For those of you too busy to read this I’ll make it brief: You have to research before traveling to know what the hell you’re doing. Woo, I already feel better. Now if you’re still with me, allow me unfold: Why would you spend thousands of dollars on an overseas trip without preparing beforehand? Far too often… Read more »

Sometimes you follow friends to a town in the middle of nowhere only to find a magician, a prison and an inexplicable history all tucked in to one small castle on a cliff. San Leo is in the far west of Emilia Romagna, tucked between Tuscany, le Marche and San Marino. No matter what direction… Read more »

Apparently, Italians have embraced mediocrity to the fullest.  It sounds offensive, but I’d argue that if it’s true, they’re living better because of it.  I’ve always thought Italians attitude toward work and life has to do with two things: 1) war and 2) time. Italy has a long and bloody history of constantly changing rulers. After so many… Read more »

In America they’re happy we’re finally using birth control in a sort of “yay, poor people aren’t having kids anymore!” celebration. In Italy, they’ve launched a campaign encouraging Italians to get pregnant. Meanwhile, in the US#fertilityday https://t.co/fHgmivCqJu — Angelo Ghigi (@aghigi) August 31, 2016 They’re all in favor of the unborn. They will do anything… Read more »

I am not a city person.   I want to be. I’d love to be a person who thrives on cities. Who regularly takes trips to the biggest cities in the world, in size and hype – New York, Paris, London, Tokyo – and knows them, adores them. I’d love to be someone who can happily live in a… Read more »

Marco and I just got back from a lovely 8-day vacation in Paris. Of course with that amount of time we couldn’t skip the Château de Versailles, the opulent royal palace for generations of opulent French kings. We had heard it was the top of the top in Europe. The palace to end all palaces. Opulence and… Read more »

Most Italian hill towns are so small the only thing to do is stroll the streets, take in the atmosphere and of course eat. I once spent two lovely days in Colle Val d’Elsa, a tiny town across from San Gimignano in Tuscany, but when you ask me what sights to see I’d be hard pressed… Read more »

Though most think of Como as the only lake worth visiting in Northern Italy, to the east is Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake, housing lovely resort towns, incredible weather and food galore! Located between Brescia and Verona, Venice and Milan, the lake makes for an excellent day trip or a stop-over on a Venice to Milan road… Read more »

After decades of Italo-American bastardization of southern Italian cooking, Americans view Italian food as loads of cheese smothered in tomato sauce – even better if it’s fried!  Italian food is so much more than that, but it’s true that Italian food isn’t known for being light. Even the non-fried dishes tend to be either heavy on… Read more »

You don’t come to Northern Italy for the beaches.   It sounds wrong, but it’s oh-so-true. Italy has some spectacular beaches, but none as spectacular as white Caribbean sand and crystalline water. What’s more, Italy’s best beaches aren’t along the typical tourist trail. If you come to sail around the coast of Sardegna, or explore… Read more »