Victoria de Maio

Located in the historic San Lorenzo neighborhood of Florence, Mercato Centrale Firenze opened in spring of 2014. The original building, on the first floor, was built in 1874. Designed by Giuseppe Mengoni (who also designed Milan’s famous Galleria), it is …

Approaching Ostuni, it’s easy to see why it’s known as “the white city”! Looking out over the Adriatic, its whitewashed walls and buildings glisten in the sunlight giving it almost a fairy-tale like appearance.   Only a few kilometers from …

As our “home base” Montefalco is perfectly situated for our stay in Italy’s heart, Umbria. Staying in a family-run agriturismo during grape harvest, we will enjoy local cuisine, wine tasting, truffle hunting, guided visits to nearby historic hill towns and …

Victoria explores today the Pope’s Hometown which becamea UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lovely hilltop village of Pienza is a short (approx. 15 miles) and worthwhile side trip from Siena. As the birthplace of Pope Pius II, this tiny town …

Sitting proudly in the heart of Chianti country is Greve in Chianti, renamed in 1972 after the area’s inclusion in the Chianti wine district. Almost midway between Florence to the north and Siena to the south, the central piazza occupies …

Fabulouso! Italy and gelato… synonymous pleasures. Gelato isn’t a luxury, it’s definitely a necessity! You just haven’t experienced all of the pleasures of traveling in Italy until you’ve sample (lots of) its gelato!   Choosing favorites is extremely difficult and, …

Did you ever feel “called” to go to or to return somewhere? Like some invisible and irresistible force of gravity was pulling you there? An inexplicable attraction, perhaps? Or perhaps, the enticing photos and a travel blurb that  just struck …

The opportunity to be the guest of a 5-star luxury property is a rare and real treat for me. So, needless to say, when when the opportunity to stay at the Baglioni Hotel Regina in Rome presented itself last spring, …

In 1979, a state employee living in Milan,but from Limone sul Garda, was hospitalized and his blood work was analyzed. Test results revealed that, despite having very high cholesterol and triglycerides, there were no considerable signs of damage to the …

Ever since I started traveling to the Salento sub-region of Puglia I fell in love with…well, its olive trees. It’s hard to explain until you’ve actually experienced driving through miles and miles of thousands upon thousands of olive trees… as far …