Eat your way through Italy
Christmas in Italy is magic! From the North to the South, big cities and small villages are decorated with lights and nativity scenes. I love visiting Christmas markets in search of local delicacies, artisan gifts and festive atmosphere. Many of the markets are unashamedly commercial, however, there are plenty of them that stay faithful to ...
Hello from Cogne in Aosta Valley! It is the season of cows parades in Valle D’Aosta, and I came to Cogne to see one of them. The small village is nestled between the formidable mountains in a beautiful Alpine valley, in the Gran Paradiso National Park. Old traditions are strong here and every year the locals celebrate ...
Forests cover almost 35% of Italy and the number is growing steadily although there are concerns that many of the forests are not managed and might deteriorate with time. I have written already about ancient patriarch trees in Italy and where to find them. Today I want to share a list of my favourite oldest ...
While flicking through my Italian photo archives the other day I found these wonderful photos that my American friend Linda sent me. She was visiting a small mountain village of Scanno in Abruzzo last summer and came across two local women wearing traditional clothes. Scanno is one of very few places in Italy where you can snap pictures like that, as older women ...
Surrounded by the dramatic mountains of the Pollino National park, San Lorenzo Bellizzi is a charming small village in Northern Calabria with 700 inhabitants. There is a small bar, pizzeria, lovely bakery and even an art gallery run by a local artist in the village. Sanlorenzani, as the residents are called, are a friendly folk ...
“Buon Carnevale!”, I heard everywhere in the two days that I stayed in Ivrea, Piedmont. The Carnival's main event, the Battle of the Oranges, is known outside of Italy as one of the largest food fights in the country and one of the most peculiar events in Europe. However, as I discovered during my stay, there is ...
Since moving to Italy I have come to love Rome in winter. As spring is scattering blossoms and birds are chirping and cheeping to announce its arrival, the Eternal City is slowly taken over by hordes of curious and loud tourists. While in winter it feels closer to my heart, somehow old-fashioned and almost cosy. A while ago, ...
Florence is a great destination not only for art and architecture lovers. Hiking near Florence is fantastic as there are also many great nature walks around the city. The province of Florence has just launched a new website with detailed descriptions of 60 itineraries in 15 protected areas. The walks are listed in different categories: on foot, on horseback, on ...