Published on Wednesday, July 18, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Along with Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Roberto Benigni and a host of other actors, the city of Rome plays a central character in Woody Allen’s new film, To Rome With Love.  Allen is known for making a city the focal point of many of his movies, such as  Barcelona in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and he has done it again with Rome. The plot revolves around “a...

Published on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Yes, you read right: an entire village in the hills of Tuscany is for sale on eBay at a price of a bit more than $3 million dollars (2.5 million euros).  If you're looking for more than just an Italian vacation but rather to live in Italy the lord of your own domain, this might be for you...The village  of Pratariccia, about 25 miles from Florence overlooking ...

Published on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Easy Italia, a new, free phone service provided by the Italian government for foreign visitors in Italy, offers tourist information, translation, advice on travelers' rights, updates on local and national emergencies,  information for disabled travel and much more. The translation help offered by Easy Italia might be the most useful part of the service.  St...

Published on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Referred to by Michelangelo as “The Door of Paradise,” this 15-th century gilded bronze door will soon be unveiled to the public after nearly three decades of restoration.  Crafted by Lorenzo Ghiberti, the medieval masterpiece weighs eight tons and had been part of the baptistery of Florence’s Duomo for more than 500 years until it was removed for restoration. ...

Published on Wednesday, June 20, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Looking for a new adventure in Italy or have kids and just can't resist good old-fashioned theme park fun? What better way to cool off to have some summer fun than at a theme park in Italy, and it might provide a much-needed break for visiting all of those Italian museums. Here are three of our favorites: Gardaland: With rides such as “Space Vertigo” and “Blu...

Published on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 by Kathy McCabe One of the reasons travelers flock to Venice is that in many ways it has changed little over the centuries. You can see St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace much as they appeared during time of the Venetian Republic. Yet, any world-class city like La Serenissima  is always evolving and here is a sampling of what's new in Venice: New Vaparetto Service -  �...

Published on Wednesday, June 6, 2012 by Kathy McCabe In an attempt to help cheese producers in Emilia-Romagna , a region devastated by a several earthquakes last month, regional consortiums are organizing ways for consumers to buy the damaged wheels of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano cheese – produced in and around the city of Parma. The malformed, but still perfectly good cheese is being sold throughout It...

Published on Friday, June 1, 2012 by Kathy McCabe The Italian region of Umbria lies smack dab in the middle of the country and is the only region in Italy without either a coastal or a foreign border. It is known for its green hills, medieval churches and cuisine that is tied to the land, especially its black and white truffles. The capital Perugia is famous in part as the home of Perugina chocolate. If you are lu...

Published on Friday, May 25, 2012 by Kathy McCabe After nine years, The Tuscan Sun Festival is moving from Cortona to Florence where it will hold its 10th edition, June 11 to 18, 2012. The festival brings together music, art and film, and this year in new venues including Teatro della Pergola, Palazzo Strozzi and Nuovo Teatro dell' Opera. The Tuscan Sun Festival has been described by The Independent (U.K.) as one o...

Published on Sunday, May 20, 2012 by Kathy McCabe While Italy is known for making some of the finest wines in the world, it hasn't had a big presence on the beer scene...until now. After 200 hundreds years of making beer, Italy and its citizens are  now embracing beer as a popular alternative to wine and sharing Italian beers with the world. According to Italian news agency ANSA, when asked their drink of choice...