I’m writing poolside at the Relais Riserva di Fizzano resort in Tuscany’s Chianti region. “Resort” isn’t really the right word. The enclave of luxury apartments was once a medieval village. Located on top of one of the tallest hills around, its grounds offer a panoramic view of Tuscany’s countryside, hills of cascading grapevines included. Architect […]
My grandfather gave me a copy of Goethe’s Italian Letters before I took the train south from Frankfurt to Lake Garda, in the Sudtirol region of northern Italy. I read as much as I could as I wound through the summer valleys of the Alps that peeked at me as I sped past, finding just enough […]
The road between Italy’s Santa Maria di Leuca and Otranto hugs the incredible white stone cliffs of the southern Italian coastline, offering unparalleled views of the wide-open Mediterranean Sea. The plethora of white sand beaches with adjacent, friendly, picturesque beach towns makes the drive perfect for beach hopping. Part of the Puglia region, the Salento peninsula […]
Civita di Bagnoregio ranks high as one of the most unusual villages in Italy. This is the place to see when you want to step into history and a strange, almost fantasy landscape less than 100 miles from Rome.
I can’t imagine spending a day in Italy without indulging in a simple cup of dark, nutty espresso or sipping it through a cloud of airy cappuccino foam. When in Italy, I often have the impression that without espresso, the country would simply shut down. Though coffee was not invented in Italy, Italians can certainly […]
When we hit traffic, I knew we were in trouble. We needed to get the car back by 10:30 am, and it was already 10:30. Further, we had yet to navigate the twisty, turning allies of Perugia’s city center to drop our bags at our hostel. Driving in Italy is a headache, because of both […]
A few years ago, I flew to Milan to speak at a literary conference in nearby Lugano, Switzerland. Though I only had one day in this bustling Italian metropolis, I remember it vividly and fondly. Milan is the second largest city in Italy, with a population of around 1.3 million Milanese (the term used for […]
La Sila National Park is located in the Calabria region of Italy (a.k.a. the toe of the boot). It is off the beaten track, providing visitors with a quiet, less expensive alternative to Italy’s other winter vacation destinations. However, don’t think that its natural beauty is in any way sub-par; sweeping mountains and one of […]
Renown for its freshest of the fresh seafood and sublime beaches, the city of Porto Cesáreo in Italy’s Puglia region is a popular destination among Italian tourists and an ideal location to experience Southern Italian coastal culture. Located on a small peninsula, the seafood markets, gelaterias, restaurants, and bars extend into a calm bay.
Lake Como, about 25 miles north of Milan, is a hugely popular spot, and it’s easy to see why. This gorgeous blue lake, 30 miles long, surrounded by mountains, is Europe’s deepest and has a 106-mile shoreline. There is no limit to the activities available, including bicycling, mountain biking, hiking, sailing, kayaking, and climbing. You […]