Category Archives: Explore Italy

Traveling to Italy in 2021

view of colorful houses in corricella procida a top place to stay on the island

Mario Draghi, the Prime Minister of Italy, and other government officials have recently announced a “Green Pass” for people hoping to travel to Italy from countries such as the United States. It was rumored that those who can show proof of vaccination, a negative test, or proof of recent recovery from COVID-19, can enter Italy […]

Staying at Villa Parisi in Sorrento

villa set in garden

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 […]

Should You Stay in Venice Mestre

piazza ferretto in venice mestre

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 […]

The Veiled Christ in Naples

christ marble statue

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 […]

Venice’s Spiral Stairs: La Scala Contarini del Bovolo

venice spiral stairs

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 […]

Can You Still Travel to Italy This Year? It’s Complicated

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 […]

Libreria Acqua Alta: Venice’s Most Beautiful Bookstore

bookstore in venice open to canal

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 […]