Off the beaten track

Reggio Emilia may lack the showstopper sights of its neighbours, but this pretty, historic town is well worth a visit Poor Reggio Emilia. Though picturesque…

The little-known Benedictine monastery of San Vincenzo al Volturno is located in the region of Molise, in an idyllic position at the foot of the Mainarde…

I’ll never forget my first time walking through Ballarò. The red-domed churches, low-hanging curtains and street art cast an immediate impression on me. And it…

As summer turns into fall, Italy’s harvest season begins. Experiencing it in first person, be it olive picking, grape picking or apple picking, is a wonderful…

Back in 2014, when I first set out to write The Invention of Sicily, I began, naturally, by reading all the history books, novels, newspapers, and travel…

[Photo: The view towards San Francesco della Vigna, one of our chosen secret spots in Venice, from the Campanile di San Marco.] Our series on little-known…

With the latest heat wave, dubbed Lucipher, sweeping across Italy, and temperatures easily reaching 40°C in cities, you may want to look for some respite from…

Perhaps few symbols have crossed different places, eras, and cultures as the labyrinth has.  If the labyrinth had a mostly mystical meaning in the classical…

Everybody knows Pompeii, and yes, if you’re in the southern Italian region of Campania, it would be hard not to go see it, but be aware that Campania has many…

Italophiles and travel enthusiasts Dawn Cavanagh and Michael Hobbs founded the luxury fractional ownership company Appassionata in 2007, which offers fellow…