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Italy is a fabulous destination year round, although fewer travelers take advantage of all the country has to offer in winter. Besides the off-season attractions of its major cities like Rome, Venice and Florence, Italy has wonderful skiing villages, mountain and country retreats and balmy southern towns to enjoy at reduced prices and without the c...

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Apart from Rome, another Italian city was chosen as the set of one of the lastest books by Dan Brown. I am talking about Florence, the pearl of the Renaissance, birthplace of many artists and capital of the former Kingdom of Italy for a couple of years. For one day, you can play the part of Robert Langdon discovering the incredible number of beauti...

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The Gulf of Naples is rightly regarded as one of the world's most beguiling destinations: the vast, boisterous city, curled around the base of the dozing volcano, Vesuvius, peppered with the deep green of lemon trees and cooled by the glistening Tyrrhenian Sea. It could be a metaphor for modern Italy. Heartbreakingly beautiful, at times chaotic and...

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Turin is home to a superlative piece of furniture – which critics even dare say is “the most beautiful in the world”: a secrétaire-cabinet decorated with mythological scenes (including a wedding celebrated in the presence of Apollo Citharoedus, cherubs working in a smithy, and a languid sleeping Diana). The spectacular unit is a masterpiece of Roco...

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“In 1581, the Gallery of Maps was inaugurated under pope Gregory XIII Boncompagni, born in Bologna. He was a cultured and strict Pope during the Counter-Reformation, and he loved the Church, science, arts and Italy equally. He was the Pope who implemented the calendar reform we still associate with his name today.” Following this introduction, in a...

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We are in that time of the year again. The summer is over, we’re all going back to our daily routines and embracing the comforting colors and sound of the fall, yet, it’s hard not to think about another holiday, a city break somewhere beautiful and rich in history and art. This is why every September Trip Advisor selects five European locations tip...

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It’s well-known that Italians are passionate about coffee; the way it’s prepared though (in addition to the cost of a cup of coffee, much cheaper in the south) changes from region to region, or even from city to city. The main differences are, as in many other aspects of Italian life, between the north and the south. In the south, coffee is preferr...

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When it comes to basking in the beauty of the Italian Riviera, the Cinque Terre is tops for me. But there’s much more to this region on the Mediterranean coast than those famous five villages. A handful of charming towns lie within an hour of the Cinque Terre, with posh ports set against rugged mountain backdrops that have drawn poets, authors, and...

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There are no hotels, but islanders open up their simple, gaily painted homes to those seeking relaxed rhythms. No banks either, but there's not a lot money can buy here. The sole souvenir shop has a few knickknacks. Costs are modest for meals made from local ingredients — lentils, eggplant, peppers perhaps, plus the catch of the day from the emeral...

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Catania is one of the most picturesque cities in Sicily, its landscape is dominated by the volcanic giant of the Mount Etna volcano which gives the city its suggestive lava rock palate.  Sicily’s second-biggest regional capital is a vital part of the transport network in the Mediterranean, a major port of call for export and an international airpor...

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