The Casentino area of Tuscany, stretching to the east of Florence, is often overlooked in favor of the more famous Chianti zone nearby. It's a secluded place, perfect for those who have already visited the well-known Tuscan towns and seek something different. Here the visitor can discover one of Europe’s purest forested areas, take in the spirituality of ancient monasteries,
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Lesser-Known Places
Where to eat in Lecce
My top three recommendations for restaurants in Lecce This article of mine was originally published by Fathom There's a lot of buzz about the region of Puglia right now. For good reason, from the food and the hotels to the people and the cities. Lecce, called The Florence of the South, is a town carved from limestone so soft, a butter knife could sculpt buildings into
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The Santa Fe of Italy–Don’t Miss This Artistic Tuscan Town
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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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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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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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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Southern Italy’s mulberries
If you're in southern Italy you will hopefully encounter mulberries, on trees and in granita! The Italian word for mulberry is gelso. One morning in Puglia as I was talking a walk, I came upon a huge White Mulberry tree. I chatted with the local men who were feasting on the fruit. They told me the tree is over a hundred years old. White Mulberries are a super food, so I
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What to do in Gallipoli
"Era considerato l'oro verde," (It was considered green gold,) Marco says as we leave the whitewashed light of the via, and take a tunnel-like stairway down to a cave under the street. I'm in Gallipoli, on the Ionian coast of Puglia, with Italian friends. This area was once part of Magna Grecia (greater Greece,) and Gallipoli's Greek name was Kallí Pólis (beautiful
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