Published on Monday, December 30, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Newly excavated thermal baths have opened to the public in Pompeii, allowing visitors to see the ruins of what was supposed to be a main attraction in the city. Construction began on the Pompeii Central Baths before the fateful Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 A.D., but was never completed. The baths were being built to replace the city’s old bathhouse, whose rooms ...

Published on Thursday, December 26, 2019 by Kathy McCabe For now, the gardens at Milan’s Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte are open only to adults accompanied by children – but that may change, as the city mulls whether to make the gardens accessible to all. Since July, Milan City Councilor Filippo Del Corno has been pushing to allow adults without children into the gardens as well. Tucked away behind a secret door at the 1...

Published on Friday, December 20, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Two Italian medical history museums – the Museo delle Arti Sanitarie in Naples (39-081-440647; Via Luciano Armanni 1; www.museoartisanitarie.it) and the Museo Storico Nazionale dell’Arte Sanitaria in Rome (39-06-6833262; Lungotevere in Sassia 4, Ospedale Santo Spirito) – are collaborating to enhance their respective collections and educate the public about Italy...

Published on Monday, December 16, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Michelangelo’s Pietà dell’Opera del Duomo is undergoing restoration at the Opera del Duomo museum in Florence. The sculpture is also known as The Deposition, the Bandini Pietà or The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, and is known for an incident in which Michelangelo became frustrated with the piece and tried to destroy it. The restoration began in Novembe...

Published on Thursday, December 12, 2019 by Kathy McCabe The city of Turin is upgrading its transportation both now and in the future, with two significant projects in development at the airport and in the city’s railways. First, Turin Airport has renovated its upper-level departures area, adding a new food court, digital signage and edutainment exhibits in a space measuring 2,100 square meters (about 22,600 square fee...

Published on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 by Kathy McCabe To preserve its natural beauty and combat overtourism, La Pelosa, one of Sardinia’s best beaches will limit the amount of people allowed on its shores starting in 2020 by implementing a ticketing system. Tourists are drawn to the northwest Sardinian beach’s turquoise waters and white sand, and during the summer, as many as 6,000 people per day arrive to sunbathe a...

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 23, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Surely, you already have BLACK FRIDAY - Friday, November 29 - marked on your calendar. The BIG savings this year is with Perillo Tours! SAVE* $500 Per Couple ($250 Per Person) on These Italy Tours: 14-Day North Classic 12-Day North Continental 10-Day Marco Polo 12-Day South & Sicily 9-Day Rome & Puglia 10-Day Vesuvius 9-Day Rome &...

Published on Monday, November 18, 2019 by Kathy McCabe The latest discovery in Pompeii is a well-preserved fresco depicting two gladiators after a fight, painted on the stairwell of a building. The scene depicts two gladiators of different types – a murmillo, who carries a larger shield, and a thraex, with a smaller shield. In the painting, the latter has lost the fight – and an arm – and holds his thumb up in reque...

Published on Saturday, October 26, 2019 by Kathy McCabe The most famous and scenic path in Cinque Terre, Via dell’Amore (Lover’s Lane), is scheduled to undergo a 28-month restoration. It has been closed since 2012 due to damage inflicted by a landslide. Via dell’Amore connects the towns of Manarola and Riomaggiore on a 1-kilometer path that hugs the seaside sandstone cliffs and overlooks the ocean, vineyards and t...