Published on Sunday, April 9, 2017 by Kathy McCabe After taking a year off from submitting UNESCO World Heritage bids, Italy has put forth two bids for the country’s central region for consideration next year. If approved, the sites would be added to Italy’s list of 51 total UNESCO World Heritage sites, the most of any country. The towns in question, Norcia and L’Aquila, were hard-hit by earthquakes in 2016 a...

Published on Tuesday, November 22, 2016 by Kathy McCabe Gubbio, in the region of Umbria, is home to the world's largest Christmas tree. The tree of lights is 650 meters (or 2,130 feet) tall and takes 1,900 man hours to assemble on the side of Gubbio's Mount Ignacio. It was named the world's largest Christmas tree in 1991 by the Guinness Book of World Records. The tree tradition started in 1981 and in 2011, Pope Benedic...

Published on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 by Kathy McCabe Tuscany-based start-up Travel Appeal conducted a 2015 survey and analysis of 20 of Italy’s largest national museums—and number one museum in the country may surprise you. Using a complex algorithm that monitored visitor comments on sites including Facebook and TripAdvisor, Travel Appeal found that the museum with the highest number of positive comments was the Na...

Published on Monday, July 28, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a weekly post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web.  Here are our top picks for this week: Do Umbria on A Budget:  Umbria, home to Assisi and green rolling hills, is well worth a visit, and can be done affordably.  (The Guardian) Italy's Prison Paradises:  Though they once held s...

Published on Sunday, April 21, 2013 by Kathy McCabe Assisi (in the region of Umbria) and its start attraction, the Basilica of St. Francis, have always been popular with tourists but the election of the new Pope Francis makes them even more popular than ever. This is a view of the top level of the basilica with a statue of the saint in the foreground. Ready to plan a trip to Assisi? Talk to the travel experts at It...

Published on Sunday, May 6, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Many spring events in Italy mark the arrival of the season's flowers and colorful plants. The medieval village of Castel di Fiori  in Umbria holds a particularly colorful celebration each June, Archeoflora.   The event, to be held this year on June 2 and 3, brings nature and art lovers together for a celebration of flowers, plants and garden furnishing in this hi...