I’ve been walking and bicycling Florence’s busy and beautiful streets for five days now; it’s been hot and muggy, rainy and thundery, and absolutely breathtaking. Florence has many sides, but my favorites are its sights and its food. Since I’ve seen most of its sights before such as the Uffizi Gallery, and the Duomo, I’ve […]
To travel through Italy’s Chianti region is to visit the den of Bacchus (the god of wine and merriment) and forget about reality’s freeways and traffic jams. Its only a 45-minute drive once you get out of Florence, but first, you have to get out of Florence. I made the mistake of thinking that we […]
One of the most exciting bits of planning your Italy vacation itinerary is also one of the most important aspects of your trip. The options are, of course, dazzling. Should you go to Venice or Milan? Which cities in Italy are the most important? Which Italian city has the best food? Naturally, we want to […]
Last night, to celebrate the dollar’s dramatic comeback against the euro, Kristin and I scoured Florence for the famous bistecca alla fiorentina. Made from a unique breed of cow, Chianina, the steak is served in huge slabs of between 1.5 lbs and 3 lbs, and traditionally cooked al sangue, which means “bloody.” I say “scoured” […]
It is a very ordinary street in Florence, via Sant’Agostino. Some may say it’s dirty, or even unpleasant. Graffiti is scrawled on nearly every wall, outdated posters look like they’ve been scratched at, and the stones on the street could use some repair. Cars and bikes roar past on their way from via Romana to […]
During my recent trip to Florence, Italy, my girlfriend Kristin and I decided to do something we’d never done before: visit the top of the Florence Duomo. Every Italian city has a duomo. Though there is no English equivalent, to define duomo is easy enough: it is the most important church in a city. The […]
If you’ll be in Florence this October, the Boccaccesca Food and Wine Festival is a must see. Not only does it feature the region’s best traditional food and wine, of which there is a whole lot, the festival is located in the rolling Tuscan countryside, just a few miles from the heart of the Chianti […]
I wanted to learn more about Umbria’s traditional foods, especially that strange Norcian mortadella with the chunk of mystery meat inside. When I found the store, Il Parma Delizie Alimentari, with a large man carving meat behind the counter, I knew I had the right place.
A 45-minute drive from Florence takes you to the very center of Chianti’s wine country. Over the years, Tuscany’s wine country keeps calling me back. Touring there has become one of my favorite things to do in all of Italy. The people are friendly, the wines are delicious, and the twisting roads and rolling hills are […]
It is July and you are staying in Florence for a week. You rush from museum to cool museum to escape the suffocating heat. The open piazzas are the worst. By 2pm you give up and retreat to your air-conditioned hotel room, where you settle in with a book and occasionally look out the window […]