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The trip up to the central piazza of Perugia is a thrilling mix: you’re on a state of the art series of escalators rising over ancient city walls, gliding past humble homes with signoras peeking out as they water their geraniums in their window boxes, an aqueduct, those soft hills in the distance…and then you land in this vast Piazza with the Fontana Maggiore. It’s fun just to stroll about past the chic shop windows,  loads of chocolate displays (no secret this place is home to Perugina, maker of Baci), maybe even peek into the Cathedral of San Lorenzo to check out the chapel where the Virgin Mary’s wedding ring is kept. ARead More →

This title so appeals to me: Marcus of Umbria: What an Italian Dog Taught an American Girl About Love. The book just came out in June, has been getting great reviews, and what I’ve read so far has been wonderfully entertaining. Author Justine van der Leun is a hip young New Yorker, working as a magazine editor, who flees that world to puruse amore in the rural farming village of Collelungo (central Umbria).  The love affair crumbles, but Justine ends up adopting a dog and thus becoming (in her words) “a weirdo” of the village.  Most Collelungo natives treat dogs as bestie, while Justine follows the American model, showering Marcus with tender loving care. I’m loving reading her honest, witty prose Read More →

I met Kit Burns, founder of Doorways Ltd (a villa rental company) on a group trip to Sardinia  and we instantly clicked. I’m sure you know how these things go. It’s much like kindergarten–wandering over to an easel, where you’ve sniffed out a kindred spirit to join you in fingerpainting. As far as Kit, we were on a mountain ridge at a shepherd’s hut having this amazing lunch–fresh ricotta drizzled with honey, grilled sausages, thin Sardinian bread and delicious cookies –it was all spread out on rustic wooden tables overlooking this gorge. GORGE–OUS! While everyone was happily yakking, buzzed from the great food and wine–I found myself drifting to aRead More →

Marlene Iaciofano and I share the fact that our grandparents both immigrated to America about the same time (early 20th century) from around the same place–mountain villages near Campobasso, in the region of Molise. Who knows…maybe her nonno made eyes at my nonna at a festa when they were youngsters? Or maybe when they landed in America and settled in North Jersey they celebrated together at one of the picnics the Molisani  regularly put on in the parks up there in the summertime… I’m grateful to have met the lovely Marlene during my book tour this past springtime. She’s turned her passion for Italy intoRead More →

I admired Jill Eikenberry and Michael Tucker as actors on LA Law–then I read Tucker’s memoir about their adventures buying a cottage in Umbria, and I became absolutely enchanted by this couple. In Living In A Foreign Language: A Memoir of Food, Wine and Love in Italy, Tucker sweeps you into the moment-by-moment drama, hilarity, and deliciousness of  their life in Italy. Especially wonderful sections are where his culinary passions are indulged, and we revel along with him as he savors such regional specialties as truffles, pecorino, lentils, and porchetta. At its core, Tucker’s book is a heartwarming love story–interlacing their marriage,  friendships, and ever-evolving passion for all thingsRead More →

Seeing Gubbio for the first time will take your breath away. It appears like an Italian City Of Oz–a cluster of ivory medieval buildings, surrounded by a shimmering green forest. Here is a perfect place for a peaceful retreat–your visit can seamlessly blend together history and nature AND you’ll eat very well here–enjoying the local wine, truffles, and cured meats. It’s a lovely spot to wander around and shop for ceramics and antiques–there are awesome medieval churches to slip into and an impressive palace/museum at the top of the whole village. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can take a gondola ride from the village to Mount Ingino and hike down.  Or why not just sit inRead More →

Moving on from the Big Three (Rome, Florence, Venice), we’ll spend some summer Golden Days, dreaming in the Italian countryside… Years ago I met editor and publisher Kathy McCabe, through her wonderful Dream of Italy newsletter. Kathy is Italian-American (on her maternal side–like me), and she also has a great passion for Italian travel. The award-winning newsletter she created brings readers excellent information about Italian travel AND colorful entertainment to guide them to an authentic Italian experience, much deeper than what you’ll find in guidebooks. Check out the Dream of Italy website and blog for a tasty taste of it. I’ve had great fun traveling around Italy with Kathy, and am excitedRead More →

When we think of Venice and going to the beach, the first place that comes to mind is The Lido.  My friend Pamela still talks about one August when she had what she describes as “The Great Gatsby” beach experience there–all so very luxurious, with an amazing seafood lunch, a huge pool, surrounded by loads of fashionable Italians–ladies in big hats and flowing caftans, etc. Then there’s my friend Angela, a Lido native born and bred, who says, “To get away from the crowds of the Lido in the summer, we go to Sant’Erasmo.” This is the island that lies between Murano and Burano. It’s calledRead More →

It took me several trips to Venice before I could tear myself away for the half hour train ride to Padua–NOW Padua and the Scrovegni Chapel have become a MUST on the Veneto itinerary. Padua is a jewel of a town, with a splendido open market and restaurants to match, AND The Scrovegni Chapel is at the top of my list as far as Italian masterpieces. In fact, if you showed me two doors and one was labeled SISTINE, the other SCROVEGNI…I would head for Scrovegni. Michelangelo surely got his inspiration from this chapel that was created centuries before his, by the blessed Giotto. YES the Sistine ChapelRead More →

I can always count on the wonderful people at Context Travel to take me deeper into an Italian destination. This company leads small group walking tours, led by excellent docents who are scholars, art historians, and/or authors.  One of their newest walks is called Venice and the East, where you’ll be guided through La Serenissima focusing on its  Byzantine and Islamic influences. Here’s what Context’s Jessica Stewart has to say about it: One of the things that’s always fascinated me about Venice is its longstanding connection to eastern culture.  You can see this clearly in the architecture of prominent sites like the Doge’s Palace and Basilica San Marco, but also through keepingRead More →