The February 2013 issue of Dream of Italy – a special report on the best local tour guides in central and southern Italy – is hot off the presses. If you’re NOT a subscriber, subscribe today to instantly access the PDF version of this issue, our previous issue on best tour guides in northern Italy and nearly 100 back issues of our award-winning print newsletter. …
Fun Facts About Molise, Italy’s Undiscovered Region
Much of our September issue was devoted to a region we have never convered before – Molise. (As we hit our 10th anniversary, I can now say we’ve covered all 20 Italian regions!) Molise broke off from Abruzzo in 1963 and became Italy’s newest region in 1970. Located approximately 100 miles southeast of Rome and 56 miles northeast of Naples, Molise …
George Clooney Returns to Abruzzo
Part-time Italy resident, George Clooney, returned to Abruzzo last week to reshoot a few select scenes from his new movie, The American. The film, based on Martin Booths novel, A Very Private Gentleman, is scheduled hit theaters this September (October in Italy). Clooney plays Jack, a contract killer who retreats to a charming Italian town after a particularly taxing job …
Some Thoughts on the L’Aquila Italy Earthquake
I was saddened to see the news late last night and this morning of the devestating earthquake centered around L’Aquila. I had the pleasure of an extensive visit to the Abruzzo region two years ago this month – a very beautiful and mountainous place. Italy has far more seismic activity than most people realize. In fact, you can take a …
Find Religion…in Abruzzo
Abruzzo has so many facets and one of them is that is an incredible place for seeing religious relics. Here’s an excerpt from our special report: The town of Lanciano is home to the first Eucharistic miracle recorded by the Catholic Church. During an 8th century mass, after the consecration, the host was turned into human flesh and the wine …
You Say Abruzzi, I Say Abruzzo
So which is it? I’m working on a special report on Abruzzo – Italy’s mountainous region bordering the Adriatic. Yet so many people call it Abruzzi. Why? In the Middle Ages the region was called Abruzzo, from the Latin Aprutium. Later, the region was divided into three areas, Abruzzo Citeriore, Abruzzo Ulteriore I and Abruzzo Ulteriore II. So if you’ve …
Ciao d’Abruzzo
Your friendly editor has been out of touch as she has been touring the region of Abruzzo as part of a special symposium for American tour operators, travel agents and journalists. An exhausting but rewarding experience. I took this photo from the fortress in the town of Civitella on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. More details as I have time to …