5 Things to Do in Pisa Besides Climbing the Leaning Tower
The city of Pisa Italy is famous the world over for its Leaning Tower but there's much more to the city. Here are some other things to do in Pisa: 1. Be sure to visit the Duomo and Baptistery next to the tower. Leave extra time (a few hours) to visit Pisa's stunning cathedral as well as the largest baptistery in Italy. 2. Also leave time to go into Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. This museum is where much of the art that was formerly in the cathedral is now housed. See Giovanni Pisano's ivory carving of the Madonna and Child carved for the cathedral's ...
Things to See in Alberobello
When you travel to Italy, there might be a lot of places that you would want to visit. One destination that definitely calls for a place in your travel itinerary is - Alberobello. Located in the southern part of Italy, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is known for its exceptional style of building called Trulli. Trullis are nothing but limestone houses with dry stone walls and conical roof that are known for their mortarless construction. The reason behind these pre-historic buildings was to escape from paying taxes. When the king’s tax collector came to collect taxes, the owner ...
Where To Stay in Rome: The Rose Garden Palace Hotel
One of my favorite hotels in Rome is the Rose Garden Palace Hotel. Just off the famous Via Veneto, and a stone’s throw from the American Embassy, it enjoys one of the best locations in the city. The hotel is partly owned by Steve Perillo, the third generation owner of Perillo Tours, the world’s largest tour operator to Italy. Perillo and his Italian partner bought this 19th-century building in 1998 and named it after the rose bushes in the courtyard. One might expect a hotel owned by a tour company to seem impersonal or ...
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Halloween in Italy
Published on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 by Kathy McCabe
Halloween in Italy has grown more popular over the past 10 years or so, especially with children excited to dress up and eat sweets. While Halloween still isn’t as big of a celebration as it is in the U.S., it is now not uncommon to hear children walking through shops and neighborhoods s...
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Why You Should Watch Pasta Grannies...
Published on Monday, September 3, 2018 by Kathy McCabe
Everyone knows Italian grandmothers make the best handmade pasta, and if you’re lucky, your nonna passed down her recipes and techniques. For the rest of us, there’s Pasta Grannies, a YouTube channel that films Italian nonne making pasta by hand, the old-fashioned way. Food writer V... -
New Section of Rome’s Palatin...
Published on Wednesday, July 4, 2018 by Kathy McCabe
A section of Palatine Hill in Rome has opened to the public for the first time in centuries, allowing visitors to take in 1,200 years of the Eternal City's history. One of Rome’s seven hills, Palatine Hill overlooks the Roman Forum and the Circus Maximus in the city center, but the n... -
Rustici and Catesi Art Returns to F...
Published on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 by Kathy McCabe
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and if two rare 16th-century Italian sketches could talk, their words would be “Thank goodness we’re home!” Florence’s Uffizi Galleries recently acquired the sketches, the work of Giovan Francesco Rustici and Giovanni Catesi, at an U... -
Florence’s Duomo Adds Metal D...
Published on Thursday, February 22, 2018 by Kathy McCabe
In anticipation of peak summer tourist season, the Duomo cathedral complex in Florence is stepping up security measures by installing seven metal detectors in the building. The new walk-through metal detectors will replace the old handheld detectors, with the goal of reducing the time spen... -
Toss A Coin, Help The Government of...
Published on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 by Kathy McCabe
The next time you toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, you could be unwittingly making a donation to the Roman government. Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi has announced that the coins, which can add up to more than 100 million euros!! per year, will now be used to fund city projects, whi... -
Caravaggio Research Institute to Op...
Published on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 by Kathy McCabe
A new institute in Rome, the Caravaggio Research Institute, will dedicate itself to becoming the sole authority on everything related to the artist, who lived from 1571 to 1610. Founded as a result of a partnership between fashion brand Fendi and the Borghese Gallery, the institute will be... -
Renovated Procuratie Vecchia to Ope...
Published on Friday, October 13, 2017 by Kathy McCabe
In 2020, for the first time in 500 years, visitors to Venice will be able to tour one of its grandest and most important buildings. The Procuratie Vecchia housed the nine governors of La Serenissima, the Most Serene Republic, in the centuries of its greatest power, from its construction in... -
And The World’s Best Gelato I...
Published on Friday, September 29, 2017 by Kathy McCabe
The best gelato flavor in the world is pistachio made by Gelateria Crispini in Spoleto, Umbria, according to a panel of judges in the Gelato World Tour. Gelato maker Alessandro Crispini concocted the winning flavor, made from three kinds of Sicilian pistachios roasted for 24 hours. Jud... -
Cable Car System Could Connect Sici...
Published on Saturday, July 2, 2016 by Kathy McCabe
For 2,000 years, Italians have dreamed of connecting Sicily to the mainland, but various proposals to cross the 3.3-kilometer Strait of Messina through the centuries have never gotten off the ground. Now, Italians are hopeful that the newest idea, a cable car system from the Reggio Calabri...
