Archive for the ‘Italy’ Category
Aug 12, 2010
By Lisa T. Bergren
My cousin and her husband are renting a private villa in Tuscany this Fall with three other couples and I’m drooling with envy. Sure, the villa and views will be sumptuous. But I’d kill to sink my teeth into the hand-crafted mozzarella or perfect, Roma tomatoes or spicy, local sausage or tart, dry Pecorino cheese…We love cooking in Italy! For us, it’s a part of the experience. And so is the grocery shopping. Continue reading
In Articles, Italy, Travel Prep
Tags: grocery shopping, Italy, private villa, Tuscany, villa
May 19, 2010
A Dinner Among Friends
Locanda Rosati, near OrvietoBy Lisa T. Bergren
Our arrival into Rome is less than auspicious. Everything takes longer than expected or proves impossible; the rental car, the Friday night traffic, the phone with international access, the directions to the inn, the GPS. By the time we roll up in front of Locanda Rosati, we are stressed, bickering and exhausted. Continue reading
In Italy, Trip Reports, Umbria
Tags: B&B, food, Grantourismo, HomeAway holiday rentals, inn, Locanda Rosati, Umbria
Mar 28, 2010
View on a Venetian Neighborhood
A Different Kind of CanalBy Lisa T. Bergren
In Venice, ancient city of mariners and merchants, we rented a second floor apartment facing Via Giuseppe Garibaldi. This wide avenue, once a waterway, now a canal of stone and cement, swirls with grandmothers pushing children too old to be in umbrella strollers (but in them anyway), schoolchildren, businesspeople. Here, the tolling bell of a neighborhood church awakens us each morning, calling parishioners to mass. We hear the creaks and groans of shutters pushed aside, the metallic grate of gates opened in front of tiny shops and markets and bars. Continue reading
Feb 14, 2010
Happy Valentine’s Day, World!
What's the most romantic place you've visited?OK, where is the most romantic place you’ve been? Comment and share the “love”…Via Dell’ Amore—the “Way of Love”…Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! Continue reading
Feb 6, 2010
Venice, Italy
Venezia for the entire familyBy Lisa T. Bergren, 2007; updated 2/6/10
Our entry into Venezia was less than auspicious. Our GPS wasn’t programmed right, so we weren’t sure we were heading the right way (signs were surprisingly unhelpful!); it was pouring rain, and we were almost out of time to get the rental cars turned in and our keys for the apartment in time. STRESS! Continue reading
Tags: Grand Canal, Italy, Rialto, San Marco, travel with children, travel with kids, Venezia, Venice
Feb 3, 2010
3 Generations Tour Tuscany
Siena, Florence, San Galgano and ChiantiBy Lisa T. Bergren, 2007, updated 1/31/10
We did a March 2007 trip with two grandparents (in their 60s), two parents (in their 40s) and three kids (ages 11. 8 and 4). Our first leg of the trip was in Rome, and our third was Venice, but Tuscany, as always it seems, stole our hearts.
Day 1:
We drove up from Rome (about 2 hours from the airport) on Saturday afternoon and had to get groceries before reaching our agriturismo, the incredible Odina, where we shared the luxurious, roomy, fabulous Redento villa, complete with full kitchen and wood-burning pizza oven (see pizza oven tips below). Continue reading
Jan 31, 2010
3 Days in Rome
Three generations travel togetherBy Lisa T. Bergren 2007, updated 1/30/10
Our March 2007 trip included grandparents (in their 60s), parents (in their 40s) and three kids (ages 11, 8 and 4). We traveled to Rome-Tuscany-Venice over 12 days. Continue reading
In Italy, Rome, Trip Reports
Tags: children, Colosseum, engage the kids, family travel, Italy, kids, Palantine Hill, Rome, scavenger hunt, St. Peter, Vatican City
Dec 16, 2009
Romantic Italian Getaway, Pt. 6/6
Montepulciano, ItalyBy Lisa T. Bergren
We are nearing the end of our romantic sojourn in Tuscany, and we’ve saved the hill town behind us, known for its vino nobile, for last. We’ve been to Montepulciano before, briefly, but today we have the luxury of slow, casual observation and touring. Continue reading
In Italy, Trip Reports, Tuscany
Tags: Italy, Montepulciano, travel, Tuscany
Dec 15, 2009
Do you know what these are?
Montepulciano, ItalyOld cemetery stones? Roman settlement stones? Fill us in! They were incorporated into a wall on the main street through Montepulciano, Italy. Please comment below! Continue reading
In Articles, Italy, Photo Essay, Tuscany
Tags: couple, Italy, Montepulciano, romantic, Tuscany
Dec 10, 2009
Romantic Italian Getaway, Pt. 5
Pienza, Classic Medieval/Renaissance TownBy Lisa T. Bergren
We’ve been circumventing her perimeter for days now, and can see her in the distance from our villa, Terre di Nano. But today is the first time we’re setting out, solely to tour the ancient city of the pope, once called Corsignano, but renamed in honor of his holiness’ presence, Pienza. Continue reading
