Italy’s Val Gardena is a spectacular choice for a vacation in the snow. When it comes to skiing, hiking and exploring nature, it is unparalleled. Nestled in the UNESCO-protected Dolomite mountains, it’s one of the most famous places in Italy and Europe as a winter resort. This lovely alpine valley is the perfect place to get moving in the snow or r...

Once upon a time, in the heart of Campania, perched on a gentle hill, there was a small village called Valogno. A place abandoned by everyone, with no crowded places, no supermarkets, no skyscrapers or gyms. It had only a few inhabitants, older people, who lived on simplicity and ancient traditions. No one came through here, and everyone sought the...

Imagine the excitement of living in Lombardy at the end of the 1960s: a region in full expansion, full of work and opportunities, where petit-bourgeois families were beginning to discover the little luxuries linked to well-being, such as Sunday trips out of town. Huge amusement parks began to spring up in the lake district following the American mo...

“Not only sea, sun and grattatella“, would answer any Sicilian to the question “Christmas in Sicily, really??”. Yes, because, in any season, Sicily offers enchanting views, suggestive places and atmospheres, moments to remember and unique dishes to taste. Yes, really, even at Christmas! The tradition of Christmas here is very strong and you can imm...

The charming hamlet of Asolo, in the province of Treviso, Italy, is only about 50 miles from Venice by car. You might ask why would anyone choose to leave Venice, one of the most alluring tourist destinations in the world, and head to Asolo? Here’s why: An ancient hill town awaits discovery Although there is only one Venice, this tiny medieval town...

When Italy’s Sulmona-Carpinone train opened for service in 1897, it was hailed as an engineering masterpiece for its ability to navigate steep slopes across the Abruzzo region. The 73-mile route remains the second highest in the country—it climbs up to 4,160 feet in the Maiella mountains and traverses areas still without roads today. With the rise...

If you’d told me four years ago that I’d be coming to Rome’s defence, I would have told you: Ma va’. Yeah right, get out of town. And I would have said I’d be long gone myself. And yet, as the latest InterNations survey of expats around the world puts Rome in last place for city life and work, here I am not only still living here but saying out lou...

The Uffizi in Florence might be one of the most famous art museums in the world and at the top of the must-hit list for any tourist in town, but, for children, going can be a drag. After all, what kid enjoys looking at hundreds of works of centuries-old art which have little meaning in their tech-dependent lives? Enter UffiziKids, a new initiative...

I am terrible at foreign languages. Despite having traveled around Europe four months a year since I was a kid, I can barely put a sentence together anywhere east or south of England. But with some creative communication, I manage just well enough to write guidebooks, produce TV shows, and enjoy Europe on vacation. And nowhere do I have more fun co...

It's no secret that the whole of Italy was hit hard by COVID-19. Between March 2020 and May 2021, travelers were kept out of the country while it went into lockdown. Since Americans and other travelers have been returning to the country, rest assured that Italy — and from my experience, especially Tuscany — is still as beautiful and bucolic as it...