Stupidly Speechless in Abruzzo
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How I lost my breath and found it again in Abruzzo.
Read MoreHere’ll you find trip reports from up and down the Boot, from Turin to Sicily, from Cinque Terre to Puglia. If you want new wanderlust stories delivered to your email inbox once a month, make sure you sign up for my newsletter, the Grapevine. As a special welcome gift, I’ll send you an e-copy of my bestselling novel, Santa Lucia. Imagine that! In a few keystrokes, you’ll be transported to the landscapes, the cities, and the beauty of Italy. No passport required.
Dining on a Trabocco in Abruzzo
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Dining out over the Adriatic has never been this extraordinary.
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Your First Family Trip to Italy
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Planning your first family trip to Italy can be daunting. From getting passports to using ATM’s to planning an itinerary to asking for a highchair, I’ve got you covered.
Read MoreTrieste? Where's That?
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Part of the Local Guide Series — Discover a jewel in Italy’s northern crown with writer Erynn Laurie.
Read More10 Reasons to Visit Italy in the Off Season
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I've noticed that travelers often avoid Italy in the off-season, and I'd like to put in a plug for visiting Italy when it's cold and grey. On purpose, even.
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To the Adriatic
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During our summer trip to Italy we realized that Le Marche is like Umbria’s pool. Or at least Spellani’s pool. Almost everyone we talked to had just been to Le Marche, went when we were there, or was planning a trip. Most of those we talked to went to Numana, and so, like true Spellani, that’s where we set our sights.
Read More"Nothing left to wish for" in Favignana, Sicily
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Sicily is ripe with incidental adventures. Letting them happen was part of what made our trip wonderful. And Favignana was the butterfly-shaped island that brought that into Sicilian-water clarity.
Read MoreWildflowers and Ruins in Segesta, Sicily
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You'd think that since Sicily is where Keith and I began our decline, it would be associated with illness and shortness of breath. But it's not. It still seems magic—painted in bold brushstrokes and wreathed in sunshine. Such is the power of Sicily.
Read MoreThe good and the bad in Scopello, Sicily
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Scopello is also home of a tonnara, a historic tuna fishery that sounds evocative but was actually an example of the downside of under researching. Yes, going in cold can lead to adventures and a sense of discovery. It can also lead to significant grumpiness.
Read MoreLearning to See in Sicily
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Sicily is scented with jasmine and wild herbs—fennel and oregano and something sweet and toasty, maybe fenugreek? This mix of cultivated and untamed is seen everywhere. Trim lines of grapevines leading to dramatic, craggy mountains. Neat rows of olive trees divided by a riot of shimmering undergrowth. Stately Greek ruins rising from a profusion of colorful, delicate wildflowers. That's just Sicily, or at least the tiny corner of Sicily we were able to explore.
Read MoreFrankenwalls of Lucca
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The short story? We loved Lucca. The long story is, like the walls of Lucca, is a little more complicated.
Read MoreDo's and Don'ts in Rome
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DON'T fall for it when your daughter tells you that her fashion forward boots are actually her most comfortable shoes. You'll see what I mean about half-way through the day when she takes an opportunity of taking off those charming instruments of torture and reveals feet swollen and splotched with alarming white patches. The smell won't be any good either.
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