Category Archives: Explore Italy

Day Trip from Rome: Calcata, Italy

The spring has been so strange, with thunderstorms and freezing winds marking the first day of June. So you’ll just have to trust me when I say that sometimes when the weather is hot you get a nagging urge to leave Rome for the day. One such place to skip off to is the ancient […]

Why to Visit Pitigliano: Tuscany’s City Built of Tufo

Pitigliano is a town in Tuscany’s Maremma region that seems to grow spectacularly out of the cliff on to which it is built. The buildings, and the rocky crag for that matter, are all made of tufo or tuff rock. Pitigliano is a major destination in its own right, but it is also perfectly located to […]

Saturnia Hot Springs

After a great lunch in Sovana, we had earned a little R&R.  We piled back into our cinque cento, clown car style, and set off for the nearby village of Saturnia. Exploring another Tuscan town was not the priority. Instead, we were on the hunt for thermal hot springs. The Saturnia hot springs are in […]

Day Trip from Rome: Spoleto

If you’ve already explored Orvieto, Spoleto is a quieter town, a bit farther off tourist maps.  For 8 euro, you can catch a train from Termini and be in this small town in Perugia in just a little over an hour. First things first: eat. We ducked into Osteria dell’Enoteca and ordered the house bruschetta […]

Pasta Fritta: Frittatine in Napoli

We have friends visiting from California right now, and it seems that every time I suggest something that they just *have* to eat, it’s fried. Example: “Hey guys! Let’s go get cheesey pasta in a bowl made of fried cheese!” or “Hey guys! Let’s go get the best fried fish in the world! Ever! It’s […]

A Weekend Retreat to Procida

Last year for my birthday, I was given a surprise party, booked a ticket to California, and then scampered off to Ischia. This year for my birthday, I had a delicious pajama brunch party, booked a ticket to Budapest, and then scampered off the Procida. Procida and Ischia are Capri’s less famous (and less crowded) […]