Marco’s Italy
Florence city skyline panorama – Florence – Italy
Travels Across Italy-In Search of Italy’s Soul is written by Mark Gordon Smith, published travel writer and President of Private Italy Tours.
Using an easy “IF YOU GO” format, the posts provide detailed and helpful information for those planning a trip to Italy or for those only curious about sites, cities, and the history of bella Italia.
Lake Region & Northern Italy
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.
New Documentary: Ospedale degli Innocenti, The Innocents of Florence
A fascinating new documentary about the Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence, an orphanage established in the 15th Century, will be premiered in Florence on May 17, 2019. Basilica della Santissima Annunziata (white facade) and the Ospedale degli Innocenti Read an article about the orphans of the Renaissance, and this unique institution, [...]
A Holiday Opera for the Child in all of us: Amahl and the Night Visitors
It was in 1950 that then director of NBC's opera programming, Peter Herman Adler, commissioned composer Gian-Carlo Menotti (1911 - 2007) to compose the first ever opera for the American television audience. This was no easy task and it is one of the many credits due to the exceptional talent of Menotti that [...]
Sicilian Hospitality and Comfort – Ramo D’Aria, Giarre, Italy
Ramo D'Aria Entrance Many of our readers write with questions about places to stay on Sicily, places away from the crowds and cacophony of a large city, a place with true Sicilian 'character'. Recently, I had the opportunity to enjoy an overnight stay at a relatively new accommodation, located in Giarre, [...]
A Haven of Peace Close to Milan: Hotel La Perla, the Valle Vigezzo and Santa Maria Maggiore
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 [...]
OUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS IN FLORENCE
The possibilities seem endless in a city like Florence; from true Sicilian recipes that delight the palate and bring the sea to land to deep red Bistecca Fiorentina, Florence offers any lover of Italian food as many options as you can imagine. We have traveled across Italy for over forty years. Some of [...]
SAN MINIATO AL MONTE ABOVE FLORENCE CELEBRATES ITS MILLENNIUM
On April 27, 2018, the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte will initiate a year of events to celebrate the 1000 year anniversary of its founding. On April 27, 2018 the Archbishop of Florence, Betori, will celebrate with the opening of basilica's Holy Door and then will celebrate Mass. Facade of San [...]
A "New" Michelangelo – Recent Attribution in the Village of Marcialla in Tuscany
View of Marcialla's village square and the Church of Santa Maria The news came quietly. The art world was stunned to learn that a fresco in the church of Santa Maria in Marcialla, not far from Florence, had been attributed to none other than Michelangelo. Residents of Marcialla, a tiny village [...]
A SPECTACULAR TUSCAN GARDEN PARK AND ESTATE RE OPENING, VILLA DEMIDOFF IN PRATOLINO
On Easter Sunday, the Medici Grand Duke's Villa Demidoff, near Pratolino, is reopening. The spectacular gardens are among Tuscany's largest. With the estate's well tended woodlands and open fields, and visits to the various buildings within the park, it is a wonderful easy day excursion from Florence. The trip by bus takes about [...]
Visiting the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena – A Center of Music for the World Annual Master Classes and Performances
Visitors to Siena now have the unique and very special opportunity to visit one of the most critically important music centers in the world, the Accademia Musicale Chigiana. Founded in 1932 at the behest of Count Chigi Saracini, the Accademia has become a world renowned center for musician and composer instruction and performance. Since [...]
Join Author and Art History Instructor Mark Gordon Smith, with Road Scholar, in a class entitled, The Beautiful and Powerful of the Italian Renaissance, Montreat (Asheville), NC from 22 April 2018 – 27 April 2018
Join Road Scholar and Mark Gordon Smith, Instructor in Italian Renaissance Art History, Conversational Italian and Travels Across Italy, in a five day program entitled, "The Beautiful and the Powerful of the Italian Renaissance". The program begins on 22 April 2018 and concludes on 27 April 2018. The program is based on the [...]
Thanks to all 200,000 of you!
Mark Smith, Owner of Private Italy Tours, above Positano on the Amalfi Coast. We wish to extend our deepest gratitude to all of you who have read, or follow, our travel blog about Italy. This week, we surpassed the 200,000 views of our blog. Thank you. We are dedicated to continuing [...]
INCREASED SECURITY AT THE FLORENCE DUOMO – GO EARLY!
In the past few months, increased visitor security screening was initiated at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo, in Florence. As with most of the other museums in the city (Uffizi, Bargello, Museum of the Works of the Duomo and many others), visitors are security checked before entering sites. The [...]
OLIVIERI – Fabulous New Restaurant in San Gimingnano
On a recent visit with our Annual Art Tour in Tuscany, we stopped in to Bistro Olivieri, a recently opened restaurant in the village of San Gimignano. The establishment's tag line, Cucina Toscana Contemporanea, Contemporary Tuscan Kitchen, is reflected in the varied and fairly priced menu. We all agreed that the exceptional modern Italian interior design was [...]
Southwestern US Tour
Southwestern US Tour Our southwestern United States tour in October of 2018 offers a group size limited to twelve guests the opportunity to explore one of the most hauntingly beautiful areas of the country.
Graffiti of the Monks on the Island of San Giulio – Lake Orta – Lake Region of Italy
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 [...]
Easter in Rome – The Schedule of Events
Easter in Rome is one of the busiest times of the year. Interior, St. Peter's Basilica Keep in mind that if you are planning to be in Italy, in general, around Easter, that this is a very important holiday. Almost every museum, event venue and archaeological site is closed Good Friday [...]
March 30 – 31, 2017 in Florence-World Cultural Conference!
For those of you who will be traveling in Florence in late March, please make note of the following world cultural conference to be held in the city. Hotel rooms are at a premium, if you can find them (!) and the city will be extremely busy. An unprecedented culture-focused meeting of the [...]
The Beauty Saved – La Bellezza Salvata – at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence (Ends March 27, 2017)
The program for the exhibit available from Casa Editrice Sillabe The great treasure of the arts in Florence is shared in yet another unforgettable program at the Medici Riccardi Palace. Artifacts and memories from the Flood of 1966, La Bellezza Salvata, are shared in this exceptional show. From now until March [...]
Gustav Klimt in Florence -A Close Up encounter with the artist through April 2, 2017
Technology and gorgeous art come together once again in the de-consecrated church of Santa Stefano al Ponte in Florence. The church, located just steps from the northern edge of the Ponte Vecchio, is a fabulous location for the exhibit. The Klimt Experience brings over 700 images, projected by 30 laser systems, in an [...]
The Origin of the Still Life in Italy at the Borghese Gallery in Rome – Through February 19, 2017
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, an enfant terrible and genius of the later Renaissance, is the subject of this fascinating exhibit at the Borghese Gallery in Rome. The intent of this mostra is to better understand the work of Caravaggio in still life (natura morta) with "The Hartford Master", a supposed and mysterious young [...]
A Remarkable Female Artist of the 17th Century – Artemisia Gentileschi at the Palazzo Braschi in Rome
Her name is, indeed, a 'tongue twister'; Artemisia Gentileschi. (1593 - 1656) An incredible exhibit featuring a large and rare collection of her work opened on November 30, 2016 at the Palazzo Braschi in Rome titled, "Artemisia Gentileschi and Her Times." Thirty masterpieces by this recently rediscovered female painter have been brought together [...]
Villa del Cigliano – A Treasure Shared by KM "Zero" Tours
There are very few small travel organizations in Italy who are part of the KM "Zero" movement. KM Zero Tours, owned and operated by Alessio and Arianna, established their company upon this philosophy: "...we would love to invite you to discover Tuscany from a different perspective, following its slow rhythms, meeting local, passionate [...]
A NEW OPTION FOR INEXPENSIVE TRAVEL ACROSS ITALY AND EUROPE – FLIXBUS
Looking for a less expensive way to travel between major European cities? A relatively new bus service, FlixBus, is receiving very positive response as a safe and comfortable alternative to train or rental car options while in Europe. The company, FlixBus, was founded in 2013 in Germany following deregulation of German transit restrictions. [...]
Venice’s Treasured Isle – The Monastery of San Lazzaro degli Armeni
For many years, this island in the Venetian Lagoon, not far from the Lido, was a secret of the city. Slowly, the word is reaching the world about a living treasure of enormous intellectual and spiritual importance; San Lazzaro degli Armeni. Bookmarked by two Mocenigo family members who became Doges, Giovanni Il Cornaro [...]