Published on Monday, February 15, 2016 by Kathy McCabe The museum at Florence’s Misericordia – which originally opened in 2005 – reopened after two years of renovation. The new museum chronicles nearly 800 years of the charitable institution’s history with 14 rooms of art, everyday items, furniture and manuscripts. Among prominent paintings on display are St. Jerome the Penitent by Pietro Annigoni, St. John the Ba...

Published on Friday, February 12, 2016 by Kathy McCabe One of this year’s most-anticipated dinners in Rome is not for the faint of heart – not because it features unusual food, but because the table is set and suspended five stories in the air. This unique opportunity is the creation of Dinner in the Sky, a fine dining concept that rotates between 45 countries for short periods – it will be in Rome from Sept. 15 to ...

Published on Friday, February 5, 2016 by Kathy McCabe If you're a U.S. resident, enter our the Perillo Tours Facebook Sweepstakes for the chance to win a spectacular 4-night getaway to the city of art! Here is what is included: Airfare for two from a U.S. gateway to Florence. Four nights at the Grand Hotel Minerva. Day trip to the Tuscan countryside with a private driver. Private wine tasting and lunch a...

Published on Monday, February 1, 2016 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a regular post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web. Here are our top picks for this week: Mussolini-Themed Vacations:  For better or worse, association with Adolf Hitler's wartime ally is contributing to an unlikely boom for a few Italian destinations like the island of Ponza. (CNN)...

Published on Monday, January 25, 2016 by Kathy McCabe Carnevale in Venice is Italy’s biggest party. Alive with the revelry of costumed partygoers enjoying centuries-old traditions, during Carnevale, La Serenissima (the Most Serene) is anything but. This year, the festivities stretch from Jan. 23 to Feb. 9, Shrove Tuesday. Like all other times of the year, the famous and beautiful St. Mark’s Square is the cente...

Published on Saturday, January 23, 2016 by Kathy McCabe The famous tramezzino sandwich, which originated in the Caffè Mulassano di Piazza Castello in Turin in 1925, celebrated its 90th birthday last week. A version of an English tea sandwich, the Italian classic is made from two slices of crust-less white sandwich bread and cut into triangles. Popular fillings include tuna and olive, as well as prosciutto, but the Caffè ...

Published on Monday, January 18, 2016 by Kathy McCabe A recent trend shows young Italians may be straying from the longstanding tradition of eating family meals at their parents’ house every night, instead favoring a new appetizer-heavy dining concept served in bars, called apericena. Mamma has reigned as queen of the Italian kitchen for what seems like forever, with mamma’s or nonna’s cooking a symbol of home. Tha...

Published on Friday, January 15, 2016 by Kathy McCabe Italian Cultural Minister Dario Franceschini announced that more than 200 historical sites across Italy will receive public funding toward much-needed restorations, saying “culture has returned to the center of national politics.” A total of 300 million euros will be split among 241 historical sites over the next three years The restorations will include the me...

Published on Friday, January 8, 2016 by Kathy McCabe For over two decades, Milan’s newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore has been ranking Italian cities for overall livability, using criteria from standard of living to population to public-service choices. For 2015, the daily financial journal has presented the information in an interactive infographic that allows readers to compare and contrast cities and regions, and even to ...

Published on Monday, January 4, 2016 by Kathy McCabe They say there’s nothing new under the sun—and that might go double or triple for Pompeii, the ancient Italian city once and forever devastated yet preserved by the 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius. For centuries, visitors have seen the same structures and interiors, including the Fullonica di Stephanus (Stephen’s Drycleaners) and the notorious Lupanarium bord...