The Curious Traveler

My first ever trip abroad was to Italy in the 1960s. I have just experienced a return to that magical time before mass tourism, looking at sights again as if I…

A corner of wild Sicily has been selected by CNN as one of the world’s top 20 best places for swimming.  Located between Avola, Noto and Syracuse, in south-…

Today, the town of Ravenna is one of Emilia-Romagna’s most important economic and industrial centers. Its thriving port serves the chemical, gas, and shipping…

Many destinations in Italy are trying to lure visitors with special initiatives this summer in an attempt to help the local economy recover from the setback…

Halfway between Riomaggiore and Portovenere, in the Cinque Terre National Park, is the ancient village of Monesteroli, reachable only by a likewise ancient…

Valloria, near Imperia in western Liguria, has become known as ‘the village with painted doors’. Its center features more than 150 hand-decorated doors, each…

You may be familiar with the photo of a submerged church steeple arising in the middle of a blue alpine lake. It looks very picturesque, but the story behind…

Lake Como is a popular Italian destination, especially with foreign tourists, and rightly so: picturesque little lakeside towns, luxurious villas, magnificent…

Gorizia is not your typical Italian experience, but that’s what makes it so special Few foreigners have heard of Gorizia, a city of around 35,000 inhabitants…

On a recent Saturday afternoon, I went on a guided walk of Florence. I saw all of the city’s famous sights, starting at the panoramic viewpoint of Piazzale…