Travel

Combining simple, local ingredients with tradition, a dash of history and never-ending love Mantuan cuisine is known as the food of princes and people. Many dishes date back to the days of the House of Gonzaga, a princely family that …

Shakespeare’s famous “Fair Verona” may have been the ideal setting for his story about the star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet, but modern Verona has become a city with a wonderful mixture of those historic elements and contemporary Italian culture. It …

Italy is the land of love, a romantic destination par excellence. So with Valentines Day fast approaching, it’s time to explore some of the peninsula’s most idyllic spots. Heavenly places where romance is never in short supply. We start with …

The third and last official residence of the Medici in Florence is the grandiose Palazzo Pitti. Located at the foot of the Boboli hill in the Oltrarno quarter, just past the Ponte Vecchio, the palace now hosts the city’s largest …

A highlight of travel to Italy in the first quarter of the year is Carnival Season or as they say Carnevale. Celebrations are held roughly 40 days before Easter which falls on March 31st this year. The biggest, most elaborate …

For centuries the pre-Lent festivities of carnevale sumptuously celebrated  carne, a word that translates as both “meat’ and “flesh,” in every sense. However, the name comes specifically from the Latin for meat (carnem) and “take away or remove” (levare). A church decree dating back …

18th Century, Venice. Circling about the snaky, torch-lit alleyways of the ancient city are swarms of masked men and women. Before leaving the house, members of all social ranks change their names, leaving their titles and inhibitions at the door. …

If you ever find yourself in need of an espresso, a panino (a sandwich), pane or dolci (bread or sweets), or simply good company and a fun outing, take a stroll along the east side of the Tiber River just …

What would inspire people to book trips to Ivrea? The small city near Turin is not just your next obscure travel destination. It is an absolutely must-visit stop in the carnival season, when its distinct identity takes shape as the …

A small Medieval town perched on a hill is one of the sights that define the Tuscan landscape. You’ll have heard of San Gimignano and Cortona, but there’s another smaller and equally characterful town out there amongst the olive groves …