Updated Information
This site is no longer current. Please go to Margie in Italy for my up-to-date posts about my travels in Italy and all things Italian. Grazie.
Ciao…It has come to my attention that this site still attracts readers, although over a year ago, I have migrated it to a new site, Margie in Italy…Please head over to that site where you will find the latest updates on all things Italy and more.
Grazie,
Margie
This site is no longer current. Please go to Margie in Italy for my up-to-date posts about my travels in Italy and all things Italian. Grazie.
Italy is a peninsula and also has two large islands, Sardinia and Sicily, plus countless smaller islands. It is not surprising then that there is no dearth of beautiful beach scenes and seaside photos. As you know I love the beach and being near the water, so here are some of my favorite photos from the beaches and harbors of Italy. Enjoy!
Off the coast of Portofino
Harbor in Maiori on the Amalfi Coast
Levanto beach
Maoiri beach and dock, Amalfi Coast
Pescallo, Italy
Beach Scene in Rimini
Marina Grande at the port of Capri
Isola Bella in Taormina
Portofino harbor
Lake Como
San Remo Beaches
The beach at Cefalu`
Otranto
What are your favorite seaside areas in Italy? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment.
Grazie and Ciao
Have you stopped by my Instagram page lately? Lots of Italy images there…Check it out.
This site is no longer current. Please go to Margie in Italy for my up-to-date posts about my travels in Italy and all things Italian. Grazie.
Although I’ve visited the Eternal City on five previous occasions, I never had the opportunity to explore Rome with a local, until now.
I yearned to be in the city again, since my last time in Rome was four years ago, so I decided to take a day trip to Rome from Florence, only a ninety-minute train ride on the Italo fast train.
Having no particular agenda, I wanted to wander around, shoot photos, and enjoy the vibe of the always interesting and busy capital of Italy. In the back of my mind, I thought I might like to see the “St Peter’s Keyhole,” on Aventine Hill, if I could find it.
I couldn’t have anticipated that it would be my good fortune to explore Rome with my own personal tour guide. Daniela Fanfarillo, a colleague and friend whom I had only known online, offered to drive into the city and show me some of the lesser known places of Rome.
She grew up in the hills just outside of Rome and was a wealth of knowledge with suggestions of special sites to explore. I always find it a thrill to finally meet someone in person after having made a connection and communicating on social media for some time.
I walked down via Cavour to the area near the metro stop, where Daniela and I met. Parking is a nightmare in Rome, where you are only allowed to park in certain districts with specific credentials. It was great to meet up and Daniela whisked me away in her car to our first stop. She had already designed an itinerary which she thought I’d enjoy, and she was right.
Colle Oppio
The first place she took me was Colle Oppio (Opium hill) where we visited Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli, in the beautiful Rione Monti.
This church is best known for being the home of Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses, and Daniela explained that the lighting makes this an even more striking work of art.
We also passed by the ruins of Emperor Nero’s villa, known as Domus Aurea. We also enjoyed spectacular views of the Coliseum from this vantage point on the hill.
Colle Celio (Caelian hill)
Next stop was Colle Celio, another of Rome’s seven hills, and yet another place I have never been. Here we visited the Basilica of San Clemente, significant for its three historical layers.
The 12th-century basilica is built on top of a well-preserved 4th-century church, where frescoes can still be seen, and this was built next to a Mithraic Temple dating back to the third century. It’s fascinating to explore the excavations of the lower two levels, and amazing to see running water inside from a spring.
Afterward we stopped for gelato at Antica Gelateria De Matteis, recommended by Daniela. We had to try some of the unusual flavors such as mascarpone fighi and cioccolato al peperoncino. Delicious!
We continued our walk past the military hospital and the Romanesque church dedicated to Santi Giovanni e Paolo
Behind the church we found the subterranean archeological site, Case Romane del Celio, where the “ancient aperitif” is held on Fridays.
Sounds like fun…too bad we’re here too early.
Colle Aventino
Next is Aventine Hill, another of the famous seven hills of Rome. This is where the famous St. Peter’s Keyhole is found. We walked up via Santa Sabina, which ends in the small, picturesque Piazza dei Cavallieri di Malta. The keyhole is located on a door of the Grand Priory in Rome of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. A small line of people were there hoping to get a glimpse through the peephole. I was excited to be here and happy that the line wasn’t too long.
Photo by Anthony Majanlahti (Flickr)
I was thrilled to be able to see St. Peter’s Dome through the keyhole. It truly was amazing. But my excitement was tempered by my lack of being able to capture a good photo with my iPhone. I walked away to let the others in line have a turn. I assumed I needed a better camera.
So we walked around the piazza and enjoyed the church of Sant’Anselmo, and the views from the gardens of the church of the Santi Bonifacio e Alessio, and the Orange Garden, (Giardino degli Aranci).
Views from the Orange Garden…
I decided to try my luck at the keyhole one more time. So I waited in line again. And I couldn’t believe that I got the shot! I think it’s so cool!
Colle del Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill)
Capitoline Hill was next, and yet another place I have never been. Daniela has managed to take me to all places I have never seen in Rome. It’s been an amazing day so far. This is the place with the most spectacular views of the Roman Forum and the Coliseum.
We reached the Piazza Campodiglio, designed by Michelangelo with the statue of Marco Aurelio. The buildings on the side were part of the Musei Capitolini. We had a delicious lunch at Terrazza Caffarelli, where the views of the city were spectacular.
Our lovely day ended in Piazza Venezia when I took a cab to the train station to return to Florence. Thank you, Daniela, for a memorable day in Rome that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
I saw places I’ve never been and exploring Rome with a local like you is the absolute best. Grazie, Cara.
Have you explored Rome with a local? I’d love to hear about your own experiences, so please leave a comment.
Grazie and Ciao.
*** Related ***
What I Love about Rome in Photos
Everyday Life in Rome – Photo of the Day
Taxis in Rome – Italy Travel Tips
This site is no longer current. Please go to Margie in Italy for my up-to-date posts about my travels in Italy and all things Italian. Grazie.
Close your eyes and imagine yourself on a hillside in Tuscany, surrounded by the beauty of nature, a feeling of serenity, and a gorgeous terra cotta tinted villa. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it? This was my reality as I arrived at Montestigliano, an eighteenth-century family-run luxury farm estate which has been renovated with sophistication and elegance while maintaining its authenticity.
Much more than I could have anticipated, this unique place is truly a little slice of heaven. My view of the expansive rolling Chianti hills of green reached as far as Siena, twelve kilometers away. It was almost mesmerizing.
The Donati family operates this working farm in Tuscany, which has been in their family for three generations. Spread across 2500 acres, Montestigliano offers guest accommodations in eleven stone, rustic, restored luxury villas, which house between three and fourteen persons each, and can accommodate a total of 63 guests.
In addition, Villa Pipistrelli, a larger seventeenth-century villa a bit father up the hill houses up to fourteen persons and is especially suited for wedding parties and their guests.
My home for three days and nights was in Casa Luisa, named after Luisa Donati, one of the five owners of the estate.
Cypress trees lined the road and flowerpots of red and white geraniums in terra cotta pots welcomed me as I walked to my new living quarters just on the other side of the central piazza of this hamlet.
Casa Luisa is a beautifully appointed apartment with five bedrooms and four bathrooms, a large living room, dining room, outdoor covered terrace, and fully-equipped kitchen with up-to-date modern conveniences. And a room with a view.
I could stay here forever, I thought.
After I got settled, a delicious Tuscan dinner was served that evening on the loggia where I could appreciate the beautiful wooded view through the open arches.
A stay at Montestigliano can be a private affair if one is looking for solitude, perhaps to write, or paint, or meditate. If you’re looking for more, the Donati family has also arranged numerous excursions and activities as options for anyone expressing a desire to explore the surrounding countryside and experience authentic Tuscan artisans at work.
During a guided walk and tour of the olive tree grove on the property, I met Massimo Donati, brother of Luisa, and one of the five owners. Massimo is the farmer in the family, and was happy to demonstrate the art of harvesting olives with a tool called a comb.
The work is done by hand with the exception of this tool. The Donati family produces their own olive oil, appropriately named Montestigliano, and an olive oil tasting was another experience provided for me.
A tour of the vegetable garden verified the reality of Montestigliano as a working farm. The friendly strolling black and white cat, Monroe, and the donkey, also provided a dose of farm life reality.
I loved the sense of peacefulness I felt as I explored the property and wandered around alone, smelling the fresh flowers in full bloom, and enjoying the photo opportunities around every bend.
Outdoor dinners in the main piazza were a favorite experience for me as other guests staying in the hamlet also participated.
Damiano Donati, Luisa’s other brother and another owner, oversaw the authentic Tuscan experience of fresh and healthy Tuscan cuisine.
Carrot soup, freshly made pecorino cheese, boccino, pappa pomodoro soup, chickpea and baccala, bruschetta, pesto gnochetti, and nutella pizza on pizza night were a few of the memorable foods I experienced. Wine was abundant, of course. And of course, the meals always ended with homemade limoncello.
An outdoor wine tasting with Alessandro preceded dinner one evening as he explained the history of wine making in Tuscany, a real educational experience. I learned that Tuscany now produces its own semi-sparkling wines, known as frizzante,
And early one morning a 2-hour hike through the woods with Caterina, a local naturistic guide, provided plenty of exercise, maybe more than I expected, but it felt good afterward.
One afternoon I made time to swim laps in the pool overlooking the Tuscan countryside. The peacefulness I felt here was priceless. And to have a taste of the city for an hour or so, a short ride to Siena late one afternoon, provided a change of pace.
Luisa Donati and her partner Piero Asso, could not have been more gracious hosts as I immersed myself in the dream of living in a Tuscan villa.
A huge mille grazie, Luisa and Piero.
Click here for more information on booking an authentic Tuscan holiday at Montestigliano.
Disclosure: I was a guest of Montestigliano and the opinions, words and photos are my own.
Have you dreamed of staying in a villa in Tuscany? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment.
For more photos on Italy, please check out my Instagram page.
This site is no longer current. Please go to Margie in Italy for my up-to-date posts about my travels in Italy and all things Italian. Grazie.
When our ancestors left Italy in search of opportunity, and a better life, they brought with them their Italian traditions. Today Italian-Americans respect and honor their heritage by maintaining customs learned from their parents and grandparents. Three of these well-known traditions include: the naming of children, Christmas Eve celebrations, and wedding cookie tables.
Naming of children
In Italy, there is a very specific tradition of the way children are named, dating back to the sixteenth century. It continues today, especially in the southern regions of Italy, and many Italian-Americans also carry on the custom.
The first son is given the father’s father’s name. The second son is given the mother’s father’s name. The first daughter is given the father’s mother’s name. The second daughter is given the mother’s mother’s name. Other children are often given the names of their parents, or unmarried aunts and uncles.
Not everyone chooses to follow this naming pattern. For those who do not, patron saints’ names are often used. Choices become either the patron saint of the town, or the patron saint whose feast day falls near the expected birth date of the child.This is how my family chose our names. My birthday is at the end of September, and since St Margaret’s feast day is close enough, October 17, my parents chose Margaret as my name.
Another variation of the naming process occurs when the first born child is a girl, and some parents wish to show respect by naming her after the paternal grandfather. She would be given some variation of his name, such as Giuseppa for Giuseppe or Filippa for Filippo.
One other departure from tradition occurs when the first born or second born child either died, or was not expected to survive. The name would be given to the next child born, which can become confusing for those doing genealogy research.
Christmas Eve celebrations
The Christmas Eve dinner has traditionally been celebrated with various fish dishes, usually seven but in some instances, up to 13. These could include baccala, clams, whitefish, eel, shrimp, mussels and calamari. Christmas Eve is the vigil of the feast, Christmas, so typically meat is avoided.
Although this custom originated in southern Italy, not all areas adhere to this tradition. Angela Savoca, my Sicilian friend, stated that her family has never celebrated Christmas Eve dinner with the traditional seven fishes.
Angela was born and raised in Cesaro, Sicily, an inland mountainous area, the same village where my grandparents were born.
Angela clarified that the mountainous inland regions do not have any fresh seafood, as do like the coastal towns and cities, where this tradition is more frequently practiced. Many Italian-Americans today prepare the vigil meal the same way their ancestors did, depending on which region of Italy they claimed as their home. So now you know why my family never practiced that tradition.
Wedding cookie tables
Food being paramount to any Italian celebration, the traditional wedding feast is the epitome of endless amounts and varieties of food, particularly the cookie table. Most other American cultures are content with the traditional wedding cake, but when you attend a traditional Italian wedding, you know that you are going to be treated to much more.
In addition to the wedding cake, there is a long table filled with plates, piled high with home-made Italian cookies. For weeks prior to a wedding, the bride’s aunts, grandmothers, and cousins get together, and bake thousands of cookies, and freeze them, to be served later, at the wedding. Usually you will find pignoli cookies, S-shaped cookies, traditional wedding balls, biscotti, pizzelles, fig cookies, and all varieties of almond flavored cookies.
In some areas, there is a tradition of a cookie dance, where the bride and groom dance, leading the guests to the cookie table, where they help themselves to cookies. There are also stories of cookie cakes, where a cake has been fashioned by layering cookies higher and higher to resemble a wedding cake. Pastel colored almonds are used with icing in between the cookies to hold them together. When a friend’s son got married several years ago in Texas, he wanted a cannoli cake. The family hand carried the shells and the filling on the plane from New Jersey, and constructed the cake for the wedding.
Italian-Americans are proud of their traditions, which revolve around the values most meaningful to them, God, family, and food.
What Italian traditions does your family practice? I’d love to hear them. Please share your memories and leave a comment.
Most of Italy is mountainous or hilly at the very least, so plan on walking a lot when traveling to Bella Italia. On average, I walk a minimum of five miles a day and many times it’s closer to eight or nine. I find all the inclined streets, staircases, walkways and hills quite challenging, but the more often I travel to Italy, the easier these have become to navigate.
Italian woman walking uphill in Bergamo
I decided to post a few of these photos to give you an idea of how it is to move about in Italy. It still amazes me that the locals do this every day and think nothing of it since they are used to it as part of the Italian lifestyle. No wonder they live to be in their eighties and nineties and still get around better than their younger counterparts in the U.S.
An inclined street in Bergamo
Narrow stairway in Centro Storico of Caltagirone
Apricale caruggi
Dolceacqua Bridge
Positano Staircase
Cisternino centro storico
Life on the Amalfi Coast
Hiking the Cinque Terre Trail
Winding roads in Sicily
Steep hills in Perugia
Udine – Porticato del Lippomano
Path of the Gods Photo by Margie Miklas
Margie in Erice
Have you experienced any challenges walking in Italy? I’d love to hear your stories, so please leave a comment.
Grazie and Ciao
If you’d like to read more about my travels in Italy, you may enjoy my books, available on Amazon.
Italy travel is on the rise and Venice is a favorite travel destination. Its beloved nickname of La Serenissima, seems to be going by the wayside though, as the city becomes congested with tourists.
Venice is one of my favorite places in Italy, and there is no place else like it. I can’t help wanting to return again and again. I like to explore the small alleys and discover places not mentioned in the tour guides.
It was recently reported in The Telegraph, authorities in Venice are giving serious consideration to capping the number of tourists who enter the city center.
On any typical day, Venice handles an influx of 70,000 tourists, contributing to crowded waterways and pedestrian alleys. Most are cruise ship passengers and day trippers. Venice’s residential population is only a little over 53,000.
“In July, the United Nations warned that Venice will be placed on Unesco’s list of endangered heritage sites if Italy fails to ban giant cruise ships from the city’s lagoon by 2017.” It remains a hotly debated issue, and will be decided at the July 2017 meeting in Poland.
Venice’s main attractions are not to be missed but there is so much more to this city, including the local residents who have built businesses here over the generations.
I’ve been fortunate to have met some of them, like Marco Jovan, a jeweler of hand-crafted cameos. His shop is on the famous but crowded Rialto Bridge.
Or this friendly shop owner near Piazza san Marco
Enjoy my photo collage from Venice…some famous and some not so famous scenes.
Have you been to Venice? What are your thoughts about the overcrowding problems facing this Italian travel destination? I’d love to hear them, so please leave a comment.
Grazie and Ciao
If out haven’t checked out my Facebook Author page, please stop by and LIKE the page…Lots going on there….Hoping to reach 1000 followers soon! Grazie
File Photo Pexels
Six years ago I wrote a post titled Mammoni – Mamma’s Boys in Italy and today it ranks as my most popular post. Mammoni, a term applied to single Italian men who live at home with their mothers sometimes into their forties and fifties. This Italian lifestyle is alive and well today, maybe moreso in light of the worsening economic situation in Bella Italia. And so is its counterpart, mammismo. The two lifestyles appear to go hand in hand.
Photo credit Goodfellas IMDB
According to to The Telegraph, mammismo is an “Italian bond of love between a man and his mother that chokes romance, inhibits sex drive, and even has the power to slow the economy.” They report that Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, the archbishop of Genoa, warned that the phenomenon is “one of the biggest risks to marriage in the country today.”
File photo:Pexels
The Times Live corroborates this information, stating “the classic attachment between Italian men and their mothers – is one of the biggest risks to marriage today.” Going even further, “Leading matrimonial lawyer Gian Ettore Gassani said interfering mothers-in-law were responsible for 30% of all separations.”
Last year ITV News aired an ON Assignment episode titled “Italy’s mamma’s boys: The curse of the mammoni,” where they interviewed three Italian women who left their partners because of their mothers. One even described the situation as an addiction.
File Photo Pexels
From my conversations with Italian men and women I’ve met on my travels to Italy, I understand that not all Italian men are so attached to their mamas. Many are in committed relationships, some married and some cohabitating.
File Photo: Pexels
From what I have discerned, moving away from the mother seems to be helpful so this mammismo does not become a problem for the couple. Traditionally the Italian mother however does always hold a place of honor and importance in the culture.
Photo credit: Il Tirreno
The latest figures from Eurostat show “sixty-seven percent of 18-34-year-old Italians” living with their parents. This figure is almost “20 points higher than the European average.” Due to the lack of jobs, there is not much of an alternative.
So the trend is controversial and I’d love to hear your opinions, so please leave a comment.
Grazie and Ciao.
If you haven’t checked out my books on Italy yet, please visit my author page on Amazon. Also available on Amazon UK.
If you told me I could click my heels three times and I’d be in Positano, I wouldn’t have to think about it. My answer would be “Yes, please, right now.” Since I don’t live in a fantasy land and this isn’t a movie, the reality is I can’t be in Positano whenever I wish.
Sure, I have my unforgettable memories from my eight trips to this magical place on the Amalfi Coast. I have hundreds of photos to refresh my memory in visual detail.
I have made-in-Italy ceramics, scarves, sandals, and art I bought while I was in Positano. Did I mention I even bought a jigsaw puzzle?
But this week I received a piece of Positano as a gift I never expected, through the random kindness of a fellow blogger and published author. I first met Lois Patton as she was leaving her writers’ workshop group at the same time I was arriving at my writers’ guild meeting, coincidentally held in the same space. I liked her immediately, especially her smile and positive attitude about life. I had heard she was an excellent writer.
Lois has also been to Italy and shares a love for travel. In the past couple of years, Lois has been very supportive of my writing, commenting on my blog, and she has purchased my books too. I can’t thank her enough for that.
Once she gave me a gift of beautiful note cards created by her artistic husband, Ralph Patton. Eight different images of colorful flowers were reproduced from Ralph’s original pastel paintings. I thought they were gorgeous and recognized his talent immediately, although I had never met him.
Recently Lois contacted me and asked if I would mind if her husband used one of my Italy photos as inspiration for a painting. How honored was I to hear this? “Of course,” I said. “It would be my privilege.” Lois went on to explain that Ralph no longer exhibits his paintings at art shows, but he still enjoys painting. And then she told me that I should choose a favorite photo and he would paint it for me, as a gift. And I had never even met this man!
So, it didn’t take me long to decide on a photo, and I chose this one of Positano.
I shot this last October when I was in Positano for two weeks to write. I love the view from a road in the upper part of the town.
When I arrived at the library today, a perfect choice to meet, I thought, Lois and Ralph were waiting.
After the introductions, I could not believe my eyes when Lois unveiled Ralph’s stunning work of art. I expected an 8×10 sized painting size, or possibly 11×14. But what she presented me was much larger, a work of art that measures 12×20, matted 20×27. And it was absolutely perfect, so detailed.
I thought the medium was pastels, but when I asked Ralph, he told me he used colored pencils for this piece of art. Now I understand how he was able to create such intricate detail.
I know exactly where this painting will hang in my home, as soon as I have it framed. And everyone who visits will see it when they enter my house.
I thought of waiting to publish this post until I have the painting framed and hanging, but I didn’t want to delay this post. I wish I could steer you to a website or social media page of Ralph Patton’s, but he no longer promotes his artwork. He now does it for the sheer pleasure.
Ralph, you have provided me with so much joy from this personal gift of your creativity. I will be forever grateful and will share it with everyone.
When I hang the framed work in my home, I will add an addendum here so you can see the completed beautiful Positano work of art by Ralph Patton in its permanent place of honor.
Addendum: I now have the beautiful painting hanging in my home where I am transported back to my favorite place in Italy every single day, thanks to the magic of Ralph’s artistic talents.
What do you think? I absolutely love it!
Grazie mille dal fondo del mio cuore. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
For all the times I’ve tried to describe the Amalfi Coast road, I could never really adequately explain what this short video shows so clearly. A classic example of “show, don’t tell.” Thank you, Coastal Living Instagram, for posting this cool video of Positano which received over 22,000 views in six hours. Enjoy. Please check out @coastal_living on Instagram. Don’t you agree, this video is spectacular? Now you know why I love this place in Italy.
Have you been as spellbound as I have seeing these views as you took a ride on the Amalfi Coast road? Or have you had the misfortune to become sick from the numerous twists and turns of the road that you couldn’t enjoy it? Please share your experience…I’d love to hear it, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like my photo/coffee table book featuring images and correlating stories about Naples and the Amalfi Coast.
“Each photograph tells its own story, enhanced by the lively and insightful narrative that accompanies it. If you’ve visited this special area of Italy, you will want to return once you’ve turned the pages of her book. lf you’ve never traveled there, you will put a trip to Naples and the Amalfi Coast at the top of your bucket list.” – Recent Amazon review
Available on Amazon in hardback $24.99
Have you visited the Amalfi Coast? Did you love it as much as I did? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment.
Grazie and ciao
margieinitaly 