A system of 900 caves in the Northern Apennines area of Italy made the 2023 UNESCO World Heritage List. This natural “serial property” includes about 62 miles of caves, including some of the deepest gypsum caves in the world at about 870 feet below the surface. While the inscription into the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List is new, knowledge of …
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2023 issue of Dream of Italy as a part of Milan: Misunderstood by Design. Obviously, Milan accommodations run the gamut, from luxury 5-star hotels to design-forward guesthouses, B&Bs and hostels. Some of the city’s most unique offerings have been transformed from former factories and industrial complexes. Magna Pars Via Vincenzo Forcella 6 (39 …
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2023 issue of Dream of Italy as a part of Milan: Misunderstood by Design. It’s not only Milan that does things differently; with the 2026 Winter Olympic Games on the horizon in Lombardia, Livigno, 128 miles northeast of the city, will be anxious to show off its distinctiveness as well. Often heralded as Italy’s “Little Tibet” …
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2023 issue of Dream of Italy. Milan often comes across as a confounding destination both within Italy and out. Much like Los Angeles, it draws fierce opposition from those who do not call it home, all the while being showered with adoration by those that do. Truth be told, Milan is everything Italy is but also …
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2023 issue of Dream of Italy. As many of us know once you get status with a reward program it can really impact your travel choices. Somehow with some non-Italy travel and longer than usual stay at a Residence Inn when I moved back to Denver, I achieved lauded “ambassador” status within the Marriott Bonvoy …
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2023 issue of Dream of Italy. Atop the tallest spire of Milan’s famous Duomo Cathedral sits a gold Madonnina—a little Virgin Mary—holding a lightning rod disguised as a halberd in her hand. Since her creation in 1774, she has become the symbol of the city. The phrase “all’ombra della Madonnina” means “in the shadows of …
This article originally appeared in the August/September 2023 issue of Dream of Italy. For an unexpected adventure in Puglia, an area loved by sun-worshiping beachgoers, look deeper. About 200 feet deeper, to be exact. Half an hour’s drive from the azure waters of Polignano a Mare, the Grotte di Castellana look more like another planet than Puglia. The 100-million-year-old karst cave system …
Milan Misunderstood by Design The fashion capital of Italy (and therefore the world?) is also home to goliaths of Italian business. Milan is not a city overflowing with Roman ruins and ancient buildings or Renaissance architecture around every corner. Milan is new and thriving and only getting better. To have your finger on the pulse of this city is to …
Fifty years after closing to the public, the Domus Tiberiana reopens on Rome’s Palatine Hill. The imposing structure sits above the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, inside the city’s Parco Arcaeologico del Colosseo. A new path brings visitors through the impressive structure where the palace’s arches frame stunning views of the ancient site below. A holographic reconstruction of the house …
Venice authorities revealed they will begin charging visitors to the city 5€ (around 5.40 USD) to enter for a day trip starting in 2024. The fee will be applied to 30 days over the calendar year, mostly on busy days during holiday weekends, Carnevale time and other days with peak tourist predictions. The specific dates are yet to be determined, …
