I’m a big advocate of traveling in the off-season and reaping the benefits: lower prices, fewer crowds, a more local experience. But as I sit here in Turkey, I’m disappointed at my decision to come here for three weeks in late November. Istanbul was great if a bit cold, Cappadocia was freezing cold and creepily [...]
Early evening is a magical time in Italy, when everyone comes outside to walk the streets — that evening ritual is called the passeggiata, and it goes on throughout the country. Then darkness falls. Bologna, as fascinating a city as it is during the day, becomes positively magical at night. Here are some of my [...]
While visiting Emilia-Romagna, we spent two nights in Rimini at the duoMo hotel. I’ve stayed at a lot of interesting and wacky hotels in my life…but nothing tops the duoMo for the sheer coolness factor. Is this not the coolest front desk you have ever seen?! I felt like a geek taking pictures of it…but [...]
Shortly after arriving in Florence for my semester abroad, I met a guy wearing a gold belt buckle shaped like a lion’s head, a pair of boot-cut jeans tight enough to cut off circulation on top, a shirt unbuttoned almost to his navel, and the trendiest near-mullet I’ve ever seen. And he was American. This [...]
Hunting for truffles with dogs in the mountains of Italy was definitely something I never imagined myself doing. Yet when it was revealed as one of our Delicious Emilia-Romagna activities, I was ready to jump right in! I pictured myself with a huge, hyperactive dog on the end of a leash, running all over the [...]
I never imagined that Emilia-Romagna, the land of delectable meats and cheeses, would have so much to offer in terms of seafood! But Emilia-Romagna does, in fact, have a coast — and its most famous coastal destination is Rimini, Italy’s top destination for cheap holidays on the beach. To have the best seafood, you head [...]
In Emilia-Romagna, every town — EVERY town — has its own famous specialty food. In Castel del Rio, it’s the marroni, or chestnuts indigenous to this region. So how did we experience the marroni? We gathered them ourselves! Le Selve is an agroturismo complex in the mountains above Castel del Rio. Agroturismo is a tremendously [...]
Sometimes, you walk into a place and feel an immediate revelation — this is what I’ve been searching for, and I didn’t know it until now. That’s how I felt about Bologna — la grassa, la dotta, la rossa — my new favorite city in Italy. I’ve been no stranger to falling in love with [...]
After spending the past few days in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, I’ve completely fallen in love with this absolutely delicious region. For now, here’s an introduction in photos: Bologna, Emilia-Romagna’s largest city, as seen from Piazza Maggiore, the heart of the city center. Bologna is a university city, a northern city, and a lesser touristed Italian city, [...]
I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy, especially northern Italy. And while I studied in Florence and visited the canals of Venice, the beaches of Liguria, the cathedrals of Milan and the hill towns of Umbria, there are so many places in northern Italy that I haven’t yet visited. The region I’ve wanted to [...]
