Pietrasanta may be called The Little Athens of Italy but I would call it The Santa Fe of Italy. When I lived in Santa Fe I loved the Canyon Road Art Walk that happens every fourth Friday evening. Santa Fe's historic Canyon Road goes back to the mid-eighteenth century is lined with about 130 galleries, in colorful adobe buildings. Rising beyond the road's end are the Sangre
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Exploring Italy
What you need to know about hiking the Apuan Alps
Disclaimer: This is not a review of Apuan Alps. This is simply my experience summiting one of them. The story represented is personal and is not intended to malign the location where the story takes place. The mountain near Lucca called Pania della Croce is the fourth highest peak of the Apuan Alps, and is referred to as "The Apuan Queen." It has hefty rounded sides that
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Special Places on the Via Francigena
The Via Francigena (fran-CHEE-jee-nah) is a pilgrimage route from the Middle Ages that starts in England and crosses France and Switzerland before entering Italy at the Gran San Bernardo Pass. Less known than the Spanish pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena was revived in the 1990s and is becoming more traversed each year. In the first week of my trek on the Via
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The City of Padova– A Surprising Beauty
This post won best general post of the year in Italy Magazine's awards Visit Italy off the beaten path! How can one country the size of California have so many beautiful cities? This is what I kept asking myself when I was in Padova. After thirty years of coming to Italy, and living here twice in the past, I had still never been to Padova, until last weekend. Padova
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Florence off the Beaten Path — Try Fiesole
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Florence off the Beaten Path One of my recommendations for beating the crowds in Florence is to up to Fiesole---a small town of Etruscan origins above Florence. In spring and fall the Fiesole Tourist Board offers what they call "Hikes between Nature and Culture" which are free, guided hikes in the Fiesole hills. (Some are not actually hikes, but
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Where to Spend Liberation Day in Italy
A fitting place to go on Liberation Day in Italy is the small hamlet of Sant' Anna di Stazzema. On an August morning in 1944, German troops entered Sant'Anna di Stazzema and committed what is probably the worst war crime on Italian soil, executing all people present that day in the hamlet, then killing the animals and burning the
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Norcia: Gastronomic Delights and Tragic Earthquake
"NOT NORCIA!" I cried out as I saw the news of the October 30th earthquake on an Italian friend's Facebook page. As I watched footage of the damage in the town I've enjoyed so much I began to cry. "Oh, not the church!" My tears doubled as I realized that the historic basilica of Saint Benedict had collapsed. Even before I read the words, I knew, this was the single most
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The Best Gelato in Lecce
What's your biggest weakness when you go to Italy? I bet it's gelato. Travelers often have joked to me that their favorite "meals" in Italy have been gelato. When I rented an apartment by myself for 3 weeks in Lecce (region of Puglia, Italy's "heel") this past spring, I didn't have anyone showing me around the city and suggesting the best gelato near me. Before I looked any
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Three Restaurant Recommendations in Florence
Note: This post goes back to 2016. Its contents are still valid but for my latest restaurant recommendations, go to my Substack. I offer my curated and updated lists to subscribers there, along with lots of other info about travel to, and moving to, Italy. Del Fagioli Corso dei Tintori, 47rOpen Mon-Sun for lunch and dinner.Closed Saturdays and
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Gutsy Expat Life on Sardinia
I am pleased to add this interview to my Taking the Plunge series Here is Jennifer Avventura, a Canadian Freelance writer who lives on Sardinia: The life of an expat is never easy. Moving to a new country, maybe learning a new language and generally starting a new job are stressful factors for anyone beginning new. I’ve been an expat for sixteen years and in four
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The Best Way to Get Your Wine in Italy
Join me for fun in a wine shop in Puglia and learn about the tradition of vino sfuso Vino Sfuso used to the be common way for Italians to get their wine. They would arrive at a nearby winery with their demijohns and fill them with "loose wine." This tradition is not so robust anymore in many regions where people now opt to to get their wine at the supermarket. Many mom-and-pop
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The Monti Sibillini: Italy’s Secret Corner
As much as I love Italy's fantastic "big three" cities, of Rome, Florence, and Venice, sometimes I have to get off the tourist track and go to a remote corner of Italy with gorgeous scenery where local life reigns and tourists are few. This I did in June when I went to the Monti Sibillini-- a place that feels like Italy's secret corner. The Monti Sibillini are mountains
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