Di Gennaio/In January: A Poem in Italian and English

This article originally appeared in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of Dream of Italy. A poem by the 14th century Italian poet, Folgòre da San Gimignano, pseudonym of Giacomo di Michele (c. 1270-1332). Di Gennaio di Folgòre da San Gimignano I’ doto voi, nel mese de gennaio, corte con fochi di salette accese, camer’ e letta d’ogni bello arnese, lenzuol’ de …

12 Tips For Moving to Italy From Our Americans Moving to Abruzzo TV Episode

Lexy Lux and her husband, Craig Sutter, retired full-time in Italy in December 2021 and bought a house in Civitella Messer Raimondo in the Chieti province of Abruzzo. Originally from Oklahoma, they now live at the base of the Maiella Mountains in Italy and about 40 minutes from the Adriatic. They were inspired by our Season 2 episode on Abruzzo …

Dream of Italy Season 3 Now Premiering on PBS Stations, PBS App

My friends, my friends! Some 16 months in the making, Season 3 of Dream of Italy is now here! As you know, in the U.S. you can find it airing (and repeating) on PBS stations, PBS.org and the PBS app. If you live outside the U.S., have no fear the episodes will be up on YouTube in June 2024. I …

Dream Day in Italy: Pizza Pilgrimage to Pepe in Grani as Featured in Season 3

This article originally appeared in the August/September 2022 of Dream of Italy. This is also a featured “dream day” in Kathy McCabe’s new book, Dream Days in Italy: 30 Adventures Around the Italian Boot.  There is pizza. There is Neapolitan pizza. And then there is the pizza made by Franco Pepe in his small hometown of Caiazzo in the province …

Get Your Season 3 Italian Food Box to Eat While You Watch!

I’ve always wanted to bring you a more interactive TV experience – and now I can – thanks to my friends at Dalla Fonte! Introducing the Dream of Italy Season 3 Tavola Box and the Dream of Italy Season 3 Tavola + Vino Box so you can taste Italy along with watching it! The items are inspired by my travels through Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Abruzzo …

Catania’s Spectacular Christmas Village

Christmas is coming to Catania December 8th. The city’s fairgrounds transform into a Christmas village complete with a Christmas Disco, a cinema playing Christmas movies, bands, parades twice a day and meet-and-greets with beloved characters from children’s films. The Christmas Village will be Southern Italy’s largest, covering about two and a half acres of land.  Kids can take a ride …

Room with Michelangelo’s Secret Drawings Opens to the Public

Under the Medici Chapels in the Bargello Museum in Florence, a secret room held a secret set of drawings on its walls believed to belong to Michelangelo Buonarroti, an artist who needs no introduction. The drawings in the room, which was accessible through a trap door, remained hidden and unbeknownst to even members of the museum staff until plans to renovate the …

Italian Cave System Joins the UNESCO World Heritage List

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 …