I just finished reading A Thousand Days in Tuscany, Marlena De Blasi's sequel to her romantic book A Thousand Days in Venice (compare prices). A Thousand Days in Tuscany beautifully ... Read More

The Torino Winter Olympics finished with a spectacular fireworks display at the end of the closing ceremony. James Martin has some great pictures of the fireworks taken across the street ... Read More

Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean. Sicily has a lot to offer the traveler with its beaches, mountains, an active volcano, and centuries of history and tradition. Travelers ... Read More

Because it's carnival (carnevale or mardi gras) season, tomorrow night's closing ceremonies for the winter olympics will feature a carnival theme. Some of the costumes being used are from an ... Read More

James Martin of Europe for Visitors has been in Turin since early February covering the Winter Olympics. Besides taking pictures of Torino, writing blogs about the Olympics, and shooting photos ... Read More

If you're at the Torino Winter Olympics and wondering what to do when they get over, why not head to Ivrea for an unusual Carnevale celebration. The town of Ivrea, ... Read More

Michael San Filippo, the Italian Language guide, sent me information about a private tour of the Vatican to pass along to my readers. Tours are scheduled for March 27 and ... Read More

James Martin of Europe for Visitors is our travel correspondent at the Torino Winter Olympics. Besides commenting on the Olympic games, he has had some time to walk around the ... Read More

Carnival festivals, Carnevale in Italian, started last weekend in Venice with a gondola and boat parade in the Grand canal and an angel descending from St. Mark's bell tower. Celebrations ... Read More

During the Torino Winter Olympics police force coverage is high and very visible all over Turin. According to the Torino 2006 Olympic blog, police were spotted patroling the train station ... Read More

The Olympics are halfway over. According to James Martin, About's Olympic correspondent, the city of Turin and the Piedmont region have done a great job organizing and pulling off the ... Read More

Venice is one of Italy's most beautiful and romantic cities, built on the water in a lagoon. Venice has many magnificent churches and palaces, lively squares, and interesting shops. It ... Read More

Piazza Castello, in the center of Torino, serves as one of the stages for the awarding of the Olympic medals duirng the Torino Winter Olympics. This blends Italian tradition nicely ... Read More

It's Friday the 17th, a bad-luck day in Italy like Friday the 13th in the United States. The number 17 is also considered somewhat unlucky on its own. For example, ... Read More

If you're at the Torino Winter Olympics or planning to travel to Turin, you may be looking for some restaurant recommendations. A reader who lives in Turin, Giorgio Pogliano, has ... Read More

I've just finished reading a wonderful book about Sicily, The Stone Boudoir: Travels through the Hidden Villages of Sicily. (compare prices). Theresa Maggio takes the reader on a fascinating trip through ... Read More

If you've been watching the Winter Olympics, you may be interested in finding out more about Turin (Torino in Italian). Turin, the largest city in Italy's Piemonte Region, has a ... Read More

Although St. Valentine was originally from Rome and Italy has a history of famous lovers such as Romeo and Juliette, there is not much celebration of Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day ... Read More

A reader from Italy sent me a link to Run the Planet, a web site about running around the world. The site lists some especially good places to run in ... Read More

Carnival, Carnevale in Italian, is a big winter festival 40 days before Easter, a last fling before the restictions that come with Lent. Although the 2006 date of carnival is ... Read More

After 62 days and over 10,000 kilometres, the Olympic Flame has reached its final destination of Turin, Italy. Tonight is the big night for the opening ceremony of the 2006 ... Read More

Naples, Napoli in Italian, is the third most-populated city in Italy and is just a couple hours south of Rome. Naples' close proximity to many interesting sites, such as Pompeii ... Read More

Traveling by train is a great way to visit Italy. Trains are fairly inexpensive while gas prices in Italy are high. Travel in big cities with a car is difficult ... Read More

If you're planning on traveling to Italy or just dreaming of Italian travels, looking at photographs is a good place to start. You might discover a new place you'd like ... Read More

February 5 is St. Agatha's Feast Day. St. Agatha, a martyr who died in 252 at age 15, is the patron saint of Catania, Sicily, and they hold an exciting ... Read More

One week from today, on February 10, the 2006 Winter Olympics will open in Turin, Italy. Final rehersals are underway for the opening ceremony to be held in the new ... Read More

I recently received a copy of the book, Italy: Instructions for Use. This looks like an excellent companion book for first time travelers to Italy and even for more experienced ... Read More

Just in time for Carnevale in Venice, the prices of travel on the water bus, vaporetto, went up on February 1. New fares are two euros for a shuttle journey ... Read More