Getting robbed is a terrible experience, made even worse if you are in a foreign country. Even if you are not physically threatened the loss of money and documentation can mean huge headaches. Unfortunately theft is a common occurrence in Europe, especially in areas that draw many tourists, where […]
Massa Marittima is a town located in Tuscany, in the province of Grosseto. The history of Massa Marittima goes back to 1000 AD when the seat of the bishop was moved here in the middle ages. The town was under the rule of the Republic of Pisa until it gained […]
Wine tasting doesn’t have to be stuffy. Too many people shy away from tasting and comparing wine because they think they don’t know “how to do it”. Well, what’s to know? Take, for example, an impromptu wine tasting we had with two of our neighbors recently. They had come over […]
The European olive tree (Olea europaea) has come to symbolize, more than any plant, the essence of the Mediterranean region and its gardens. Growing from 8 -12 meters tall in the poorest, rockiest of soils and depending on ferocious Mediterranean sunshine, the olive tree has truly won the battle of […]
The Fall is knocking at our doors, and we start feeling like getting all warm and cozy, even in the kitchen: soups take the place of salads, mature cheeses that of mozzarella and we all feel like eating more… Beans, in all their varieties and associated with a plethora of […]
Enrico Mentana is a brilliant Italian anchorman, probably the first one to introduce the concept of “hosting” the news rather than just reading it, a concept very popular in the United States, but relatively unknown to Italian Television until the late 1980s. Mentana, early career Mentana, still very young […]
Montefalco is a stunning town located in the heart of Umbria and offers some interesting attraction for tourists. Its ancient walls, cobbled streets and stone buildings, along with lovely examples of medieval architecture preserved in beautiful churches, are just some of the sights to see and treasure. Just across the Spoleto valley, Montefalco provides some of […]
Nicotera is a small comune and town located in the Calabria region of Italy in the province of Vibo Valentia. The town is spread over an area of 32 sq km and has a population of close to 6700. The origins of the town are connected to the ancient city […]
There are so many things we believe to be Italian that you won’t find in Italy at all. Read on, and learn which ones, among our best known Italian clichés are, in fact, not Italian at all. 1. Caesar Salad The most famous salad served in almost every Italian […]
A bit of history of Livorno Antagonists of immigration and refugees would do well to study 17th and 18th century Italy, for its was during this period that Iberians sought shelter in Italy, and built a harbor that launched the country into the mainstream of maritime commerce. The indigenous population, […]
