Category Archives: Italy

La Pignasecca Market in Naples: Street Food in Napoli

Roman markets have a good dose of character. But they literally have nothing on the free-for-all, in-your-face, food-and-people-crush that is the Neapolitan experience. Craving some fried foods, Sara and I hopped on the train for a day trip to Naples. Just off of Via Toledo, we only needed to take a short metro ride to […]

Eating Cicchetti in Venice

I was just going to have one soft shell fried crab, and then we were going to go to dinner. Then I was just going to have another one, I mean, since we were still there and a table had opened up next to the bar. Then I might as well try the frittata with […]

Florence’s Ferragamo Museum

When you are only going to the Florence for the day, you pray it doesn’t rain. When you do inevitably get caught in rain, it is time to come up with a quick Plan B. Sara and I found ourselves in just such a situation and decided that it was a fine excuse to pop in […]

7 Things to Know Before You Visit Terme: Natural Hot Springs in Italy

If you are planning a trip to Tuscany, you are signing up for all kinds of indulgences. After all the hard work of eating truffles and drinking Chianti, you might want to enjoy a bit of well earned relaxation. Terme, natural hot springs, are a fantastic way to soak in the Italian lifestyle. Some are […]

Ditta Artigianale: Third Wave Coffee in Florence

ditta artigianale in Florence

Happy National Coffee day to my fellow Americans! I love me some coffee. Most days, slightly burnt and rather acidic Roman espresso will do just fine. Other times, I have to go to Florence for the day. Ditta Artigianale was everything I dreamed it would be. The second location, in Florence’s Oltrarno area, is a […]

6 things I’ve Learned from 6 years in Italy

I moved to Rome on September 28, 2010. I had a heinous direct flight from Los Angeles, then booked a weird group transfer van from the airport, and met my landlord at an apartment that I had rented sight unseen. I managed to stay awake until 7:30 pm, before falling asleep until 3 am and […]

Mondello Beach: How to Visit the Stunning Sea in Sicily

Mondello beach plays no small part in my desperation to get back to Palermo ASAP. Crystalline water is set against white sand and distant rocky peaks. Mondello is otherworldly beautiful. And Mondello is lucky it is so good looking because the bus ride to get there was heinous. And I deal with Rome at rush […]