This week we've been traveling in the Puglia region of southern Italy, also known as the heel of the boot. Vineyards and olive groves are awash with wildflowers and red ... Read More

May 1 is an Italian holiday so if you're vacationing in Italy you'll find banks and many stores closed but you may come across spring and flower festivals, concerts, parades, ... Read More

San Gimignano, known as the City of Beautiful Towers for its 14 surviving medieval towers, is one of the must-see hill towns in Tuscany. I visited San Gimignano last week ... Read More

Villa Mangiacane, a 15th century Renaissance villa built by the Machiavelli family, has been beautifully restored to house 26 luxurious rooms and suites, each unique, in two buildings. Restoration work ... Read More

The 2009 Mediterranean Games will be held on Italy's east coast in Pescara (see Abruzzo map) starting June 26. What are the Mediterranean Games? They're kind of like the Olympics ... Read More

For Italians old enough to remember WWII, liberation day is still a very important event. April 25, Liberation Day, is a national holiday in Italy marked by ceremonies, historic re-enactments, ... Read More

Looking for something beyond the usual tourist tour? Context Travel offers in-depth intellectual walking tours of Florence led by scholars. Choose your area of interest from art, architecture, or history ... Read More

It's artichoke season in Italy and this year I've had fantastic artichokes. I've bought them at the local market to prepare at home and I've eaten them in restaurants served ... Read More

Lucca, one of the top places to visit in Tuscany, is one of my favorites and one of the few towns that's flat, not a hill town. Lucca's walls surrounding ... Read More

April 25, Liberation Day, is a national holiday in Italy celebrating the anniversary of Italy's liberation in WW II. In Venice it's also the day of another important festival - ... Read More

Travelers to Italy often like to carry home wine or good olive oil but with restrictions on liquids in carry-on luggage it's difficult. Putting liquids in your suitcase unprotected is ... Read More

April 21 commemorates the date of Rome's founding in 753BC and Rome holds festivals, concerts, and special events to celebrate its birthday. There's usually a spectacular fireworks display by the ... Read More

Rome, Florence, and Venice are Italy's most visited cities. Vote for your favorite top Italy travel city. If you'd like to add a line about why it's your favorite, use ... Read More

Pienza is a pretty Renaissance town in the Orcia Valley of southern Tuscany, designed in the 15th century to be the ideal town. Pienza is noted for the Piccolomini Palace, ... Read More

Val Camonica, in northern Italy, has the largest collection of prehistoric rock carvings in Europe and in 1979 was the first site in Italy to earn UNESCO World Heritage Site ... Read More

Religious processions, often recreating the Via Crucis or Stations of the Cross, are held by many Italian churches on Venerdi Santo or Good Friday. In Rome the Pope celebrates the ... Read More

If you're taking a cruise that starts or ends in Rome, your cruise ship will dock in the port town of Civitavecchia, about 50 miles northwest of Rome. I often ... Read More

Monday morning's devastating earthquake in central Italy's Abruzzo region was the deadliest since a 1980 quake in southern Italy. Buildings that have stood for hundreds of years in the medieval ... Read More

Villa Marsili Hotel (book direct) in the Tuscan town of Cortona was chosen as the third most luxurious hotel in the world and second in Europe in Tripadvisor's Travelers’ Choice ... Read More

Yesterday there were several stalls at the outdoor market selling woven palm fronds decorated with bows for Palm Sunday, when they're taken to church to be blessed before being used ... Read More

Looking for a place to stay that doesn't cost much, where you can get away from the tourist crowds and enjoy beautiful beaches? The inexpensive Bed and Breakfast Scala dei ... Read More

The Italian Riviera is a popular travel destination year round because of its relatively mild climate and spring is a great time for a visit, before the heavy tourist season. ... Read More