One Year in Italy: 12 Months of Memories
A month-by-month, personal account of my first year living in Italy.
Cities
Here is where you will find posts about the biggest Italian cities—Rome, Milan, Palermo, Naples, and Turin—as well as articles on popular cities for tourism, such as Florence and Venice.
Cool Italian Street Art from The Drawing Bike
A short profile of Roman artist Rachele del Nevo and her fun art project The Drawing Bike.
Photo of the Day: A Ray of Light in San Giovanni in Laterano
While hundreds wait in lines in the harsh sun to get into Saint Peter’s, the Archbasilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, also known as the
In Rome, Communing Over Coffee
In the mornings after I’ve sent the kids off to school and tidied up the house I go down and have my morning cappuccino.
Italy’s A3 Autostrada Near Completion 50 Years After Project Began
It’s been called the “shame of Italy” and for good reason. The A3 autostrada, a 443km highway that is to connect Salerno to Reggio Calabria,
Raining Rose Petals Inside the Pantheon On Pentecost Sunday
La Pioggia di Petali di Rose, or the Rain of Rose Petals, brings religious Rome and ancient Rome together in a moving and colorful spectacle.
How to Avoid Tourists in Venice
It’s the conundrum that many travelers to Venice face: how to be a tourist but avoid other tourists.
On This Day: ‘La Dolce Vita’ Wins the Cannes Film Festival
On May 20, 1960, Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Watch “Three Reasons” why this film remains a classic. For
Photo of the Day: Mithras in the Vatican
Before Christianity became the dominant religion of Rome, many people worshipped Mithras, the pagan God depicted here.
In Rome, Hoteliers In Revolt Over State of the City
Roman hoteliers, who write that Rome’s 25 million annual tourists is only a quarter of the number that go to London, are less concerned about how tourists are affecting the city than how the city is affecting tourists.
Visions of Veronese Green: In Search of the Sublime Shade in Venice
Veronese Green is named after Verona-born painter Paolo Caliari, also known as Veronese. I used the color to guide me on my travels in Venice.
Natale di Roma: Rome Celebrates Its Birthday
The city of Rome was born on April 21, 753 BC.
A Show of Hands: A Look at the Marble Hands of Ancient Statues in Rome
It all started with David.
Visiting the Colosseum Dungeons on a Guided Tour [Review]
My review of the tour: Colosseum “Dungeons, Third Level and Arena Floor,” Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.
Will the Vatican Museums Finally Limit the Number of Visitors?
The Vatican Museums welcome up to 25,000 visitors per day. Is it time for them to limit the crowds?
Rome Revisited: What Has and Hasn’t Changed
Rome is changing. Rome has changed. You hear those phrases around Rome all the time these days. Crime, corruption, unemployment, immigration, unreliable public transit, trash
Exploring the Ghetto: A Tour of Rome’s Jewish Quarter [Review]
Learn more about the ancient and contemporary history of the Jewish people in Rome with a tour through the ex-Ghetto.
Upcoming Fundraiser at the Sistine Chapel Turns Heads
Each day, as many as 20,000 visitors pay up to €16 per person to enter the Vatican Museums, the highlight of which is the Sistine
