Surprising things about Italy
September 09, 2009One of the best things about traveling to a foreign country is that it makes you stop and think about all your own assumptions. Things you’ve taken for granted, assumed were correct, or never really gave much thought to —…
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The 5 Best Things to Do in Italy, Regardless of your Itinerary
August 26, 2009It doesn’t matter whether you’re visiting Rome, Florence, and Venice or whether you’re spending 2 weeks in the countryside; whether you’re going to Italy in the height of summer or the middle of January; or whether you’re museum-hopping or spending…
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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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Which Museums to Visit in Italy? A guide to help you decide.
July 03, 2009Italy has 3,800 museums, many of them world-class. With limited vacation time and so many other things to see, how does a traveler decide which museums to visit in Italy – which ones make the cut to be included in…
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How to open an Italian Bank Account
April 14, 2009This is Part II of my experience navigating the bureaucracy in Italy after relocating to Milan on a corporate expat assignment, and below I describe how I opened an Italian bank account, got an Italian ID card, and got La Residenza,…
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Navigating the Bureaucracy: How Can I Work Legally in Italy?
March 24, 2009Living in Italy is very different from being a tourist in Italy, in large part because of Italian bureaucracy. I have worked legally in Italy in a couple different jobs: first as a tour guide, and then as an expat….
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Attention to Detail
February 24, 2009Sure, we all have checklists when we go to Italy. There are things we definitely want to see. But I suggest adding “time to amble” to any Italian checklist. Walk slowly and notice the rooftops, walls of buildings,…
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Parking for Women
December 23, 2008I took this photo in a parking garage in Turin. The sign translates as: Parking Spot Reserved for Women I had a couple different reactions to this sign: on one hand, I was grateful, because the spot was wider than…
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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.
