It usually takes an embarrassing tongue lashing from a waiter at a coffee bar or gelateria for an American traveler to Europe to learn that there are two different menu prices for the same items: one for standing and consuming your purchase, and a higher price for sitting at a table. My husband, a Roman and anti-Tuscan from birth, nearly had the owner of one such establishment arrested after she charged us table price for eight hot chocolates when we were clearly drinking them in an upright position, but that was at the end of our short but eventful trip to San Gimignano....
Ever since I was a little girl it was my great desire to see the cathedrals and museums of Italy. My tiny little white Catholic Missal had tiny little pictures of St Peter's Cathedral in Rome, The Shroud of Turin, The Pieta'; my young Catholic mind formulated my own bucket list that ended up changing the direction of my life once I finally got to Rome and met my future husband.
My first trip to Europe was the summer before my junior year in college with one sister and two friends, and I carefully orchestrated our itinerary knowing full well that the others would go along with my program as long as I kept us close to pastry shops and the occasional McDonald's. Continue reading Art Unappreciation→
I've mentioned before that my husband and his family, seventh-generation Roman Romans Residing in Rome, have managed to retain their citizenship without having actually seen much of their own hometown. Any true inhabitant of the Eternal City can tell you how to get to the Borghese Galleries or to Santa Maria Maggiore - he just can't tell you what those places look like inside. It seems to be sort of a boast for a Roman to be able to list the seven hills of Rome while admitting that he has managed to avoid four of them for his entire life.
I was an enigma to these people; I who had visited the Vatican Museums nine times in one summer; I who, that same summer, used to slip into every church I passed on my route home from my Italian classes, checking them off and marking the dates in my guide book. Continue reading Whirlwind Tour of St Peter’s Basilica→
Most of us have the dress-code rules when visiting a church in Italy: no shorts, bare shoulders, or mini-skirts. Bare shoulders would include sleeveless tops for women and men (yes, if he's wearing a tank top, you can be sure he's American.) I've heard of men being admitted in long, cargo-style shorts (not that anyone should be admitted anywhere in cargo shorts,) but you're better off not taking any chances.
I've found the dress code to be pretty consistent throughout the country, however, many cities in Italy have very different customs and rules for church visitations particularly in heavily touristed cities like Rome, Florence, and Venice.
I had the good fortune to run across a show on the National Geographic channel, two weeks before my recent trip to Italy, that featured the newest Italian train. This train is fast, stylish, and modern; so much so that they christened it with an appropriate masculine name: Italo. Italo had me at "ciao!", so I immediately booked any routes that I could through the website.
Continue reading Italo I love!→
To eat well in Italy there are guidelines you should know. I have heard it said that you can't get a bad meal in Italy - not true! While most good meals in Italy are better than any great meal anywhere else, you have to know a few things in order to avoid disappointment by picking a bad restaurant or the wrong thing on the menu. Many was the time that I was at a restaurant in Italy with American friends and they were ambivalent about what they had eaten and envious of my order mostly through their own fault for not listening to my suggestions. (If there's anything I know, it's what to eat. Do not second-guess me on this subject.) So even though I probably won't be with you at your next Italian - and I mean Italian in Italy - meal, try to remember these simple rules: Continue reading Eat Well in Italy→
I'm sorry you weren't home the last time I visited Lake Como. I know I should have timed my trip better, but we we decided to stay an extra day in Freiburg, and you know how rarely I get to Germany! It's funny how this was my second trip to the lago, yet the three Italians I was traveling with had never been, and I, once again, had to act as tour guide. Romans! Continue reading Lake Como→
Christmas in Italy is a wonderful time to visit for many reasons, but don't expect that you will have the whole place to yourself. Au contraire! You're not the only one who would rather travel than go through the trouble of decking your own halls but the experience far outweighs any little inconveniences you may encounter, be they crowded airports, crowded piazzas and museums, or the cold weather.
Christmas Decorations
I know you've heard it before, but Italians just have a flair for style which is usually understated and never overbearing. In big cities and small towns lights are strung across the streets, evergreen garlands are draped over doorways, and the churches are adorned with poinsettias.
St Mark's Basilica, VeniceContinue reading Christmas in Italy→
