The full extent of the damage to L’Aquila and the surrounding area after yesterday’s 6.3 earthquake is still not known. As of now, there are at least 179 confirmed dead and numerous buildings, including the Church of Maria di Collemaggio, lie in rubble. Even though this is still a developing story, a lot of interesting…
I just learned that today is Venice’s 1,588th birthday, according to blogger and Venice Kayak businessman René Seindal. Here’s a nice, brief history lesson: Dear Venice, happy 1588th birthday – René Seindal.
I was recently doing some research on Genoa (Genova) and found that the old city, known for its port and as the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, has several kid-friendly activities, almost all of which can be found around the port. From the port, families can take whale- and dolphin-watching excursions. Whale Watch Liguria offers the…
Master Baroque artist Caravaggio used a “camera obscura” among other techniques to trace the models in his paintings. According to a Florentine researcher, Caravaggio made use of a dark room, first described by Leonardo da Vinci, and was able to fix the outline of his subjects in order to paint them. It’s unclear whether the…
Romantic Rome is a very popular place for couples. Nearly every cobbled street in the Eternal City, at least in the city center, inspires a romantic gesture, a kiss, or even a proposal. It is folly to try to list all of the romantic spots in Rome. But here are nine places — some obvious,…
Farewell to Christopher Hibbert, whose biographies of Rome and the Medici family established him as one of the foremost authorities on Italy’s history.
By now, you’ve probably heard about the case of the American girl and her Italian boyfriend accused of murdering British student Meredith Kercher. As it stands now, American Amanda Knox is set to serve 30 years in an Italian prison. Is she guilty? I really don’t know, as I haven’t followed the details of the…
From extensive catacombs to spooky church tombs, Rome is like an instant haunted house and is a great place to visit during Halloween.
Italian wine enthusiasts (that includes most of us, right?) may find this past weekend’s 60 Minutes story on Italy’s Antinori family intriguing. Considered one of Italy’s premier winemaking clans, the Antinori have been in the wine business for more than 500 years. Today, even the Antinori daughters are in on the act. To learn more…
Rome’s leafy Protestant Cemetery is the final resting place for Keats, Shelley, and Gramsci.
The Birmingham Museum of Art is the first museum in the U.S. to exhibit the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci.
The Getty Museum exhibit features 57 works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Tuscany has more than a dozen wine routes. These are known collectively as Le Strade del Vino.
Time to add two more Italian sites to the UNESCO World Heritage List. In July, UNESCO inscribed the Po Valley towns of Mantua and Sabbioneta and the Rhaetian Railway, which passes through the Swiss Alps into Tirano, Italy. Both new sites are located in the region of Lombardy. Mantua (Mantova) and Sabbioneta were selected for…
If you’re the type of traveler who likes to go it alone and doesn’t mind injecting a little technological know-how into your trip, then a GPS-driven self-guided tour may be the ticket. Information about Zephyr Self-Guided Adventures through Italy just crossed our desks over the weekend. The company offers walks, biking, and driving tours through…
Florence may feel like a fairy tale city for adults, but kids aren’t always impressed. That’s mostly because they’ve yet to study or appreciate the art, architecture, and history that have made the Tuscan town one of the world’s most favored destinations for generations. Enter Context Travel. The walking tour company, which I have mentioned in…
Skiing and sledding within a tank of gas from Rome.
Unlike Greece, Italy isn’t a land of islands. Sure, there’s Sicily, Capri, and the Tuscan Archipelago, which includes Elba. But there is also a small set of islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea between Rome and Naples that, according to Guy Dinmore of The Financial Times, “offer a safer and saner way to travel” for those…