When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, the lava, heat, ash and smoke destroyed a city, killing its residents and burying the city under 20 m of ash. That description brings to mind Pompeii, the extremely famous site that was a must-stop for well-heeled 17th […]

On a recent swing through the Amalfi area, in the Campania region, we spent a few days in Sorrento. The sun was shining, the water was hypnotically beautiful, and our hotel, The Bellevue Syrene, was stunning. To cap it off, we went to the fabulous […]

Happy Negroni Week! Negroni Week every year is a great opportunity to go out and drink a Negroni in support of a good cause! This year, from June 24 to 30, 2019, Negroni Week is extra special as it the 100th Anniversary of the Negroni! […]

Happy 160th birthday, Campari!  Walk into any Italian restaurant and there’s a good chance you will be greeted by the above Campari poster of the Spiritello sprite with an orange peel wrapped around him. The famous image (created by Leonetto Cappiello in 1920) remains a […]

                  In the shadow of the Vatican and a few blocks away from Vatican square, lies the Prati neighbourhood. This area is off the sightseeing grid and, on the whole, tourist-free. This is a working Roman neighbourhood and there […]

Happy Birthday, Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni! Michelangelo, as he is more famously known, was born on the 6th of March, 1475 (died: February 18, 1564) and would have been 544 years old today! When we think of the great Renaissance artists, like Michelangelo, I […]

It’s that time of year again in Italy. It’s olive harvest time! Wherever you go (especially in Umbria), you’ll see cars parked and nets spread under trees! People are out in full force picking olives! Olive picking is fun, but it’s also a lot of […]