This article originally appeared in the December 2023/January 2024 issue of Dream of Italy. Read about what else is new in 2024 here! The luxury train travel of yesteryear returns full steam ahead in 2024 and the journey is just as special as the destination. The Orient Express’ La Dolce Vita (www.orient-express.com), is an ode to the glamor of 1960s Italy. …
Travel Chat – June 19 – Regent Seven Seas Cruise Excursions, Small Town Puglia, Train Strikes and More
We just wrapped our second Travel Talk LIVE and covered important Italy topics and answered fun vacation questions before handing out some of our best prizes yet. We kicked off the night with Kathy’s Regent Seven Seas cruise updates and all the exciting (tentative) excursions she is planning on taking from Taormina to Turkey. We also covered off the beaten …
A Phoenix Rising (April/May 2023)
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2023 issue of Dream of Italy. Check out the main article here. When a 656-foot section of Genoa’s cable-stayed Morandi bridge collapsed in tragic fashion during a raucous thunderstorm in 2018 – 43 commuters killed, 600 left without housing – an unwelcome spotlight was shown on the city’s aged infrastructure. The far less …
Where to Stay in Genoa (April/May 2023)
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2023 issue of Dream of Italy. Check out the main article here. Genoa isn’t flush with myriad boutique hotels or famous international luxury hotel brands, but the city holds its own with a handful of unique sleeps in refurbished palaces and other historical residences. You’ll likely want to stay in the medieval center, but seaview charms beckon …
Boccadasse Break (April/May 2023)
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2023 issue of Dream of Italy. Check out the main article here. When in Genoa, do as the Genovese do and make a break for the oceanside promenade Corso Italia, lined with stunning Liberty villas, for a sunset passeggiata (stroll). The broad esplanade heads east from Piazzale Kennedy – home to the future …
Darkness and Light: The Two Sides of Genoa (April/May 2023)
This article originally appeared in the April/May 2023 issue of Dream of Italy. It takes mere moments to realize something different this way comes in Genoa. The historic port’s medieval center is shrouded in palpable dimness, its dense streets and caruggi – narrow medieval alleyways typical of Liguria – encapsulated by surrounding buildings that block sunlight from most angles. A square here …
The Small But Essential Pleasures of Italy (October/November 2021)
This article originally appeared in the October/November 2021 issue of Dream of Italy. For me, dreaming of Italy—which is all I have done since my last visit there in October 2019—might not be what you would expect. Yes, there is the sublime cuisine and superb wine, but I write Italian cookbooks and can make dishes at home that remind me of la …
Sweet 16 Places to Stay
This article originally appeared in the December 2018/January 2019 issue of Dream of Italy. See the full Dream of Italy’s: 16th Anniversary Favorites article here. Albergo Diffuso Santo Stefano di Sessanio (Abruzzo) There are few places more beautiful in Italy than Abruzzo’s Gran Sasso National Park. Albergo Diffuso Santo Stefano di Sessanio is located almost entirely within the park and was one of the first of these …
Dream of Italy’s 16th Anniversary Favorites
This article originally appeared in the December 2018/January 2019 issue of Dream of Italy. Join to access the entire issue and 160 others! It is hard to believe that 16 years have flown by since I founded Dream of Italy. Our little publication has covered the boot from top to bottom with more than a thousand pages on every corner of our favorite …
An Ancient Tradition Continues in Rural Liguria (May 2017)
This article originally appeared in the May 2017 issue of Dream of Italy. Updated 2018. Italy travel enthusiasts may occasionally feel there is not a single corner of the country that hasn’t been trod upon, that every strada, corso and piazza; every monument, work of art, and geographical feature; and every city and town of any size has been written about and …