Nearly every street, narrow alleyway or main thoroughfare in Rome, this city of the classics, offers delights for the palette, the intellect, or both. Over the years, I’ve written notes about Rome in my travel journal: places I did not want to forget, little surprising cafes or trattorias to eat in, a piece of art [...]
I remember my first encounter with Bergamo. After several days in Stresa, on Lago Maggiore north of Milan, I headed east on the autostrada on a late Spring afternoon. The periphery of the old city called the Città Alta, Upper City, is a very industrial area. The main east to west autostrada and numerous major [...]
With a birthplace like Milan and a lifespan converging with Leonardo da Vinci, it seems unlikely the two artists did not meet; however, Bramantino’s shows no influence by the well-known Leonardo. Numerous art historians dispute Bartolomelo Suardi’s family background and early years due to lack of verifiable documentation and substantial evidence to provide a reasonably [...]
Our tours of Northern Italy include adventures to crystal clear alpine lakes, surrounded by the Italian and Swiss Alps. Exceptional local specialties prepared by cooks and private excursions across northern Italy await you on this memorable trip.
As I write this article, I am sitting in a small hotel in the village of Vocogno di Craveggia (VB) in the Valle Vigezzo of northern Italy. Located a mere two hours by train from the intensive noise and traffic of Milano, you will find peace, quite, tranquility and rest in this lovely area of [...]
Isola San Giulio View. Church bell tower on the left. Graffiti at Isola San Giulio, Lago Orta Admittedly, unashamedly, Lago Orta in the lake region of Italy is one of my favorite haunts. Isola San Giulio, located in the shadow of Madonna del Sasso high above the lake and just [...]
Mantua? Yes, Mantua. Yet another of Italy's surprises await those willing to get off the beaten path and visit one of the country's little-known treasures, the Palazzo Te. The city is only eighteen miles south of Verona, easily reached by way of the E45 Autostrada. Mantua was established on the banks of the Mincio River, [...]
Museo Nazionale del Bargello Florence - View from Uffizi Gallery On an early spring day in 1475, a young girl sat on a stool in the workshop of the Italian master, Andrea del Verrocchio. A fresh bouquet of wildflowers had been given to her just before she sat in the master's studio. Born [...]
Villa BalbianelloLenno Lago Como Italians have always been passionate about gardens. Whether their hands work the soil for their kitchen or if the ground is meant to produce places of retreat and beauty, the Lake Region offers within a relatively small geographic area more gorgeous gardens than any other comparable region in bella [...]
Spring SunriseBergamo Medieval towers pierce mauve infused sunrise fog. Visions of another time are easy here, so close to Milan yet centuries away. This city of a thousand, so named for the citizens role in Italy's unification, is a unique surprise about an hour by train northeast of Milano. Though the city has [...]