Through the Medieval Wall

Monteriggioni, Provence of Siena in Tuscany. I invite you to sign my guestbook, and to join me on Facebook, where I share often about Italy! This post first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas.

Lovely Lecce

“If Puglia were a movie, Lecce would be cast in the starring role.” — Lonely Planet Also called “the Florence of the South,” Lecce is a gorgeous gem in the heel of Italy’s boot. Above is an irresistible vicolo (alley) I stumbled upon while wandering Lecce with my cugini. This post first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas.

Scenes from inside the Duomo

I never meant to climb to the top of the Duomo in Florence, but then I did. And, as often happens while traveling, this accident turned into a very special memory. I wandered the same tight turns and corridors as Duomo’s mastermind Filippo Brunelleschi and his workers. I even saw tools — some of them…

For the love of La Bella Lingua

Congratulations to Dianne Hales and LA BELLA LINGUA, her memoir documenting her love of Italian and all things Italy. Seven years after its release, LA BELLA LINGUA this week sits at #8 on a New York Times bestseller list. “Italians say that someone who acquires a new language ‘possesses’ it. In my case, Italian possesses me.” Auguri,…

Italy Love

       This post first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas. Image Credit

BookLove: The Dianne Hales Edition

My FAVORITE book on Italian Culture, La Bella Lingua by Dianne Hales, has been named Amazon’s #1 Bestseller in Travel, Italy. To celebrate, I’m re-posting my book review here, which first ran in December 2014. Auguri, Dianne!

Traveling Italy with Margie

“Congratulations, Stacy, you are one of the winners…” is an email I have received never… before last week, when I got an email stating exactly that! I was thrilled just to win something, and even happier when I realized that the message was from Margie Miklas, blogger behind the popular Margie in Italy blog, and author…

Someone to watch over me

  I’m not sure what the street sign means exactly, but logic tells me that it’s a warning to drivers or pedestrians. But never fear, at this potentially treacherous corner, there’s someone to watch over us all. ❤ I love the little niches and altars that are ubiquitous in Italy. They make me feel safe,…

Lots and lots of Locks.

The view from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, is stunning in every direction. Yet despite all of the eye candy within site (the Arno river, two other breathtaking bridges, all in the shadow of Brunelleschi’s famous dome), the question going through my mind was, “what’s with all the locks?” Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons I…

Happy 70th, Vespa!

Auguri — best wishes — to Vespa, an Italian classic for 70 years this month! Above: It looks like an ad, but it’s just an average Friday on this Florence sidestreet. Below: Another orderly daytime lineup of motorini, this time in front of the remnants of Sant’Orsola convent in Florence, where (Mona) Lisa Gherardini is thought to…