Published on Friday, February 3, 2012 by Kathy McCabe If you're traveling to Italy in 2012, you don't want to miss the following special museum exhibitions in Rome, Florence and Venice: Rome:  Lux in Arcana: The Vatican Secret Archives Revealed  is the must-see exhibition in Rome this year. Over 100 original documents -- spanning 400 years of Papal history -- will leave the confines of Vatican City for the first tim...

Published on Monday, December 19, 2011 by Kathy McCabe One of the great joys of eating in Italy is munching on fresh Italian bread. Yet when you bite into your first piece of while visiting Tuscany (and also much of Umbria), you might be surprised at what is missing. It might take a moment to realize that there's no salt! This type of bread is called pane toscano.  So how did the Tuscans miss this key ingredient that y...

Published on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 by Kathy McCabe Italy is home to thousands of museums (this list of museums features the most famous ones) and those numbers are in the increase with the opening of the new Gucci Museum in Florence and a new museum opening in Rome’s Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (also known as Fiumicino). The  new Gucci Museum in the 14th-century Palazzo della Mercanzia, in Florence's Piazza Signor...

Published on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 by Kathy McCabe Who wouldn't like to save a few dollars -- or euros -- while visiting Italian cities? Special city cards for tourists, which usually include discounts on public transportation and museum admissions, can be worth using when you are visiting Italy. For example, the Roma Pass which is valid for three days at the cost of 25€ gives you free admission to your first two...

Published on Tuesday, July 5, 2011 by Kathy McCabe Florence is the home of two of the world's most famous and most visited museums — the Uffizi and the Accademia Gallery — so it isn't surprising that some of the "other" Florence museums don't get as much publicity but can be just as fascinating and worth seeing. So if you're visiting Florence and have some extra time after seeing the main sites, consider a visit t...

Published on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 by Kathy McCabe While seeing the relics of ancient history and indulging in mouth-watering food are certainly a few of the highlight of a visit to Italy, for many visitors shopping is one of the activities they most look forward to. After all, here’s the chance to get those wonderful Italian products we all love, right from the source and in unique designs and offerings we can’t ...