It was Tommaso’s first visit to this history rich city, therefore we hired a private tour guide who made our visit perfetto! No matter how much you research and read about a destination, you will never learn as much as with a (good) guide. The amount of interesting facts and details we were told kept us happily engaged for hours. Verona offers so much visually with its mix of architecture and a significant amount of the frescoed facades from the 16th century are still visible today, hence...

The legendary trattoria on the island of Burano was the perfect way to start our second day in Venezia. It’s one of those family run restaurants that you will remember for years to come. Delicious food, engaging and attentive staff and a classic interior which all comes together to create the perfect Venetian culinary treat. Our second legendary stop was at Venice’s most iconic hotel. It just celebrated it’s 200th anniversary as a continuously run hotel, so it’s clearly filled with history...

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We moved beyond our one bad day in Venice (due to the hordes of tourists) and reveled in the one-of-a-kind beauty and magic that sets Venice apart from basically any other city on the globe.  We describe what was probably our best meal of the trip and its beautiful presentation, and we confess to our new found love of white wine from the Veneto / Friuli regions. We also share very helpful Travel Tips on how to purchase Vaporetto (boat) tickets on line and convert them to the paper ticket you...

After 6 days in Venezia, we thought we would share with you how to take in the full beauty and magic of this dramatic city despite the crowds, and it’s not even full tourist season yet!  Getting away from the masses around Piazza San Marco allowed us to see the real Venezia. Everything we took in visually, as we roamed through the web of canals and sidewalks (primarily by ourselves), granted us the time to think about the city’s ingenuity and resilience – not the Instagram influencers we left...

Everyone as heard of Lake Como, but it’s bigger cousin to the east is a beauty and should probably be added to your list of dream vacations in bel’italia. We will dedicate a few episodes to Garda when we get back to our recording studio, but we share enough here to give you a glimpse into this sweet place. We drove the entire perimeter of the lake and can assure you it’s worth renting a car so can see and experience all that we did. They have public boats as well so you can stop in most...

We recorded this episode upon our arrival in Lake Garda after a busy week of planes, trains and automobiles….well, to be honest we took a metro instead of a train! We share a few travel tips on Apple Air Tags, what to do with a long layover in a different city and how to make sure a specific Airbnb is right for you. We flew from Palma, Mallorca to Milano, picked up a rental car with 5 minutes to spare before they closed for the evening, got onto the highway in the pouring rain and within 20...

The busy and vibrant port city of Genova is steeped in Maritime history, yet also lays claim to being the birthplace of both Christopher Columbus and the modern-day architect Renzo Piano. Our journey through Genova wouldn’t be complete without savoring the city’s culinary masterpiece, Pesto Genovese! It is reason enough to visit the city, but fortunately there are architectural wonders to visit between your pesto tastings with very grand and refined palazzos which adorn Via Garibaldi. To...

We decided to share with our listeners the suggestions Kimberly gives her clients while traveling in Italy. Whether it’s your first time or your 10th visit to this amazing country, common courtesies go a long way, and may just get you the best table in the ristorante! Italians excel at dressing well and appreciate when tourists make the effort also. You can still look good in comfortable (and hip) sneakers and believe me when I tell you, they will notice your shoes! The more your travel, the...

In this episode we have an entertaining chat with author Angela Correll who bought an ancient house in the teeny village of Montefollonico in the Val d’Orcia area of Tuscany. With a population of just 400, you can imagine the humorous experiences she and her husband have had over the last few years. Angela wrote a book on this adventure called Restored in Tuscany. There is more depth to the book than just the renovation, but I love her way with words and the hilarious manner in which she...

We have more travel news and updates for 2024 and we also want to share some cautionary advice regarding the misinformation which is rampant online. There are thousands of self-proclaimed Italian Travel Experts and Influencers out there who are not as knowledgeable as they try to appear, yet they do look good in a bathing suit! There are new rules being implemented in various parts of Italy and we want you to be aware of them, so you don’t get fined. We assume our listeners don’t fall into...

This episode dishes out some travel news, updates and new rules implemented for 2024. Italy is trying to deal with the volume of tourists while maintaining it’s standing as the 4th most popular European country to visit. Venice has been faced with the possibility of being on Unesco’s World Heritage Danger list, so they finally implemented a 5 € entry fee which most people agree is not nearly enough to make a difference – and it will only be in place for 29 specific dates. However, baby steps...

Tasting boards in Parma can’t be beat if you are a fan of ham or cheese, or both! To taste the difference between 24 or 36 month cheese is always a treat, but then throw in the various types of parma ham for meat lovers – pure heaven! Parma is capitol of the Emilia-Romagna Food Valley and it also boasts the honor of a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy title. This small and refined city is also home to Palazzo Pilotta which houses the stunning Reading Room named after their former Duchess,...

Tommaso’s first time in the Italian city of Parma was basically Prosciutto Paradiso! The city’s historic center is very charming, colorful, clean and full of well dressed, and well-fed Italians. We entered every salumeria, cheese shop and combinations of the two, all of which made us both want to live in this sweet little city.  The historic center is brimming with all kinds of culinary goods, but the Parma ham takes center stage. Who knew there are so many types of Prosciutto each with it’s...

Hopefully most of you know what a Fiat Cinque Cento looks like, however if not, they are the smallest cars imaginable, yet they are as cute as can be! Cinque Cento means 500 hundred in Italian, and when referring to a car, that means 500 horsepower.  We rented two vintage Cinque Centos for the day in Tuscany, one from 1969 and one from 1974. It was hard to believe that the little engine was as efficient as 500 horses, but it did indeed make it up each mountain and hugged each switchback! It...

Tommaso finally gets to visit Nostra Vita in person! A small vineyard owned and nurtured by an incredibly creative family, is a little slice of Tuscan heaven. It is also an experience to treasure since everywhere you look, everything you see or touch or taste, was made by them. Annibale (the father and vintner) has been described many times as a present-day Leonardo da Vinci due to what he has designed, made, built, and envisioned. I have sent many clients to Nostra Vita who have thanked me...

Our first night in Montepulciano was just going to be dinner at a small local ristorante, however duty called when our friend we were travelling with requested some much needed supplies from a pharmacy / farmacia. The timing was not opportune since the autumn harvest festival took over the entire village which made the drive comically challenging, but we prevailed! There are a few travel tips to be learned in this episode between the advantages of small Italian pharmacies, and where NOT to go...

Our back road drive to Todi in Umbria was picture perfect, as was our stay in a renovated small castle. One wrong step off the road did result in a broken wrist for our friend, but she was a trooper and carried on to the medieval festival in Todi, along with lunch and aperol spritzs for pain management! Tommaso and Kimberly drove to the very old, and very small village of Montefalco and were pleasantly surprised to not run across a single other tourist – a welcome relief after the 4 days in...

Our day trip to Assisi proved to be more enriching than we all thought it would be. Most people go to see the Basilica of St Francis, but this sweet little city also offers a plethora of history. The Temple of Minerva from the first century BC, along with several other significant churches, and Rocca Maggiore, a 14th castle on the highest perch of the city, are all incredible, yet we didn’t have time to delve into all of it in just one episode. Assisi appears to be almost “fake” due to it’s...

Our friend Suma recounts her recent multi-day hike through the Dolomites, which were so breathtakingly beautiful, “it almost seemed like they were in a movie”.   She and her friends started in Innsbruck, Austria which was a good route to drive to prepare them for the stunning geography they would see for the rest of the trip. This episode delves into the logistics of the trip, including the benefits of using a company to book accommodations and transfers.  We also discuss the hiking...

It was our first time at the quintessential Tuscan dream dinner... one long table for 50 people, outdoors, at night, on the edge of the Arno River in Florence. The guests were from around the world, all gathered to celebrate our mutual friend Lolita. The table was topped with endless candles, flowers, wine bottles, etc., busy but beautiful. This dinner was the last night of our somewhat short 4-day stay in Florence, and what a treat it was!  However, earlier in the day we went to one of my...

A full day in beautiful Florence / Firenze included the perfect lunch in Piazza Santo Spirito, and then an energetic walk straight uphill to Piazzale Michelangelo to combat the amazing gnocchi, compliments of Osteria Santo Spirito. The view from the Piazzale did not disappoint, yet times have changed and that meant there was no more shade to beat the heat. After multiple bottles of water, we descended to the Arno River and enjoyed a lazy stroll while taking in the view. The evening culminated...

Our first night in Firenze was anything but mellow and relaxing. Instead, it involved a faulty jacuzzi and a cast of characters to fix it. Luckily, it all worked out in the end, and we had a new friend in Francesca and her colleagues, who treated us to a lovely lunch that turned out to be one of the best meals of the trip! Firenze was quite warm for the second week of October, and we shared the city with a copious amount of other tourists. Yet, the capital of Toscana still warrants attention...