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April 10, 2013 – 7:00 am | 4 Comments

It seems cliché to speak of reawakening after a long Winter, but with the amount of rain we got this year, putting England to shame, even a slight glimpse of Spring is extremely welcome. Easter came early this year and for a few hours on Sunday morning here in Maremma, the skies cleared, the sun …

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Being a woman in Italy… in the Renaissance

May 8, 2013 – 7:00 am | 11 Comments

Anytime any of my friends expresses a preference for having lived in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, I like to remind them that had they done so, their chances of dying in childbirth would be much higher than their likelihood of receiving any education. A 10 percent chance of dying in childbirth awaited each …

It’s finally Spring in Tuscany!

April 10, 2013 – 7:00 am | 4 Comments

It seems cliché to speak of reawakening after a long Winter, but with the amount of rain we got this year, putting England to shame, even a slight glimpse of Spring is extremely welcome. Easter came early this year and for a few hours on Sunday morning here in Maremma, the skies cleared, the sun …

Abetone: the closest ski resort to Florence

March 6, 2013 – 7:12 am |

With Florence’s weather ranging from rainy and yucky to reasonably sunny and warm, it’s hard to imagine that there is a decent ski resort only an hour and a half away from the city. Yet Abetone is the closest skiing in Tuscany and it’s great for either a day trip or a weekend. This season …

Handmade with a little digital help… Italy’s new artisans

February 6, 2013 – 6:05 am | 6 Comments

They’re called ‘Makers‘ in the States and Artigiani Digitali in Italy, and they’re slated to be the next wave of artisans. With this month’s Italy Roundtable topic being ‘handmade,’ I get to talk about my new project as the blog editor for MakeTank, a blog and marketplace that intends to become the Etsy for Italian, …

New beginnings for old things

January 16, 2013 – 7:00 am | 8 Comments

Ofelio is of a category of artisans that is not trendy right now. The kind artisans that nobody writes exalted articles about nor photographs in their workshops, and probably if you tried to interview Ofelio or photograph him he’d tell you to f-off out of modesty. He has no idea that I took this picture …

On not drinking in Italy

December 12, 2012 – 7:00 am | 12 Comments
On not drinking in Italy

Once again it’s Italy Blogging Roundtable time, and this time my colleagues have come up with a helluva topic: Drinking (and/in Italy). I will tell you why I find this to be a difficult topic, and then talk about what it’s like to be a non-drinker in this country.

Win 4 nights at Behind the Tower in Pisa and support Passports with Purpose

November 28, 2012 – 7:15 am | 2 Comments

Gloria from the Pisa vacation rental “Behind the Tower” and I, Alexandra from ArtTrav, have teamed up to offer a prize in the 2012 Passports with Purpose charitable campaign – proceeds go to providing clean drinking water in Haiti. Do you want to win four nights in Pisa, a great starting point to explore both …

Public art and the Piazza – Paladino in Santa Croce

November 14, 2012 – 7:00 am | 10 Comments

The topic of this month’s Italy Roundtable is the piazza, and Florens 2012 handed me the perfect solution to what to write. On the occasion of the Biennial of cultural and environmental heritage, Fondazione Florens commissioned an impactful work of public art by the Italian contemporary artist Mimmo Paladino. Piazza Santa Croce became a magical …

Heading into Florens 2012

November 2, 2012 – 11:01 pm | 2 Comments

I’m heading into a deep tunnel of work, but it’s a good thing. That’s because I’m leading a social media team of 21 people at the major international conference and event, Florens 2012, from November 3-11. Florens is a week dedicated to cultural heritage and economy – more specifically where the two meet (I’ve reflected …

Florence museums and activities for kids

October 10, 2012 – 7:10 am | 3 Comments

I don’t have kids (actually, I try to avoid them as much as possible), so I may not be the number one authority on tips on what to do with children in Italy (or anywhere else for that matter), or what museums in Florence are kid-friendly. Luckily, I have a regular columnist – Laura de …

Getting a bra that fits… in Italy

September 12, 2012 – 7:05 am | 5 Comments

There are some countries in which the bra fitting is a rite of passage and a moment to be repeated every decade or so, or after massive changes to one’s body. There are countries in which bras are more lacy, or more practical, or more flexible in sizing and types. Italy is not one of …

Virtues and Vices in Renaissance Art

July 24, 2012 – 11:00 am | 3 Comments
Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights

When one of my colleagues at the Italy Roundtable suggested the topic ‘Virtues and Vices‘ for our monthly thematic article, I thought “Oh, that is easy, there are tons of examples of Virtues and Vices in Renaissance art. I wonder what the others will write about, since this is clearly just an art historical topic.” …