May is a very popular month for travelers to Italy and for good reason. The weather is warm but not punishing. The crowds are building but not yet at the level that makes Florence feel like Disneyland on a weekend in summer. The produce markets are at full spring capacity. And the countryside, whether you […]
After more than 30 trips to Italy, I have arrived into Fiumicino airport more times than I can count, in every season, with every combination of luggage and travel companions you can imagine. The right Rome airport transfer makes the difference between starting your trip relaxed or starting it frazzled. This guide covers every option […]
Planning, Podcast episodes
Episode #321: Your Italy Travel Questions – Tuscany vs Umbria, Milestone Birthday Idea, Concerts and More
Listen to “321. Your Italy Travel Questions: Tuscany vs Umbria, Milestone Birthday Idea, Concerts and More” on Spreaker. Summary Katy brings you another Q&A session on this week’s episode – answering thoughtful questions from our community as travelers prepare for their journeys across Italy. From solo adventurers setting off on their first trips to experienced […]
Listen to “320. Wandering Trastevere: A Favorite Roman Neighborhood [From the Vault]” on Spreaker. Summary In this episode, we’re returning to Rome, the Eternal City, and revisiting a listener favourite: A Wander Through Trastevere. In this episode, award-winning travel journalist and author Maria Pasquale – who calls Trastevere home – leads us through its atmospheric […]
My clients had a friend turned away at airport check-in last year. Not at the Italian border. At check-in. Her passport did not have enough validity to meet the legal minimum requirement to enter Italy (it is 3 months), and that was that. The trip she had planned for months did not happen. Getting your […]
The best tours in Rome are not the ones with the longest queues or the highest star ratings on a booking platform. They are the ones where you walk out of the Colosseum actually understanding what you just saw. Here’s the thing about Rome: the sites do not explain themselves. The information boards are sparse, […]
Choosing where to stay in Milan matters more than in most Italian cities. Milan is not built around a single historic center you can explore in an afternoon. It is a collection of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own rhythm, its own crowd, and its own reason to be there. Stay in the wrong place […]
Here’s the thing about the Colosseum. It is one of the most visited monuments on earth, it sits in the middle of Rome in full sunlight with very little shade, and it is not particularly well marked inside. There is precious little information for the visitor. For a structure that held 50,000 spectators 2,000 years […]
Listen to “319. The Ritual of the Bar: Coffee Culture in Italy [From the Vault]” on Spreaker. Summary In this episode, we replay one of our favorite episodes, sharing insights into what makes coffee in Italy so special as we talk to Michael Horne, founder of San Francisco-based Dü Coffee and lover of all things […]
There is a special kind of Roman morning you only get to experience if you stay near the Colosseum. You wake up before the tour groups arrive. The streets are still. And the morning light hits the stone in a way that turns the whole structure the color of warm honey. You walk over and […]