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 […]
Category Archives: Explore Italy
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 […]
05
Apr
Apr
The last place I visited before Italy went into a full national lockdown was Venice. I love the city and was so lucky to be there in the quiet of late January. One of the things of my Venetian bucket list is to take a class from Row Venice, a female-run non-profit of all women […]
04
Mar
Mar
Italy is so full of natural wonders that it is hard to know where to begin. Even after more than a decade of living in Rome, I feel like I am barely beginning to scratch the surface of things to see. However, the white, undulating Scala dei Turchi has been at the top of my […]
29
Feb
Feb
Sitting in the imposing shadow of Mt. Etna, the streets of Catania are dominating by the Sicilian volcano. One of the best places to see the volcano is from the wide, straight avenue that is aptly named Via Etnea. My favorite place to enjoy the view, the buzz of the city, and some of the […]
20
Feb
Feb
From the Alps to the pink beach of Sardinia, Italy is full of natural wonders. But when traveling outside of Bari, I was introduced to one in Puglia that I had never heard of: the grotte di Castellana. The cave system can be found near the town of Castellana and it is absolutely mesmerizing. The […]