Itineraries

Rome to Pompeii: Book a Tour or Plan Your Own Day Trip to Pompeii from Rome

Should you take a day trip to Pompeii from Rome? This post helps you decide whether you want to do a DIY day trip to Pompeii or take a guided group tour.

Michelangelo in Rome: His Frescoes in the Sistine Chapel and Beyond

Michelangelo Buonarotti is most associated with Rome because of his masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel. But his work is all over the capital and it is well worth the effort to seek it out.

Go For the Gold: The Gorgeous Golden Mosaics of Palermo, Monreale, & Cefalù

Sicily has some of the most gorgeous golden mosaics in the world. Here’s where to see these UNESCO World Heritage sights in Palermo, Monreale, and Cefalù.

Monster grotto in Bomarzo's Parco dei Mostri

Day Trip from Rome: The Monster-Filled Gardens of Bomarzo

Bomarzo’s Parco dei Mostri is a park filled with fantastical sculptures of animals, monsters, and other beasts. It’s an ideal day trip from Rome.

Keats Shelley House at the Spanish Steps, Rome

House Museums of Rome: Art-Filled Oases Minus the Crowds

The house museums and palace galleries of Rome are among the city’s best-kept secrets.

The Best Things to Eat in Palermo, Sicily

I Can’t Believe I Ate All of That On Such a Short Trip

Flavors of Ferrara and Modena: Fresh tortellini and tortelloni for sale in Mercato Albinelli

Five Favorite Flavors From Ferrara and Modena

To ring in the New Year, my family and I rented a farmhouse for a few days on the outskirts of Ferrara. Thinking back to the trip, the timing wasn’t ideal. Ferrara was freezing and on New Year’s Eve, the fog was so thick on our drive into town to watch the fireworks over Castello…

Ancient Greek Temples and Mozzarella di Bufala in Paestum

If you tell a Roman that you are going Paestum for the weekend, invariably he or she will tell you: “Make sure you pick up some mozzarella di bufala.” Paestum and Its Greek Roots and Ruins Paestum is a sight to see without the culinary pit stop. A city known as “Poseidonia” when it was part…

Anatomical Theater at Palazzo Archiginnasio in Bologna

A Special Harvest: Exploring Anatomical Theaters in Padua and Bologna

Much of what we know today about anatomy was first discovered and documented in Renaissance Italy.

How to Spend One Year in Italy

How do you spend one year in Italy? Here’s a month-by-month, personal account of my first year living and traveling in Italy.

Feast in the House of Levi by Paolo Veronese

Visions of Veronese Green: In Search of the Sublime Shade in Venice

Veronese Green is named after Verona-born painter Paolo Caliari, also known as Veronese. I used the color to guide me on my travels in Venice.

Commemorative plaques on a wall in Rome's Jewish Quarter

Exploring the Ghetto: A Tour of Rome’s Jewish Quarter [Review]

Learn more about the ancient and contemporary history of the Jewish people in Rome with a tour through the ex-Ghetto.

The 7 Hills of Rome: What Are They and What Can You See?

Rome is a city of many hills. But the seven hills of Rome are the original hills on which the ancient city was founded.

Saint Michael at the Sanctuary of Saint Michael in Puglia

Seven Longobard Sites Newest Additions to UNESCO Heritage List

In 2011, UNESCO inscribed Italy’s newest World Heritage sites: The Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.). Treated as one entity, these seven sites stretch from as far north as Castelseprio, Lombardy to as far south as Benevento in Campania. All seven of these sites represent, according to UNESCO, “the high achievement of…

Scenic Drive on the Amalfi Coast

Italy is full of scenic drives. There are the honey-colored sunsets of Tuscany, sepia-toned ruins of Ostia, and the snow-capped cityscapes of Torino. But if you want a ride with the bluest of blues then the only place to find yourself is along Campania’s La Costiera Amalfitana, The Amalfi Coast. This coastal road links Sorrento…