Venice boats: Nine ways to ride a boat in Venice
May 21, 2013When planning an Italy itinerary that includes Venice, there are three things I always recommend: spend some time getting good and lost; see Venice from above, and see Venice from the water. Since Venice is built on 117 islands – connected…
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Brainstorming Italy itineraries: Oh, the places you’ll go!
April 26, 2013New clients requested: “We will be in Italy for 9 days in June before heading to Cannes and we would like you to design our itinerary. We’ve been to Italy in the past: the Tuscan countryside, the Veneto, the Cinque…
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What to budget for an Italy trip
April 08, 2013“What should we budget for 2 people for 12 days in Italy – is $10,000 enough?” asked new clients recently. After talking to them about their interests, we discussed a few possible Italy itineraries I thought they’d like, and the…
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How to find a perfect hotel in Italy using online reviews
March 13, 2013When planning an Italy itinerary for a client traveling with three teenage boys recently, I sent hotel recommendations for Rome: the three hotels I recommended were all available for his dates, all within his budget, and all in excellent locations….
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Visit Milan by bike, barge, or tram
February 25, 2013Milan’s main sights are fantastic, and most of them can be visited on foot, but the city is big and if you want to get off your feet (or are traveling with kids), take advantage of some of these fun…
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Five tips on organizing a seaside summer day in Italy
February 13, 2013New trip planning clients often tell me they want to include a few hours of doing nothing in their summer itinerary. For example they’ll say: “We want to sit in a cafe in the sun, by the water, with a…
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Five highlights of a Nutella lover’s itinerary
February 05, 2013Nutella in Italy In honor of world Nutella day, here are some Nutella-related itinerary highlights from the place that the hazelnut treat was invented, the region of Piedmont. Nutella in Italy is really Nutella in Piedmont, and it’s really Nutella…
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Funny things tourists say, in Venice
January 14, 2013The exchanges below were overheard and recorded by the tourist organization Venessia.com on their Facebook page and made me laugh out loud, so I translated a few of my favorites and in some places added comments in parentheses for clarification. 1)…
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Tips on wine tasting in Piedmont
January 09, 2013“Piedmont has wine??” someone commented on Facebook when I posted a photo of my trip. Wine lovers tend to know about Barolo wine and maybe the bubbly Moscato D’Asti which are both from the region of Piedmont, in Italy’s…
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Write a blog post for Italy Beyond the Obvious
Would you like to write a blog post to be published on Italy Beyond the Obvious? Read this first.
