Jewish Sites in Emilia-Romagna
February 11, 2023We often have clients who are curious to explore Jewish sites in Italy so we work historic and cultural treasures into their itinerary like the Jewish Ghetto in Venice, the ancient Jewish catacombs in Rome, and Florence’s Great Synagogue in…
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The Mosaics in Ravenna
January 31, 2023Ravenna’s dazzling mosaics dating from the 5th and 6th centuries are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and are famous across the globe. Considered among the best-preserved Byzantine mosaics in the world, these treasures are more than worth a visit, so…
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Shopping at Street Markets in Italy
December 31, 2022Over the many years of planning custom Italy itineraries for clients, we’ve realized that travelers often have misconceptions about shopping Italy street markets. Many imagine a souk-like maze of stands that sell a bit of everything for one-stop art, clothing,…
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Italy Travel Tips
December 15, 2022After two decades of giving Italy travel advice and planning Italy trips for independent travelers, I sat down and put together my top 100 Italy travel tips. Read on for insider intel for visiting Rome, Florence, and Venice plus how…
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Tipping in Italy
November 14, 2022Almost all of our clients ask us about tipping in Italy before leaving on their trip, including guidelines about who should be tipped, how much is a typical tip, and how tips should be paid. The short answer is that…
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Using Cell Phones in Italy: Dos and Don’ts
September 30, 2022Smartphones have become just as essential a travel accessory as a passport and credit card, since they now serve the purpose of everything from an HD camera to a dual-language dictionary. It’s almost unthinkable to take a trip today without…
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Five Ways to Visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery (and One to Avoid)
August 29, 2022In the many years that I have been creating itineraries for independent travelers to Italy, I’ve never met a traveler who wanted to go to Florence and didn’t want to visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. But the Uffizi is a huge…
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Biking on Lucca’s Walls
July 15, 2022For anyone who loves being on a bike, wants to see the city from a different perspective, or just wants to break up the museums-churches-walking routine, I definitely recommend adding this short and easy bike ride to your Lucca visit….
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Cinque Terre vs. The Lakes: How to Decide
February 27, 2022About 20% of our clients kick off our first call by telling us that they’d like to see two of the “Big Three” (Rome, Florence, and Venice—and they usually know which two) but they’d like advice on the final piece…
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