Published on Monday, January 9, 2012 by Kathy McCabe If your travels take you to the Italian region of Piedmont, don't miss La Venaria Reale. The former country retreat of the House of Savoy is one of the largest royal palaces in the world. It was built in the 17-th century for Duke Charles Emmanuel II who wanted a hunting lodge outside of Turin. The name "La Venaria Reale" derives from the Latin Venatio Regia meaning "...

Published on Monday, January 2, 2012 by Kathy McCabe One of the most unusual places I have visited in Italy is the city of Matera in the southern region of Basilicata. Matera has a unique landscape made up of sassi, which are ancient cave shelters built into tufa rock. Stacked on top of each other, they almost look like a honeycomb from a distance. The old, weathered look of the sassi and Matera inspired Mel Gibson t...