Published on Wednesday, February 11, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Let's face it, ALL of Italy is romantic. But in honor of Valentine's Day, here are five great spots to celebrate romance! 1.  A gondola ride in Venice At the top of every hopeless romantic’s bucket list is a private gondola ride through the canals of one of Italy’s most beautiful cities. As the gondola floats through the peaceful waterways and the gondolier ...

Published on Monday, February 9, 2015 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. Here are our top picks for this week: Guide to Carnevale 2015:  Venice is the places to be through February 17th. Learn how to make the best of a visit - from where to get the best masks to how to find the best parties . (The Telegraph...

Published on Wednesday, February 4, 2015 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. Here are our top picks for this week: Lesser Known Rome:  This brief video gives travelers ideas of less famous places to visit in Rome including Centrale Montemartini where ancient artwork on display in a decommissioned power station. ...

Published on Friday, January 23, 2015 by Steve I’m Steve Perillo of Perillo Tours. I have a video series called Steve's Travel Tips to share all the insider Italy travel tips I have learned over a lifetime of travel to Italy. In this video, I'm talking about enjoying cooking classes in Italy. Is there any better place in the world to learn to cook than Italy? I don't think so. I share my tips for picking the ...

Published on Monday, January 5, 2015 by Kathy McCabe If you’re already in Italy reading this, lucky you: Lace up your comfiest shoes and head out to the nearest commercial district, where the January sales are in full swing (they began last Friday in Campania and Basilicata, and on Saturday in most other regions). If you’re not in Italy—yet—consider taking the next direct flight to Rome or Milan so you can benef...

Published on Friday, January 2, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Perhaps you’ve visited Rome more than once—even a dozen times. You’ve run up the Spanish Steps, marveled at the Vatican’s treasures, and climbed Palatine Hill. But, as journalist Amanda Ruggeri  explains in this article , you’ve just scratched the surface. Underground Rome is your next adventure: “Anywhere you go in Rome, you are walking on a buried, anci...

Published on Saturday, December 27, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The goal of the Italy Travel Blog is to give you lots of great ideas on what to do in Italy but every so often, it is helpful to give you some ideas on what not to do in Italy: 1.  Ask for parmesan cheese on your seafood. Or a cappuccino after lunch. Of course, if you insist on a sprinkle of formaggio, or make a plea for butter with your bread, a good Italian wait...

Published on Tuesday, December 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. Here are our top picks for this week: Traditional Christmas Dishes: Each Italian region has a favorite Christmas food, from seafood to soups to pasta. Tour the regions and learn about Christmas foods. (The Huffington Post) Buy Olive Oi...

Published on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 by Kathy McCabe Well, actually, the five best from among both the mercatini delle pulci (flea markets) and the mercatini dell’usato (second-hand markets), because both can be fun and because the latter type has gotten more and more popular in recent years. Biggest: Carmagnola in Turin may not have the largest number of stalls, but it’s laid out over the greatest amount of la...

Published on Saturday, November 29, 2014 by Kathy McCabe On the first Sunday of each month, 30,000 shoppers descend on the city of Arezzo in Tuscany, eager to see what the 500-plus vendors of antiques and bricabrac will offer at their stalls. Some of these vendors have been around for so long (the fair dates back to 1968) that they have permanent shops—about 100 or so of these line the Piazza San Francesco and its environ...