Italy Travel

Venice is one of Italy's top cities for visitors, but it's also one that gets a lot of complaints about food. I often hear people say that restaurants are too expensive or touristy or just not good. If you're looking for good food and less-touristy places to eat, consider the Cannaregio sestiere or neighborhood (see Sestiere map). Marc, a Venetian who owns a Cannaregio vacation apartment, suggests dining at 40 Ladroni or Anice Stellato in Fondamenta della Sensa, Alla Vedova close to Ca' d'Oro and the Grand Canal, and Corte del Remer between Campo San Bortolomio and Santi Apostoli.

Read more articles about Eating in Venice

Select Italy is once again offering Divino Tuscany, a luxury four-day wine and food extravaganza to be held in Tuscany and Florence in May, 2012. Florence's luxurious 5-star Grand Hotel Villa Cora, a former private villa that has been returned to its former splendor following a multimillion dollar restoration, will be the main venue. This exclusive program features one-of-a-kind experiences throughout the four days including premium wine tastings hosted by James Suckling, dinner parties in beautiful settings, and a roast pig lunch hosted by Sting and Trudie Styler in their private villa.

Carnival, or carnevale, season is an exciting time of costume parties, parades, masquerade balls and entertainment culminating on Shrove Tuesday, 40 days before Easter (February 21 in 2012). Venice is one of the world's top places to celebrate carnival and its carnevale is the most famous in Italy.

Venice's 2012 Carnival officially opens on February 11 with a big party in Saint Mark's Square, followed on February 12 by the Flight of the Angel, a traditional event in which a costumed figure arrives in the square via a rope, starting from the bell tower. Venice's carnival finale is a giant group kiss at midnight in Saint Mark's Square with entertainment and a beautiful fireworks display over the Venetian lagoon. This year's theme is Life is a theater, everyone in masks.

Venice Carnival:

• Tips for Going to Carnevale in Venice
• Photos of Carnival Costumes in Venice
• Places to Stay in Venice
• Web Cam in Saint Mark's Square

Venice Carnevale Photo © 2009 Betsy Malloy Photography. Used by Permission

Maremma, the southern part of the Tuscany region, is less visited than Tuscany's popular hill towns and attractions but it has a lot to offer, especially if you want to get a little off the beaten path. Here you'll find picturesque villages like Pitigliano (one of my favorites), the rugged coastline of Monte Argentario, Etruscan sites, and wild countryside. It's an interesting area to explore and Maremma Tuscany has put together an excellent online guide to the area, great for planning your trip or enjoying the beautiful photos from the comfort of your home.

Pitigliano photo © by Martha Bakerjian, licensed to About.com

It's rare to have snow in Rome but today the city was covered with snow, causing major transportation problems in the city with many shops and businesses remaining closed. While there was snow in Rome in 2010, this is said to have been Rome's biggest snowfall in more than 25 years and lots of people were out with cameras. Here are places to see photos of Rome with snow:

• Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome
• Piazza Navona snow photo on Flickr
• Snow in the Eternal City on Living in Rome
• Rome in the Snow Photo Gallery on the Sacramento Bee

Snow has fallen in much of Italy and we have links to more photos on our Facebook page, including snow in Cinque Terre, Tuscany, and Milan.

Viareggio, on Italy's Tuscan coast, holds one of Italy's biggest and most popular carnival, or carnevale, celebrations. During carnival season, six parades featuring paper mache' figures on gigantic floats are held on Viareggio's waterfront promenade. Our Photos of Viareggio Carnival Parades has pictures of floats and paper mache' figures as well as details about carnival celebrations in Viareggio.

In 2012, Viareggio's carnival events start February 4 with a fireworks display and February 5 with the first parade. This year's carnival date is February 21, Shrove Tuesday. See carnevale dates through 2020 for upcoming years.

Viareggio carnival photo © by Serena Giovannoni, Wishversilia

Italy is a top romantic destination with many romantic places to go. If you're planning an Italian vacation with romance in mind, take a look at these recommended Romantic Italian Hotels, with suggestions for places to stay from Venice all the way to the heel of the boot.

Villa Mangicane pool photo © James Martin, Europe Travel

Rome City Council approved plans for a Holocaust Museum to be built on the grounds of Villa Torlonia, according to ANSA. The villa, once the residence of Mussolini, is now a museum and the extensive gardens have been turned into a public park. Below the grounds are ancient Jewish catacombs, not usually open to the public, that are believed to be the oldest catacombs in Rome.

Villa Torlonia: Pictures | Visitor Information

Italy has many historic monuments, battlegrounds, and museums related to World War II. If you're interested in visiting a few of them, the book A Travel Guide to World War II Sites in Italy makes a good companion. Available both on Kindle or in paperback, the book has details about visiting many sites with visitor information for each including how to get there, hours, and what to see. The book also has maps and photos taken in Italy during the war.

One of the most popular sites to visit is the reconstructed Abbey of Montecassino, the site of a famous World War II battle. Perched on a mountaintop between Rome and Naples, the Abbey has great views and is very interesting to explore.

The tomb of the ancient Roman Scipio family has been restored and opened to the public on guided visits, according to this article. Although sarcophagi and inscriptions have been moved to the Vatican Museums, visitors can see reproductions as well as tomb niches and frescoes in the tunnels. Guided tours (currently in Italian only) are given on Saturday mornings, see the above article link for details.

The Scipio Tomb is on Via di Porta Sebastiano near Via Appia Antica, the Old Appian Way (see photos), where there are many catacombs, some of which are open to the public. The location of the Scipio Tomb and catacombs are shown on this Appian Way Map. One of the most famous members of the Scipio family was Scipio Africanus, the Roman general who defeated Hannibal in the Second Punic War.