Puglia (or Apulia), the southern Italian province referred to as “the heel of the boot” first entered my consciousness more than ten years ago when a friend from San Francisco up and moved there on the initial leg of his retirement.In an email now deep in the archives, Will wrote: “Puglia is excellent. And by the way, not too expensive, my friend [...] I have a … [Read more...]
Italy Travel Articles, Photos and Panoramas
Panorama of the Week: Cathedral of Orvieto, Italy
In the medieval Italian hill town of Orvieto, all roads lead to the Piazza del Duomo. And for good reason -- it's there that you'll find the city's 14th century Orvieto Cathedral.It's as grand and fabulous as it looks in the panorama. Open it to full screen and take it for a spin. … [Read more...]
Maremma: Hidden Tuscany [Audio Slideshow]
![Maremma: Hidden Tuscany [Audio Slideshow]](https://ucm-apriorillc.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Maremma-150x150.jpg)
We'd like to think of ourselves as rather savvy when it comes to Italy, having married in Tuscany and having visited a dozen times throughout the last decade. But when a friend recommended we visit the Maremma region during our 10th anniversary trip to Tuscany this past autumn, we were intrigued. Maremma? Seen it on maps, never really paid it much mind.Names … [Read more...]
Accommodation Italy: Participating vs. Spectating
As we opened the door to the back patio, there they were: a love-insatiable dog, a just-loving-enough cat, and a setting on the edge of the vineyard with a view to the surrounding farms and hills. The picnic tables -- one outside, another inside -- spoke to the perfect place for the all-night rolling snackfeasts of local Tuscan produce we had envisioned. … [Read more...]
From Hilltowns to Harvest: Tuscany in Autumn
As autumn advances, the sunflowers fall, the golden soil is turned for the winter. Grapes, too, are ready for harvest. People celebrate.Tuscany's poetry is packed in the fields, the hills, the history, the food, and the people who make it all possible.Earlier this month, we returned to Italy's Tuscany region ten years after we were married there in September … [Read more...]
Eat Your Heart Out, Tuscany!
How do you like our wild pig? -- A cook in Tuscany's Maremma region pauses to ask us one of life's burning questions.When we think of Italy, we think of vineyard orchards populated by wild boars, happy cows and people who talk with their hands and sound like they're yelling at each other all the time even though they are really just talking about how great the … [Read more...]
Panorama of the Week: The Makings of a Great Brunello di Montalcino
Have you ever read about or quaffed a famous wine and wondered how it was made? The terrain where the grapes were grown, the hands of the winemaker, or the transformation the wine has undergone from harvest to dinner table?These were just a few of the questions piquing our curiosity about the great wines of Tuscany during our recent visit there. So we paid a … [Read more...]
Life Lessons from A Tuscan Wedding
Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned by me. –- Carl Sandburg"Are you visiting Tuscany for your honeymoon?" Lorenza, our wine tasting hostess at Avignonesi winery, asked over a swirl of 2007 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano."No," I laughed. “We're actually here for our 10th anniversary. We were married just down the … [Read more...]
Panorama of the Week: Pienza, Tuscany — A UNESCO Site Worth Getting Married In
Ah, Italia!We begin a week of reflection and a reaffirmation of our love affair with Italy. Why now? Because we are revisiting the scene of the crime: our wedding, ten years ago, in the UNESCO World Heritage Tuscan hilltown of Pienza. … [Read more...]