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TUCKED AWAY IN A NARROW valley, Gandino is a small mountain village that flourished in the 14th century thanks to the textile industry, which remains the main source of income for a good part of the inhabitants. The fame and wealth that the villagers acquired during the Middle Ages have left their mark in the form of palatial buildings and sumptuou...

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I love travelling. I love to ski too. So perhaps it’s no wonder I collect foreign words for snow. Gatsch is a good one. It’s the Austrian word for wet, sludgy mud, but it’s used for slush as well, and it sounds exactly like the hiss of exasperation that catches in your throat when you try to ski it. Even better is snosmocka. That’s how the Swedes d...

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The stunning capital of Tuscany, Florence, is one of the most beautiful cities in the entirety of Italy. A bold statement, I know. But, considering that it’s the birthplace of the Renaissance movement, that’s a hard statement to contest.  Home to majestic architecture, lively squares, rich culture, history, and some of the best Italian food – it’s...

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Perched atop a cliff in the Italian Ligurian Riviera, gazing out onto the steady rolling swell of the Mediterranean Sea, Castello Canevaro stands guard over the sleepy town of Zoagli. Today, it operates as a boutique hotel, but this castle enjoys a storied history. Its modern name derives from its owner, Giuseppe Canevaro, who purchased the castle...

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The Abbey of Santa Cecilia della Croara in San Lazzaro di Savena is a place of peace and beauty with timeless charm. This ancient Benedictine monastery rises in the heart of a region already rich in UNESCO World Heritage sites. A little off the radar but still easily accessible, it is worth taking a diversion to find it amidst the gentle Bolognese...

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No sooner than Santa Claus leaves, another mythical character arrives. The glow of the holidays fades into the gloom of January, with at least a three-month visit from Old Man Winter. But if sticking around and dealing with snow, ice, and wind chill factors doesn’t seem so cool, there are other places where winter actually can be enjoyable. Especia...

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Rome is an incredible, ancient city that continues to captivate and inspire countless generations of travelers and adventurers. There’s an almost endless list of things to see, do, taste, and hear in the vibrant Italian capital. The Eternal City is one of my favorite cities in the world, and it will blow your mind. In this post, I’ve described 25 o...

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Attending agricultural trade shows comes with the territory for those of us who write about and photograph crop production. I’ve attended dozens through the years, but until the International Fruit Tree Association’s recent tour of Northern Italy, I had never been accompanied by growers. Sure, I’d often see grower-friends at shows, and would spend...

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Wedding tourism is booming in Italy with over 11,000 overseas couples tying the knot in the Bel Paese last year, according to the Destination Weddings in Italy Observatory, complied by the Centro Studi Turistici tourist study centre. Tuscany was confirmed as favourite foreign wedding destination with 21% of the total followed by Lombardy, Campania,...

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One crisp winter day in 2004, Uran Pelushi was walking along the banks of the Vivo, a creek in the Seggiano Valley in southern Tuscany. Unexpectedly, he noticed an object jutting from the leaf-covered earth. At first, it resembled one of the many charcoal-colored tuff rocks that cover the ground in the area. But as he cleared away the weeds around...

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