Most tourists never make it to this unusual museum. It’s a little off the well-worn tourist track, in the Ostiense neighborhood , a former industrial zone of Rome.  Nevertheless, Centrale Montemartini is easily reached by public transport and definitely worth a visit. This unlikely satellite of Rome’s Capitoline Museum began its life in June 1912 [...]

Venice – a beautiful Italian city. The canals, the gondolas, the romance. It is a city rich with history and culture and one of the best cities to visit in Europe. When visiting Venice, there are a number of things to see and do – St Mark’s Square, a gondola ride, the Grand Canal, The [...]

Venice and glass goes together like hands and gloves. And tourists visiting Venice often want to visit a glass factory. Out at Murano, the glass blowing island in the laguna, you can get that possibility. All through the day tourists are welcome to one of the many glass workshops to watch artists working. You don’t [...]

Looking for a Mediterranean summer resort with history? How about 2000 years of history? Ancient Roman Emperor Tiberius used to enjoy spending summers in this beautiful seaside retreat on the Tyrrhenian Sea and, millennia later, modern-day Romans still escape the city’s sweltering summers by relaxing on the beach of  beautiful Sperlonga. Sperlonga lies south of [...]

Only an hour north of Venice, close to Bassano, you find the small village of Asolo, where Freya Stark the travel writer, used to live, and where she died in 1993. The houses of Asolo are built along the steep hill, with an amazing view. On clear days you can see all the way down [...]

We’ve all heard about the European trip planning gone awry with the recent eruptions of that-unpronounceable-volcano in Iceland that shut down much of European airspace.  But this isn’t the first time Europe has been affected by volcanic activity – and as a matter of fact, we were lucky.  Twice, entire populations were wiped off the [...]

Florence in spring must be one of the lovliest places to visit in Europe, the roses blooming along with ancient art, the pavement cafes busy, the lines in front of the museums long. After a morning looking at works by Michelangelo, Botticelli, Da Vinci, Artemisia (yes, there is a female artist as well) your head, [...]

Roma Pass is an all encompassing tourist card sponsored by the Rome City Council and the Ministry for the Arts and Cultural activities, in collaboration with ATAC, the public transport company.  It offers exciting opportunities to check out the cultural and archaeological heritage of Rome in a cost effective manner. Graphic by Roma Pass Priced at €25, the pass [...]

Cable cars, mountain castles and beautiful food. Erice is a must-visit Sicily attraction.

There are so many beautiful churches in Rome, that first-time visitors are often left exhausted and overwhelmed by all they have seen. On subsequent visits to the Italian capital, my tip for Rome sightseeing is make an effort to visit some of the spectacular but less-frequented churches around the Eternal City. One exceptional church tucked [...]