Published on Friday, May 25, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Summer is a happy season, and it’s made even happier each year when the international Blue Flag program heralding the world’s cleanest beaches announces it choices. For 2018, a great number of those in Italy are set along the Tyrrhenian Sea in Tuscany. You might find it impossible to choose, and it just gets tougher when you widen the Blue Flag map out to the r...

Published on Sunday, May 20, 2018 by Kathy McCabe The Bridge of Sighs. The Ponte Vecchio. We all know at least one bridge that makes us long for Italy and its beautiful views. That’s why we love this list of 16 Italian bridges via The Local. If you’ve wanted a new perspective on your Italian travels, this could be it: Why not try out some of these crossings, working them into city visits and country treks, to...

Published on Tuesday, May 15, 2018 by Kathy McCabe I’m Steve Perillo of Perillo Tours. I'm thrilled to host a video series called Steve's Travel Tips to share all the insider Italy travel tips I have learned over a lifetime of travel to Italy. In this video, I'm talking about the most romantic place on Earth - Italy, of course - and why it is the perfect place to get married! Learn all about Italian weddings in�...

Published on Thursday, May 10, 2018 by Kathy McCabe I’m Steve Perillo of Perillo Tours. I'm thrilled to host a video series called Steve's Travel Tips to share all the insider Italy travel tips I have learned over a lifetime of travel to Italy. In this video, I'm talking about why 2018 is a very special year in Italy. Can you guess why? Well, the Italian government has dubbed it "the year of Italian food." I expla...

Published on Sunday, May 6, 2018 by Kathy McCabe The Tremiti Islands, an archipelago off of Italy’s east coast, banned all single-use plastic dinnerware from the islands beginning May 1 of this year. Anyone caught using disposable plates, cups and utensils will be fined 50€ to 500€ – including businesses, locals and tourists. The islands’ mayor, Antonio Fentini, instituted the ban after scientists measu...

Published on Wednesday, May 2, 2018 by Kathy McCabe The ciborium in the abbey at San Miniato al Monte in Florence has been restored in time for the 1,000-year anniversary of the abbey’s founding. The ciborium – a covered altar with four columns and an intricate arched ceiling – was completed in 1448 at the request of Piero de’ Medici and designed by architect and sculptor Michelozzo di Bartolomeo. It was built ...

Published on Saturday, April 28, 2018 by Kathy McCabe From now until May 1, Venice is prohibiting tourist access into the main parts of the city. The restrictions are intended to ease crowds during the Festa del Lavoro holiday, Italy’s Labor Day and a popular traveling time for Italians. Tourists traveling to popular places such as Rialto or Piazza San Marco will be redirected along alternate routes. The Strada Nuov...

Published on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Archaeologists have found the remains of what is believed to be the first port of Naples, underneath the city’s current seafront. Near the Castel dell’Ovo, a team of divers discovered four tunnels about 10 meters (33 feet) below the water, which could have been used to moor ships 2,500 years ago. Also discovered was a 10-foot-wide street with grooves from cart whe...

Published on Saturday, April 14, 2018 by Kathy McCabe The Olympics could be coming back to Italy, as the country plans to submit a bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics jointly in Milan and Turin. The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stating its intention and saying that CONI wishes to continue the current “dialogue phase” of the 2026 bidding process, which a...

Published on Saturday, April 7, 2018 by Kathy McCabe According to a report published by the World Travel and Tourism Committee (WTTC), tourist spending in Italy jumped 6.5% to 39.6€ billion in 2017, making Italy the sixth-largest travel economy in the world. The average increase in tourist spending worldwide was 4.3%. Travel and tourism in Italy in 2017 was a 223.2€ billion industry, including direct and indirec...