Published on Tuesday, August 20, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Italy is cracking down on misbehaving tourists and bad behavior. First, it's handing out fines for blasphemous cursing, hanging in a hammock and brewing coffee in unacceptable places. Now, tourists need to be aware that stepping into Rome’s 18th-century Trevi Fountain is not allowed either and if you’re thinking about taking a dip in this historic monument, throw ...

Published on Saturday, August 10, 2019 by Kathy McCabe If you’re planning on visiting Italy’s Saonara any time soon, you may want to practice curbing your language before you get there and take time to learn what other new laws have been passed. One slip of the tongue and you might find yourself, well...fined. Saonara is a municipality located south of Venice, and its mayor, Walter Stefan, has had enough with peopl...

Published on Monday, August 5, 2019 by Kathy McCabe If you are a fan of the 1953 classic film Roman Holiday you probably want to walk the same Spanish steps that its stars Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn walked when you visit Rome. Walking up or down the steps is okay, but just don’t plan on sitting down on them. It could cost you hundreds of dollars in fines. This Spanish Steps regulation is just one of the many...

Published on Thursday, July 25, 2019 by Kathy McCabe What’s the old expression? When in Rome do as the Romans do, right? What about the Romans from centuries ago? Many tourists visit Rome because they are interested in its rich history and plan to visit such iconic spots as the Coliseum and the Forum of Caesar, but there’s only so much you can see with the naked eye. Picturing the daily life and times of those wh...

Published on Monday, July 15, 2019 by Kathy McCabe There's nothing like having Steve Perillo himself surprise you on your Perillo tour. In this video, Steve drops in on a wine tasting at his favorite Tuscan vineyard. Oh did we mention that he arrives by helicopter? Yes, Steve's a little like James Bond in this very special trip to Tuscany.     ...

Published on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 by Kathy McCabe A joint 2026 Winter Olympics bid by the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo won the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) vote to host Italy’s third edition of the event, beating the other finalist, Sweden, by a margin of 47 to 34 votes. Italy previously hosted the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956 and in Torino in 2006. The 2026 Winter Olympics...

Published on Thursday, June 20, 2019 by Kathy McCabe In March of this year, the EU passed a law to ban single-use plastics like plates, utensils and bottles by 2021. In the meantime, the effects of these plastics are felt by those who live and work in and around the Mediterranean Sea. Off the coast of Italy’s San Benedetto del Tronto in the region of Le Marche, fishermen are taking it upon themselves to deal with ...

Published on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 by Kathy McCabe A deadly disease is ravaging Italy’s olive trees unchecked, killing one million trees in Italy and potentially threatening millions more throughout Europe. Scientists first discovered the bacteria, Xylella fastidiosa, in 2013, when ancient olive trees in Puglia started dying—one million trees in Salento, 10 percent of the region’s total, have been affected. Sinc...

Published on Saturday, June 1, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Gucci will pay 1.6 million euros to fund the two-year restoration of Tarpeian Rock in Rome which badly eroded last year. The project, a partnership between Gucci and the Capitoline Superintendency, is called “Tarpeian Rock, Between Legend and Future.” The Tarpeian Rock is located on the Capitoline Hill and overlooks the Roman Forum. The 80-foot cliff was an exe...

Published on Friday, May 10, 2019 by Kathy McCabe A scientist, painter, sculptor, mathematician...and posthumous overseas traveler? A lock of hair potentially belonging to Leonardo da Vinci was found across the ocean in the United States, hidden in an American collection. The credibility of the discovery, does not come without controversy. The relic was purchased in 1925 by an American collector in Paris and sold ...