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 […]
Category Archives: Italy
09
Aug
Aug
Walk down the aisles of your local supermarket and you will likely find something claiming to be mozzarella in the refrigerated section. Even in Italy, you can find little plastic bags filled with water and a ball of white cheese sitting in the fridge. But the truth is that most Italians would never dream of […]
02
Aug
Aug
Roger Federer surprises two Italian girls who played tennis across their terrace rooftops during the coronavirus quarantine.
29
Jul
Jul
Updated 22 May 2021 Italy is much quieter year, but Italians are looking forward to a fairly normal summer all things considered (at least to so-called Yellow Zones with low infection rates). And now with the announcement that travel to Italy in 2021 will be possible for some, I expect that train travel will start […]
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 […]
06
May
May
According to Italy’s consumer group Coldiretti, Italians have gained an average of 2 kgs (4.5 pounds) during the country’s lockdown. Normally considered one of the healthiest countries in the world, many residents (47% according to one survey) say that losing weight is high on their post-lockdown to do list. The group points to several reasons […]