I have to confess to a love-hate relationship with Cinque Terre, a spectacular portion of the Italian Riviera, in Luguria, that has become very, very popular with tourists over the last ten or fifteen years, possibly owing to the 1997 designation of Cinque Terre as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I had never heard of it until a friend brought me there in 2000 and I must admit that I was completely enchanted by the colorful houses precariously hugging the cliffs, the charming harbors for the fishing boats, and the natural beauty of the coastline. For the uninitiated, the Cinque Terre, or Five Lands, is a series of five fishing villages teetering on the terraced rocks on the coast of the Ligurian Sea just south of Genoa. Since there is no automobile access in the villages you must explore them by foot and get from one to the other either by train or boat. Herein lies the problem. Continue reading Cinque Terre
Category Archives: Country Towns
Private Tuscan Tour
A private tour of Tuscany is the best bang for your buck when your time is limited and you want to experience as much as you can of everything under the Tuscan sun. I had driven through the Tuscan countryside on several occasions with some friends and a Michelin Guide; although the experience was unforgettable we didn’t see nearly as much as I got to see on my private guided tour.
Eating in Italy Off the Beaten Path
When we need a meal while off the beaten path in Italy we ask the locals where to eat and have never been disappointed. While I enjoy a good meal just like the next person I do not consider myself a foodie, but these restaurants managed to engrave themselves onto the side of my brain saved for happy memories. The places I’m listing here are not easy to get to, and probably not exactly where you’re going, but, if you’re anywhere near the neighborhood, are worth the travel time. ( Please check the hours and closing days before traveling a great distance.) Continue reading Eating in Italy Off the Beaten Path
Torture in San Gimignano
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….
Christmas in Italy
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.
