Published on Sunday, November 24, 2019 by Kathy McCabe To the delight of art lovers, Italy’s popular free museum Sundays are back. This popular program, which offers free entry on the first Sunday of the month for both Italian and foreign visitors at state-run museums around the country, was introduced in 2014 by Culture Minister Dario Franceschini. About 15 million visitors took advantage of the offering in total Ho...

Published on Saturday, November 10, 2018 by Kathy McCabe History tells us that the city of Pompeii was destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 22, 79 AD – or was it two months later? Experts now believe that could be the case, as an inscription written in charcoal on the wall of a newly excavated home in Pompeii may indicate that Vesuvius erupted on October 17, 79. According to historians, the inscription, whic...

Published on Sunday, October 14, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Archaeologists have unearthed another ancient tomb in the town of Cumae, a Greek settlement near Naples. The newly discovered tomb dates to the 2nd century BC and is decorated with murals, unlike most other Cumaean tombs at the time, which were simply painted red and white without images. ( The murals are believed to illustrate a banquet scene, as well as an image of ...

Published on Saturday, February 10, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Three Italian neighborhoods are among Business Insider’s list of Europe’s 18 coolest neighborhoods to visit in 2018: Monti and Piazza Cavour, both in Rome, and Campania (which is really a region but who's arguing) in southern Italy. The list was curated by travel experts, including from Suitcase Magazine, Spain-based Marugal Hotel Company  and the app HolidaySwap...

Published on Monday, August 28, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Pepe in Grani, in the town of Caiazzo in the region of Campania, has won the title of best pizza in Italy for 2017 according to online Italian pizzeria guide 50 Top Pizza. The restaurant received top marks not only for the quality of its food, but also for its beer and wine list, service, and furnishings. Pepe in Grani owner and third-generation pizzaiolo Franco Pe...

Published on Monday, January 23, 2017 by Kathy McCabe In mid-January, an historic train took its inaugural journey from Naples to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Reggia di Caserta, offering a special day tour of Caserta’s 18th-century royal palace. The Reggia Express is a restored 1930s vintage train with an electric locomotive, and its three carriages can accommodate 234 passengers. The tour itinerary includes a...

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...

Published on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Last week, the exhibit Pompeii and Europe: 1748-1943 opened at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, in collaboration with the Pompeii archaeological site.  A noteworthy portion of the exhibit will be 86 plaster casts painstakingly restored from the ash-encased human remains recovered from Pompeii in 1863. The 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius resulted in...

Published on Friday, May 15, 2015 by Kathy McCabe The International Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has once again given Italy the highest number of Blue Flag beaches, bringing Italy's total to 280. The Blue Flag designation means that a beach meets the organization’s high eco-standards for cleanliness and sustainability. FEE Italy President Claudio Mazza says that the constant increase, up from 248...

Published on Friday, March 20, 2015 by Kathy McCabe The largest house in  Pompeii fully reopened today following two years of renovation. Villa dei Misteri (Villa of the Mysteries), famous for its frescoes of the cult of Bacchus or  Dionysus, is now completely to visitors. The villa was renovated in stages so parts could remain open. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini  cut the ribbon on the renovated site an...