A Venice river cruise: exploring the Brenta canal on a Burchiello boat
August 13, 2014Spending a day on a Venice river cruise along the Brenta canal has been on my Italy want-to-do list for years, and this summer I finally booked it. The canal that links Venice and Padova has interesting bridges, locks that work…
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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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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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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. …
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Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amista: An incredible modern art hotel near Verona
February 15, 2011Like any business person, I keep track of what makes my clients happy. I know the guides, restaurants, hotels and attractions across Italy that will make a majority of clients fall (more) in love with the country. But I also…
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A fantastic easy bike ride near Venice
January 27, 2011I’d love to hop on a bike, circle St. Mark’s Square, ride over the Rialto Bridge past the markets, cycle through the city’s narrow calle and bump down its many short staircases. But if you’ve been to Venice, you…
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Five Reasons to Visit Trieste
January 03, 2011Gorgeous seaside scenery, castles, caves, and of course the city itself: Trieste, nestled in Italy’s northeast corner, might be a little out of your way, but here are a few reasons it’s worth a visit. The Passeggiata Rilke…
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What to buy in Venice and the Veneto
December 18, 20091. Masks. Elaborate masks are good gifts, or for something more portable and less expensive, get a hand-painted mask to hang on the wall, something like in the photo above. Or, for a more hands-on approach, enroll in…
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Do you know the name of this mountain? (and why you should know local names)
October 23, 2009Is it: a) Matterhorn b) Mont Cervin c) Monte Cervino d) all of the above The answer is D. Asking Italians about The Matterhorn – a Swiss mountain also visible from Italy and France – will produce blank…
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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.
