A lot has changed in 2020, but a year is hardly a blink of an eye when you think of how far back Italy’s history stretches. One of the only trips I have taken this year was to Venice. On the top of my to-do list was an indulgent drink ay Caffè Florian, the oldest […]
Category Archives: Explore Italy
28
Aug
Aug
Available for booking on Airbnb, Villa Parisi is an 18th-century house that has been in Mario’s family for generations. It is the star of the Sorrento skyline, a gorgeous red house at the top of Colle Parisi, its namesake hill, visible from the historical center and the port. The villa was purchased by Mario’s great […]
18
Aug
Aug
Venice Mestre is located on the mainland side of the lagoon, an 11-minute train ride to Venice. More residential and industrial, Mestre offers tempting low prices on accommodation for those visiting Venice on a budget. While Mestre is close to Venice, it is definitely not the same as Venice. The trouble with staying in a […]
19
Jun
Jun
Naples is best known for its chaos and pizza, but it is also home to quite a few artistic treasures. One of my favorite sculptures in all of Italy is in a small chapel in the center of Naples: the Veiled Christ by Giuseppe Sanmartino. View this post on Instagram #CristoVelatoNotebook Per la rubrica #CristoVelatoNotebook […]
20
May
May
Tucked into a little dead-end that you might otherwise pass right by is one of my favorite hidden wonders in La Serenissima. The spiral staircase of Venice is officially known as La Scala Contarini del Bovolo. In Venetian “bovolo” means snail shell, which is usually known as a “chiocchiola” in Italian. The pretty stairs do […]
12
May
May
Updated: July 5, 2020 First things first: everything that has to do with the novel coronavirus comes with a lot of uncertainty and changes quickly. I am not an epidemiologist or a government official. This article is updated to inform you of travel restrictions in Italy in 2020 and to direct you to the official […]
08
May
May
From St. Mark’s Basilica to the world-class art collections at the Peggy Guggenheim museum and L’Accademia, there are plenty of traditional must-sees to fill your days in Venice. But one of the unconventional landmarks that should be on your list to visit is a used bookstore – Libreria Acqua Alta. The bookstore is named because […]
23
Apr
Apr
We have officially passed the 40 days that gave rise to the word “quarantine” from the Venetian practice of isolating ships carrying the plague. At this point, anything seems possible (or impossible as the case may be). No one knows what to expect from our first coronavirus summer in Italy. That hasn’t stopped architects and […]