New App: Italian Menu Decoder

If you’re traveling to Italy soon or just really devoted to Italian food, there’s a new app that might be right up your alley — the Italian Menu Decoder. Travel writer Dana Facaros (who has contributed to Dream of Italy) started a list of bizarre and regional food names while she was writing the Cadogan guides (along with partner Michael Pauls) …

Christmas Around Italy In Photos: From Bolzano to Puglia

My latest contribution for travel section of The Huffington Post is a slideshow on Christmas in Italy. Click on the photo below to start your journey through age-old holiday traditions in Rome, Milan, Turin, Alto-Aldige, Umbria, Puglia and more…. Learn more in our FREE 35-page Christmas in Italy Guide — filled with Italian Christmas and New Year’s traditions, Italy holiday travel …

Special Offer: Join the Alta Cucina Epicurean Society

Have a special culinary experience and become a member of Alta Cucina Society. Alta Cucina is an epicurean society for those who want to explore, share, and celebrate premium Italian cuisine and wines. As a member you will receive invitation to exclusive dinners, free tastings and discounts on products and cooking classes. Alta Cucina membership is $45 annually, but as …

Dream of Italy Leads Readers to The Butcher of Panzano

I love hearing feedback from subscribers when they use our articles to help them with their travels in Italy. We first wrote about “the Butcher of Panzano” Dario Cecchini in 2004 when he was becoming famous the world over as a Renaissance man with absolutely his lucious cuts of meat and a store worth a special pilgrimage. Earlier this year, …

Venice’s San Pellegrino Cooking Cup

This Saturday, June 26, the annual San Pellegrino Cooking Cup will take place in Venice Italy. The event combines a competitive regatta with a prestigious cooking competition. The race sets sail at 12:30 p.m. from this Ventian island of Lido. Sixty star chefs and their crews from all over the world compete in this original contest. The goal is to …

Get Your Pasta on in Bologna Next Week

Next week, the city of Bologna will turn into a pasta lover’s paradise as it hosts the first-ever major pasta fair, Pasta Trend. Pasta Trend celebrates all things pasta and presents a variety of exhibits and workshops for manufacturers and consumers. The event will be held from April 24 through 27 at the BolognaFiere exhibition center. The making of pasta, …