The following companies have made this issue of Dream of Italy possible: Casale Sonnino – 18th century villa just outside Rome Chiantionline – olive oil from the heart of Tuscany DaVinci Capers – learn to think like Leonardo while visiting Tuscany Italian Vacation Villas – renting quality villas, farmhouses, and apartments in Italy Kublai – this Italy-based travel agency can …
Four Hot List Hotels in Italy
Conde Nast Traveller (British edition, thus the spelling) is out with their 2006 “Hot List” of where to stay worldwide. Four Italian hotels made the cut: Byblos Art Hotel Villa Amista (Verona) – The hotel is likened to “a museum of modern furniture.” Hotel Caruso Ravello (Amalfi Coast) – It reopened last June after a major refurbishment by its new …
So You Want to be a Travel Writer?
It is definitely not as glamorous as it sounds, but it is the most satisying job I can imagine. Italy inspired me to become a travel journalist and to start a travel newsletter. Seeking similar inspiration? What better place to learn about travel writing than in Italy. If you’re in Rome on May 18th, stop by American novelist Linda Lappin’s …
Get Your Dose of Italian Television
Come on, we know you are secretly fascinated with Italy’s trashy television shows. You say you’re not…but as soon as you get back to the U.S. you feel like American television is just so, uhm, prim and proper in comparison! Well then does my friend Joe have a Web site for you. He took a break from intensely monitoring the …
Italian Election Drama
The Italians love a good drama and they have one on their hands today. Officials say Romano Prodi has unseated Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Italy’s closest election ever. According to Bloomberg News, “Prodi, 66, and his allies won 158 seats in the Senate to 156 for Berlusconi’s coalition after gaining four of the six seats set aside for Italians …
Is Vanity Fair Being Fair?
A travel article in the May 2006 issue of Vanity Fair really has me a bit annoyed today. But am I overreacting? Would love reader feedback on this one. Victoria Mather’s “The V.I.P Tour” promises to reveal incredible private guides in cities around the world. I couldn’t wait to read who she chose in Italy. Just because I didn’t know …
Berlusconi Takes Mama to the Polls
It’s election time in Italia. Sunday marked day one of a two-day election that could oust plastic surgery afficianado/uber-businessman/Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from the highest office in the land. When so much is at stake, it is time to bring out the big guns. And as any Italian man will tell you — the biggest gun of them all is …
Save $ with Alitalia E-Coupon!
In celebration of its first million tickets sold online, Alitalia is offering a $15 e-coupon for tickets purchased online between April 7 and April 18, 2006 for travel between May 2 and May 28, 2006. The following instructions are from Alitaliausa.com: To obtain your discount, simply insert code 1000000us in the “promo code” field of the “Ticket Details” page and …
Tuscan Hideaway: La Pietra, near Cortona
In honor of our March issue, a special report on Tuscan hideaways, we asked friends of Dream of Italy to tell us about their favorite spots in Tuscany. Alice and Martin of Italian Vacation Villas recommend: La Pietra is a spectacular estate in the hills above Cortona. A stone farmhouse from the 1600’s, it is nestled among acres of well-tended …
Continental and Alitalia Announce Codeshare
This may be of most interest to travel agents, but anyone who is planning to travel to Italy using Continental and/or Alitalia airlines should know about their new codeshare agreement. Codesharing improves airline service by simplifying the booking process with electronic ticketing and communication of itinerary information between airlines. Customers traveling on connecting Continental/Alitalia itineraries are able to have single …