama Reale was thirty years old, widowed, with a boy to raise, and had become the ruler of the Piedmont region in northern Italy. She took her job seriously and carried on major beautiful changes to the city during her reign , continuing in the tradition her husband had began, remodeling the Palazzo Madama into pretty French style. In Madame Reale’s dayRead More →

December 13 is the Feast of Saint Lucy Celebrate the Saint of Light and Sight, Italian Style On Saint Lucy’s Feast Day, Hope comes to dark winter days. The saint inspires us to see that there is light, even in the darkest times. The festa also brings me back to Siracusa, Sicily, and the island of Ortygia, where she is honored, along with other amazing females… Ortygia’s Duomo is built around the remains of a Greek Temple that honored the Goddess Athena, patron of Wisdom, Craftsmanship and Heroic Endeavors, who became Minerva to the Romans. Sprung from the head of Zeus, Athena was a realRead More →

Pre-Holiday Release! I’m grateful to be sending this new edition out into the world in the midst of our post-pandemic travel boom. It’s been wonderful on recent trips to see so many women reveling in the pleasures of Italy—some for the first time, others returning to discover new places. There’s a fresh appreciation for what a privilege it is to travel, inspiring us to truly savor every moment, slow down, stay longer, seek out hidden treasures and immersive experiences. I’m always thrilled to hear from travelers and readers how my advice enriched their Italy adventures. Decades ago I’d get postcards and phone calls from womenRead More →

August 15 is a big, beautiful, summertime holiday in Italy. The tradition goes way back to the days of the Roman Empire, when it was the Festival Holidays of the Emperor Augustus. Goddess Diana was at the center of the revels, symbolizing the cycle of fertility, and all were grateful for the summer days of sunshine and ripening. Here’s Diana in a Villa D’Este fountain. What looks like breasts actually represent bull’s testicles, as bulls were sacrificed at the Temple of Mother Goddess Diana in Ancient Times. Along came Catholicism, and the holiday switched to center around the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven,Read More →