What to see and do in Rome
January 20, 2014Most of the Italy itineraries I create for clients – for even the most beyond the obvious travelers – include a few days in Rome. After all, Italy’s famous attractions are famous for a reason. Use the recommendations below for…
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A luxury Italy itinerary
June 05, 2013The luxury travelers I work with aren’t necessarily looking for VIP treatment. Rather, they are down-to-earth and well-traveled, but they want their luxury Italy itinerary to be about service and comfort while getting to know the locals as much as…
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Ten useful and interesting signs in Rome
April 27, 2012Street signs, placards, new signs, old signs – I photograph them all when I travel. Sometimes they represent interesting cultural differences, sometimes they’re just useful, and sometimes the photo is just a placeholder to give context to the rest of…
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Two reasons not to dine where the locals do
September 26, 2011I was researching Sunday lunch options in Rome for clients recently, looking for a traditional experience (Sunday lunch is big in Rome!), but in a part of town that worked with their itinerary and within their budget. At first,…
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What to do in Ponza
March 21, 2011We want to visit the Amalfi Coast for many reasons, including spending a few days on a white sandy beach – preferably somewhere with whitewashed houses that cascade down to a fishing village. This was a recent request from clients. There…
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Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II in Rome: 30 sculptures on Italy’s birthday monument
March 16, 2011Italy’s 150th birthday celebrations are being kicked off on March 17th at the Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II – aka the Vittoriano- and it will be the seat of the birthday celebrations in Rome this year. But you didn’t…
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Trompe l’oeil art in Italy: five favorite works
June 07, 2010Trompe l’oeil is a French phrase meaning to trick the eye, so artists have used this technique for centuries to create the illusion of space or depth. I love the fun trompe l’oeil “windows” on the buildings in the seaside town of Camogli,…
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Le Gattare: Caretakers of Italy’s stray cats
May 10, 2010If you’ve been to Rome, you may have noticed the stray cats hanging out in the Colosseum or the Forum. Maybe you even visited the cat sanctuary located in Largo di Torre Argentina (photo above), where cats have called home since…
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Vatican free Sundays: stay far, far away
February 15, 2010Most of the time, my clients take my advice. And one of my standing pieces of advice is to never visit the Vatican on free Sundays. But on one recent occasion, I was designing an itinerary for a…
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