Updated 2019. A few years back, our friend photographer Brad Mikel wrote an awesome piece (available to all paid subscribers) on how to photograph Italy. He admitted he’s partial to one spot in Tuscany: OK, time to reveal one of my “secret” locations whenever I’m in Tuscany. It’s not really all that hard to find, but I had to search for …
Tourism in Italy by the Numbers
Recently, I’ve been looking at the number of people who visit Italy each year and how much they add to the Italian economy and the numbers are simply staggering. Consider first of all that 46.1 million people from all over the world visit Italy each year! Then consider that both Italian tourists and foreigners generated 73 billion euros (that’s $100 …
Gourmet Shopping Tour in Rome
Romans take their food shopping seriously. Gathering staples and ingredients for the coming days is more of a time-honored ritual of visiting small proprietors than a taxing series of errands. Experience this for yourself on the Rome Gourmet Walking Tour.
Vineyards of the Valpolicella
There's a valley that lies to the north of the city of Verona, separated from the shores of Lake Garda by a mountain. Called the Valpolicella, the name of this area is thought to derive from a Latin and Greek mixture of "valley of the cellars." Wine cellars, that is.
Italian Food Rule: Italians Don’t Snack, They Eat Nutella
Italians stay thin (at least, in the near past), because they follow two of the Italian Food Rules: 1) No eating while walking; and 2) No snacking. But then there is Nutella.
Italian Food Rule: Baccalà Binds and Divides Italy
In the U.S. you can count on finding a burger at every truck stop, small town or major city. In the U.K. the same could be said about fish and chips. In Italy, it's baccalà (salt cod).
Italian Food Rule: For Pizza, One Size Fits All in Italy
Italians are not inclined to share food from plate to plate, meaning they don't take tastes, bites, or portions off each other's pasta alle vongole or veal chops. Therefore, there is no practice of ordering an extra-large pizza for four people to share. Even two people don't share a pizza.
Italian Food Rules: Pizza, Baccalà and Nutella
In Italy they love making rules . . . and they obey very few . . . except when it comes to food. The Italian Food Rules may as well be carved in marble. They will not change and you violate them at your peril.
March 2014 – Valpolicella Vineyards, Rome Food Tour, Italian Food Rules
Surely, you know that Italians are particular about their food – how they prepare, how they eat it, even how they talk about it. You’ll have fun reading about three of the definitive Italian Food Rules. Valpolicella is one of Italy’s great wine areas and little-known to foreigners, we give you a game plan for exploring the home of Amarone. And off to Rome for a gourmet shopping tour that takes you to some of the city’s culinary institutions. (8 pages)
What’s New in Florence in 2014
This is an excerpt from the February 2014 issue of Dream of Italy: New Modern Museum: Florence, home to more than 80 museums, is gaining another one at the end of April. Museo del Novecento (Museum of the 20th Century) will open in a former Leopoldine convent in Piazza Santa Maria Novella. The city’s 2,300 works of contemporary art, which …