Published on Saturday, January 26, 2019 by Kathy McCabe The city of Matera, deep in Italy’s Basilicata region has a big year on the horizon. It is the European Capital of Culture for 2019, and the title is a source of pride for the entire nation, but especially for the residents of the city. Matera is unlike any other city in the world. Houses are carved into mountains’ rocky landscape and some have been continuousl...

Published on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Perillo Tours is excited to announce that this October, comedian and radio host Joe Piscopo will be accompanying a very special Perillo Tour to Italy! This is basically Perillo's popular Vesuvius Tour but with two additional elements: an extra day in Sorrento and a new travel friend will come along - Joe Piscopo! We depart October 19th for 11 days...in Rome, Pomp...

Published on Thursday, January 17, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Pompeii’s Schola Armaturarum (School of Gladiators) has reopened after a three-year restoration. The school was used to train gladiators in combat, as well as to host feasts. The building collapsed in November 2010 due to heavy rains. As part of the restoration, workers pieced together brightly colored frescoes that had fallen apart in the collapse. Archeologists...

Published on Friday, January 4, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Venice has passed a new tourist tax of up to 10 euros per day to day trippers, aimed at providing funds to clean up the city after hordes of day trippers come in. The tax will likely vary depending on the season, and will apply to both Italian and foreign tourists. Tourists who spend the night in Venetian hotels already pay a tourist tax of 5 euros per day, inclu...

Published on Sunday, December 16, 2018 by Kathy McCabe In honor of its 125th anniversary, Rome’s iconic Hotel Hassler is celebrating with a gala and an interactive exhibit. hundreds of elite guests. The five-star luxury hotel opened in 1893, and has become a fixture in the Roman landscape,having accommodated celebrities, artists, and politicians from around the world, as well as serving as the U.S. Air Force headq...

Published on Saturday, December 1, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Beginning December 18th, travelers will be able to take high-speed Frecciarossa trains straight from Rome’s airport to destinations across Italy. The Frecciarossa trains will connect Fiumicino Airport with Florence, Venice, Pisa, La Spezia and Genoa. Currently, travelers have to go into Rome’s city center to pick up a train to these cities at either the Termini or...

Published on Wednesday, November 28, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Construction work completed in 2001 is having an unexpected effect on the Leaning Tower of Pisa: Since then, its tilt has lessened by 1.5 inches. The tower was closed to visitors from 1990 to 2001 while construction work was done to correct the tilt and protect its long-term stability. When it reopened, it had straightened by 15.95 inches, returning its slant to th...

Published on Friday, November 23, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Editors at Italy’s Zanichelli Publishing House launched a campaign to revive Italian words that have fallen out of use, by painting graffiti with the words and their definitions onto city streets. The campaign, marked with the hashtag #laculturasifastrada on social media, aims to bring attention to the complexity of the Italian language, which has become more simpli...

Published on Friday, November 16, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Mark  your calendar for Cyber Monday! Perillo's Learning Journeys has an incredible special for Valentine's Day Live Like a Local in Sorrento: Land and Air, February 10 to 17, 2019. There is limited availability for this 8-day/6-night adventure. The Amalfi Coast is one of those places that alluringly draws one into its charm and romance. It doesn't get more romant...

Published on Thursday, November 15, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Save $500 Per Couple On Any Italy or Hawaii Tour* Your calendar is surely marked for Black Friday this year. But the big savings is at Perillo Tours. On Black Friday only, Perillo Tours, a leader in escorted travel to Italy for more than 70 years, is offering $500 off per couple ($250 per person) on all 2019 Italy and Hawaii escorted tours. You must use code: Bl...