Seeing Italy 
So Italy is calling your name—the pasta, the art, the coastline. You haven’t (or you have) booked the flights yet, but you’re already dreaming of what to bring. But hold on—should you even pack a suitcase? Or would a backpack, a duffel, or a carry-on serve you better on those cobblestone streets, narrow staircases, and … Read more
Imagine waking up in Tuscany. The sun spills over hills stitched with vineyards and cypress trees. A church bell rings in the distance. The question isn’t if you’ll fall in love with this place, but where you’ll rest your head at night. Most travelers face the same delightful dilemma: should you stay inside a medieval village, rent your own … Read more
My wife and I have a rule when we travel through Italy. We never order the same wine twice in a row. This rule has led to some disasters. In a small trattoria outside Orvieto, I once ordered a local red that smelled like a barnyard and tasted even worse. My wife took one sip … Read more
Let me tell you something most guidebooks won’t. When my wife and I told friends we were spending a week in Naples, more than one person asked, “Isn’t it dangerous?” or “Why not just go to the Amalfi Coast instead?” They had it backwards. Florence is Italy’s art gallery. Rome is its museum. Venice is … Read more
Every traveler dreams of the Amalfi Coast. The pastel villages clinging to cliffs, the blue sea sparkling below, the smell of lemons in the air. But then reality hits. You start looking at hotels in Positano or Amalfi town, and your heart stops. Three hundred euros a night for a room with no view and … Read more
I’ve learned a lot from traveling with my wife over the years. One of the simplest lessons came early: always pack a scarf. Not just any scarf, but a light, versatile one that can do about a dozen different jobs. In Italy, that little piece of fabric becomes a ticket into cathedrals, a shield against … Read more
I love Italy. All of it. I love the chaotic energy of Rome, where ancient ruins poke out of subway construction sites. I love the crumbling, soulful majesty of Naples, where pizza was born and life spills into the streets. I love Venice, that impossible floating dream, and the slow, elegant pace of Lake Como. … Read more
If you drive northwest from Siena for about forty minutes, through rolling hills quilted with vineyards and olive groves, a strange sight appears on the horizon. A cluster of stone towers rises from a hilltop like a handful of arrows shot into the sky. This is San Gimignano, and it feels like a medieval dream … Read more
Let me start by saying this: Italy is incredible. The pasta alone is worth the flight. But if you have done any research at all, you have probably come across horror stories about pickpockets. Someone’s cousin had their wallet lifted on the Rome metro. A friend of a friend lost their passport near the Trevi … Read more
Some cities feel like they belong in a fairy tale. Siena is one of them. Tucked into the rolling hills of Tuscany, this small city feels frozen in time. The red brick buildings, narrow alleys, and the famous shell-shaped main square have barely changed in six hundred years. My wife and I arrived on a … Read more