Italy

Crowded. Touristy. Hot. Smelly. That’s what we initially heard about traveling to Venice, the “City of Water.” Yes, mobs can often choke the quaint canals in summer. But early February is an ideal time to visit.…

As the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence is the cultural mecca of art, architecture, history, science, food, shopping and more. Despite an abundance of English-speaking college coeds and large groups of camera-toting Japanese tourists, it’s still…

Nestled at the foot of the majestic Apuan Alps, Lucca is a tiny medieval town in northern Tuscany with big personality. Despite its modest size, Lucca has it all. Expansive piazzas. Majestic towers. And stunning churches.…

As a kid, I was fascinated with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Why does it lean? Why was it built that way? Is it ever going to topple over? So on our way from Cinque Terre to Tuscany, I of course,…

Once an old fashioned fishing village, Santa Margherita Ligure is now a captivating seaside destination. Just one hour north by train from Cinque Terre, this town is a delightful place to spend a day or weekend.…

Travel is riddled with stories of challenging situations leading to lessons learned. For us, that moment came after a stressful, stormy night in northern Italy. We had just reached Monterosso, the first of five villages that…

On our first morning in Italy, waking up to those colorful buildings teetering cliffside literally took our breath away. Cinque Terre definitely lives up to its postcard-worthy image. Vernazza, our home base, is one of five…