Land of many faces: the Crete Senesi

She lies just south of Siena, this stark yet soft and wizened land. Her sensuously rolling landscape is ever-changing — breathtakingly alluring when...

January 24, 2018

paula reynolds

La Buona Tavola

Prosciutto done right: process, quality and passion

Ah, prosciutto - that lovely, pink hued, paper-thin sliced meat that has delighted Italy’s residents for at least 3,000 years. Perhaps not as...

January 9, 2018

paula reynolds

All Around Italy

There's more than one leaning tower in Italy

I taly’s towers are an integral part of her appeal, yet comparatively few remain. At the height of its development, Lucca boasted 250 towers; today...

December 15, 2017

paula reynolds

All Around Italy

Christmas in Italy: unique traditions and destinations

String some lights, hang a wreath, decorate the tree, and deck the halls with every form of green and red imaginable – Christmas is nigh! But have...

December 15, 2017

paula reynolds

All Around Italy

Cycling in Ferrara - Emilia Romagna’s city of bicycles

Ferrara: oh, the tragedy of having overlooked this beauty of an Italian city for so many years! But we’re in the good company of a whole lot of other...

November 16, 2017

paula reynolds

Travel

Chestnuts: Tuscany’s other celebrated Fall fruit

The last gasps of summer play out over the Italian landscape – a land grateful for the sun’s energizing warmth, but oh-so-ready for fall’s cooler...

September 25, 2017

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All Around Italy

Savor a section of the Via Francigena: Abbadia di Isola to Monteriggioni “a piedi”

All roads lead to Rome as the old saying goes – all 1,243 miles of road when we’re talking about the Via Francigena, the ancient byway connecting...

September 11, 2017

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Lifestyle

Surviving the heat with Italy’s summer treats

Ah, the good ol’ summer time! Breezy lazy days of child-like freedom fill the weeks as attire lightens along with our moods; backyard bar-b-ques,...

August 30, 2017

paula reynolds

La Buona Tavola

The Nefarious Truffle/Tartufo: Why You Love Them…or Despise Them

True confession: up until about 6 years ago I gleefully lived my life believing a truffle was a delectable orb of chocolaty goodness surrounding a...

July 27, 2017

paula reynolds

All Around Italy

Montepulciano – Tuscany’s Medieval Gem

Where the sunrise lifts swirling rounds of swallows skyward over ancient terra-cotta to announce the day, and cobbled streets host the daily walk of...

July 14, 2017

paula reynolds