Published on Friday, March 20, 2015 by Kathy McCabe The largest house in  Pompeii fully reopened today following two years of renovation. Villa dei Misteri (Villa of the Mysteries), famous for its frescoes of the cult of Bacchus or  Dionysus, is now completely to visitors. The villa was renovated in stages so parts could remain open. Culture Minister Dario Franceschini  cut the ribbon on the renovated site an...

Published on Monday, February 16, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Perhaps you’ve visited Pompeii and marveled at what was trapped in the aftermath of Mount Vesuviu’s’s A.D. 79 eruption. While that city’s devastation cannot be overestimated, its careful preservation has also given millions of people a window into ancient Roman life.  Now, thanks to the latest technology, you may soon be able to visit a southern Italian city...

Published on Monday, September 1, 2014 by Kathy McCabe Pompeii - one of the world's greatest archaeological treasures - just got that much better with 10 newly renovated buildings, some of which have never before been seen by the public. The newly unveiled houses and late opening hours helped attract numerous visitors according to Italian news agency, ANSA. Here are some of the newly renovated buildings visitors can no...

Published on Saturday, July 5, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a weekly post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web.  Here are our top picks for this week: Wine Hotels in Italy:  Where to sleep among the vines. Wine resorts are popping up all over Italy's wine regions.  (The Guardian) Etiquette for Rude Russians:  Tuscan hotel owner producesÂ...

Published on Monday, April 21, 2014 by Kathy McCabe While Pompeii may be the most famous archaeological site in Italy, fans of Ancient Rome often argue that the lesser-known ruins of Ostia Antica, just outside of Rome, surpass Pompeii in quality. Now there's even more reason to get your archaeological fix at this old port town with a secret part of the ancient site recently unearthed. "The find is enormous, inclu...

Published on Sunday, February 23, 2014 by Kathy McCabe The Italy Mix is a weekly post about the most interesting Italy and Italy travel news and human interest stories around the Web each week. Here are our top picks for this week: Academy of Silence: A new organization in Tuscany seeks to gather a list of the quietest hotels, towns and other places in Italy.  One of them, Eremito Hotelito del Alma in Umbria is pict...

Published on Friday, October 5, 2012 by Steve For me to pick a favorite tour is like choosing a favorite child, but the 10-Day Vesuvius Tour is in the running for one of my top picks. Why?  It's Affordable! Starting at $2890 per person, Vesuvius packs in a lot for the price including first clas deluxe hotels, many delicious meals, experienced guides and transportation via our state-of-the-art motorcoaches. ...

Published on Friday, August 24, 2012 by Kathy McCabe Anyone who has toured Pompeii has some idea of the terror its citizens endured on August 24, 79 A.D. All you have to do is look at one of the most popular exhibits at this archaeological site.  The "Garden of Fugitives" is a series of plaster casts of how Pompeiians where frozen in time trying to outrun the eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius.   But what the res...

Published on Monday, April 23, 2012 by Kathy McCabe The Grande Progetto Pompei, or Great Pompeii Project was inaugurated this month to revamp the damaged areas of one of the most fragile and historically rich archeological sites in Italy and the world. After years of media criticism that Italy was not properly caring for the site, as well as alarming structural collapses that occurred over the past year and a half...

Published on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 by Kathy McCabe The most important archaeological museum in all of Italy is the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. No visit to Naples Italy is complete without eating lots of pizza and visiting this spectacular museum with artifacts and art from Greek, Roman and Renaissance periods. Visiting the archaeological museum is the perfect complement to a tour of Pompeii or Herculane...