Published on Friday, December 7, 2012 by Kathy McCabe If Florence or Tuscany is on your must-visit list this Christmas season, there are some great Florence events for the holiday season, according to The Florentine.  Here are a few of the holiday celebrations in and around Florence that caught our eye: The German Market in Florence's Piazza Croce runs through December 16th. Enjoy Christmas delicacies from t...

Published on Wednesday, October 31, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Happy Halloween! Would you get spooked being served a meal in a prison...with prisoners as your waiters? Well there's just such a place -- in Tuscany no less -- and it has been voted one of the world's scariest restaurants. The restaurant is located in Fortezza Medicea, a medieval fortress in the town of Volterra. There are some pre-requisites if you want to dine ther...

Published on Sunday, August 26, 2012 by Steve I don’t know about you but I go to Italy to eat and drink…Sure I love traipsing through the ancient ruins, learning the history behind the world-class art.But if I could only do only two things in Italy:  they would be Mangia (Eat) e Bevi (Drink) I think many of our guests feel the same way. So I proudly introduce… ...Perillo’s NEW 10-Day Mangia e Bevi Tou...

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 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 Wednesday, July 11, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Yes, you read right: an entire village in the hills of Tuscany is for sale on eBay at a price of a bit more than $3 million dollars (2.5 million euros).  If you're looking for more than just an Italian vacation but rather to live in Italy the lord of your own domain, this might be for you...The village  of Pratariccia, about 25 miles from Florence overlooking ...

Published on Saturday, July 7, 2012 by Daniel Looking for a perfect place to relax and forget your worries! Visit San Casciano dei Bagni in Italy to feel rejuvenated and refreshed. Located at about 70 km southeast of Siena, San Casciano Dei Bagni is blessed with untouched natural beauty and makes for an ideal vacation spot. It marks its importance as one of the frequently visited Italy travel destinations. ...

Published on Sunday, June 17, 2012 by Daniel Beautiful sceneries, green lush vineyards, magnificent architecture and quaint villages describe the beautiful town of Greve in Chianti. If you are travelling to the Tuscany region of Italy then make sure you visit this wonderful town. A picturesque place surrounded with landscape of rolling green hills, it is famous for its incredible beauty and stunning wine. The ch...

Published on Friday, May 25, 2012 by Kathy McCabe After nine years, The Tuscan Sun Festival is moving from Cortona to Florence where it will hold its 10th edition, June 11 to 18, 2012. The festival brings together music, art and film, and this year in new venues including Teatro della Pergola, Palazzo Strozzi and Nuovo Teatro dell' Opera. The Tuscan Sun Festival has been described by The Independent (U.K.) as one o...

Published on Monday, May 14, 2012 by Kathy McCabe The claim to fame of the lovely small town of Lajatico, 25 miles south of Pisa,  is that it is the birthplace of world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli. While Bocelli now lives on the Tuscan coast in Forte di Marmi, you can spot the house (with big red shutters) he bought for his mother in Lajatico. In 2006, Bocelli persuaded the local government to build an outdoor thea...