Published on Sunday, March 9, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a weekly post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web each week. Here are our top picks for this week: The Great Beauty Tour: The Italian movie "La Grande Bellezza" won an Oscar last week. Here's a guide to where scenes were filmed in Rome.  (Buzz in Rome) Battle of the Oranges: This Ca...

Published on Friday, March 7, 2014 by Kathy McCabe Mr. Peabody & Sherman, the latest animated release from DreamWorks,  opens today in the U.S. (and March 13th in Italy). It is noteworthy to Italophiles because part of the animated action takes place in Renaissance Florence. The main characters in the movie are Mr. Peabody, the most accomplished dog in the world, and his human Sherman. They have a time machine -...

Published on Sunday, March 2, 2014 by Kathy McCabe It took eight years to construct and now the world's largest maze or labyrinth is set to open in Italy. The 17-acre Labirinto della Masone is set on the estate of art publisher Franco Maria Ricci in the town of Fontanellato near Parma in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Italy Magazine reports, "It consists of a mix of 120,000 species of bamboo that edge almost 2 mil...

Published on Wednesday, February 26, 2014 by Kathy McCabe If you're visiting the Uffizi Gallery in Florence between now and April 29th, you have an exciting opportunity to see one of Florence's hidden art collections. Visit Tuscany reports that the Contini Bonacossi Collection, usually closed to the public, will be available for guided tours (though only in Italian) to anyone who purchases a ticket to the Uffizi. The col...

Published on Sunday, February 23, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a weekly post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web each week. Here are our top picks for this week: Academy of Silence: A new organization in Tuscany seeks to gather a list of the quietest hotels, towns and other places in Italy.  One of them, Eremito Hotelito del Alma in Umbria is pict...

Published on Saturday, February 22, 2014 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 Thursday, February 13, 2014 by Kathy McCabe What's a great way to celebrate a college graduation and a 65th birthday? How about walking 200 miles from Siena to Rome on the historic Via Francigena? That's what aspiring filmmaker Alex Sandberg and his mom did last June. The Via Francigena is part of the ancient route that brought pilgrims from Canterbury to Rome. Alex and his mom Catherine met up in Siena, hi...

Published on Tuesday, February 11, 2014 by Kathy McCabe Italy is the land of luscious, colorful produce - giant, bright yellow lemons, eggplant that's the perfect shade of purple, peppers as shiny and red as they get. The flavorful bounty is usually lovingly and carefully displayed just so in outdoor markets and supermarkets.  All of the beautiful, deliciousness might make you tempted to...But Don't Touch!  Non T...

Published on Saturday, February 8, 2014 by Kathy McCabe Are you looking for the most magical time of the year to visit Venice? Well look no further than Carnevale season! This is the time (February 22 to March 4, 2014) of year when a wintry Venice comes alive with magic and mystery all in an effort to have maximum fun before  Lent starts. Here are six ways to enjoy Carnevale in Venice: 1. Do as the Venetians do and wea...

Published on Monday, February 3, 2014 by Kathy McCabe Today the Vatican opened the Roman Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis to the public for the first time. The ancient burial ground dates back to the first century B.C. when it was the place of final rest for local Romans. The 10,000-square-foot site was originally uncovered during the 1950s during construction of a new parking garage underneath the Vatican. ...