Wintertime and the weather is dreary. Streets are slushy and it’s cold and it’s grey. You’re seeking some colour, not just during the day. (Okay, apologies to George and Ira Gershwin.) But you get the point. I’m sick of winter and would love to see […]

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 […]

Hands up if you are a fan of Antipasto trays? You know, those beautifully-colourful trays of marinated and pickled vegetables – artichokes, roasted red peppers, pickles, olives, onions – usually served with meat and cheeses. I love them and I have to admit that they’ve […]

Quick: What do you know about Torino (or Turin as the English call it)? There is a famous Shroud there? Juventus (and Torino FC) both play the beautiful game there? There was a Winter Olympics held there in 2006 where shockingly the Canadian men’s team did NOT medal in […]

After the winter we had in Toronto, I swore I would not complain about the heat this summer. Italian summers can get pretty hot, especially if you’re walking around Rome or Florence. If you’ve ever been to Italy on a hot summer day, chances are […]

We recently hiked Cinque Terre. I had heard a lot about the five small towns which dot the Ligurian coastline and form the Cinque Terre, but until recently hadn’t managed to make it there. There are tons of photos on the internet of the Cinque Terre. Travelling from […]

The Renaissance was a time of enlightenment and advances in art and culture. No city in the world is identified with this period more than Florence. Art, history, culture….Florence is a city that needs no introduction.  Florence, or Firenze as it is known in Italy, […]