Published on Thursday, August 30, 2012 by Kathy McCabe If you love Italy and are obsessed with traveling in Italy, you're not the first one. Throughout history there have been great men and women whose words about Italy and their appreciation for the country have been immortalized. Here are just a few great quotes on Italy: "You may have the universe if I may have Italy." -- Giuseppe Verdi "A man who has not been...

Published on Friday, August 24, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Anyone who has toured Pompeii has some idea of the terror its citizens endured on August 24, 79 A.D. All you have to do is look at one of the most popular exhibits at this archaeological site.  The "Garden of Fugitives" is a series of plaster casts of how Pompeiians where frozen in time trying to outrun the eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius.   But what the res...

Published on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 by Kathy McCabe August in Italy can be hot, no doubt. But this month's temps make the boot sizzlin'. Eleven Italian cities, from Bolzano to Rome, had code red heat warnings and a few more cities are expected to join the list on Thursday. Temperatures are hoovering at 104F in  one of the hottest summers on record in Europe. This heat wave has a name - an appropriate one at that - Lu...

Published on Monday, August 20, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Looking for the fountain of youth? You just might find it on the Italian island of Sardinia, at least that's what scientists think. We  could have told them that! How could a stay at a Sardinia resort not reverse the aging process? Unspoiled beaches, plentiful Sardinian wine and classic shepherd cuisine, spa treatments. Well, it turns out you just might have to h...

Published on Friday, August 17, 2012 by Kathy McCabe If you're visiting Siena in August, September or October 2012, don't miss the rare chance to see the famous floor mosaics,  at Siena's cathedral or Duomo. Giorgio Vasari called the floor of Siena’s Duomo “the most beautiful, big and magnificent that has ever been done.” The mosaics, dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, are normally covered by carpet to pro...

Published on Thursday, August 16, 2012 by Kathy McCabe We're deep in the heart of August and that means most Italians are at the beach! Each year, the non-profit  Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) awards select beaches and marinas  a "Blue Flag" or "Bandiera Blu."  A "Blue Flag" beach is one with pristine sand, clear water and organized services. Beaches are given this award by complying with many crite...

Published on Wednesday, August 15, 2012 by Kathy McCabe While Pisa was thought to have cornered the market on Italy’s most famous “leaning” building, Rome appears to be taking a page from the Pisa playbook as scientists say Rome’s Colosseum is leaning to one side by as much as  15 inches. Officials announced this month that the Colosseum will undergo 2.5 years of repairs starting in December 2012.   The good n...

Published on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Disaster tourism isn't anything new so it probably shouldn't come as much surprise, though it is a bit maudlin, that the site of the Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster off Tuscany has now beome a popular tourist attraction. The ship itself is still lying paralyzed off the coast of the island of Giglio where it ran aground in January, costing 32 people their lives...

Published on Monday, August 13, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Morning show host Kelly Ripa is a big fan of travel to Italy; she was recently spotted on vacation in Venice with her family. But it turns out that Ripa's mom thinks watching Perillo Tours' Italy videos is even better than an actual trip to Italy! Watch this clip for an explanation... While appearing on Live with Kelly!, actress Amy Adams said that she doesn't ...

Published on Thursday, July 26, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Admit it, you have to give the kid some credit. If you're going to run away from home and want to go really make a splash, you can't beat a trip to Rome. Especially when he didn't even have to shell out for plane tickets to Italy or show his passport! 11-year-old Liam Corcoran ran away from home and  flew to Rome on his own from Manchester (U.K.) Airport witho...