The Best Italian Souvenir, Ever
August 12, 2009Bottles of Limoncello, pottery from Tuscany, or Venetian glass may be the best gifts to bring back from Italy, but they are heavy, breakable, and inconvenient to travel with. So what do you buy for all those friends who…
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The World’s Most Famous Lie Detector
August 10, 2009Nestled in a church portico in the center of Rome, a tourist could easily walk by the Mouth of Truth, or Bocca della Verita’. You may recognize the face below from the 1953 film Roman Holiday, but if not, here are…
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Where to eat and drink in Turin
August 05, 2009[Updated October 2015] I have a good friend from Turin who is smart, gorgeous, athletic (a Ph.D in chemistry and a SCUBA instructor), and knows the best places to go out. So on my request, she and another friend put…
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The Shroud, Unveiled, and 9 Other Reasons to Visit Turin
August 03, 2009Have you ever visited someone living in a famous city so many times that you lost track of the city’s main tourist attractions? One of my closest friends lives in Turin, and my good memories there include getting to know…
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Diving off the Italian Riviera: Christ of the Abyss
July 29, 2009Diving off the Italian Riviera Submerged and then cemented to the sea floor of the Mediterranean over 50 years ago, the underwater statue of Christ of the Abyss (Cristo degli Abissi) is one of the most famous dive destinations in…
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Hiking the Italian Riviera: Camogli
July 27, 2009The Amalfi Coast and the Cinque Terre may be the most well-known spots in Italy for walking trails with incredible views of the Mediterranean coastline; but here’s an equally spectacular, more off-the-beaten track suggestion: spend a few days in the fishing village of Camogli (photo…
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How To Drive Like an Italian: 10 Italy Driving Tips
July 22, 2009[Learn more Italy driving tips with our Driving in Italy ebook, which you can download for free at the bottom of this page.] Italians have a reputation for being crazy drivers, and sure, you may see some crazy drivers (especially…
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What to see and do in Bari
July 20, 2009Whether you’re interested in soccer, seafood, beaches, shopping, or castles and architecture, it’s worth adding a stop in the small city of Bari (pop. < 400,000) to your Puglia itinerary. Founded by the Greeks, and then under Roman rule starting…
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Art appreciation in Italy: Prioritize In Situ
July 16, 2009What do the Sistine Chapel, the mosaics in Piazza Armerina or Ravenna, Coreggio’s masterpiece in Parma, and Milan’s Last Supper have in common? The art is all in situ (on site), meaning it was created for a specific place. And lucky for us, it is…
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