Frescheggiare [fre-scheg-già-re] intransitive verb, tuscan: to take in the fresh air / coolness.
A classic Tuscan Sunday excursion is to go “frescheggiare” in the Vallombrosa, but we’d never been. Somehow it came to mind today so we went …

At the center of Italy, Abruzzo is the green heart of Europe. You’ve head a lot about it because of the recent, tragic earthquakes that took many lives. On tv, you’ve seen Berlusconi and other politicians …

“Eternal Love” – an elderly couple head to their umbrella

The term ”Stabilimento Balneare” may be best translated as a beach establishment. You will find these lining many shores in Italy, but nowhere so much as in …

August 15th. It’s got to be the most dead moment in any Italian city. It’s the national holiday particular to Italy called Ferragosto. Everyone is at the beach, preparing for the night’s feast, fireworks, and …

I know of a house for sale in San Venanzano, Umbria. I kinda want it: that’s the town there beyond the sunflowers. I’ve been following this couple’s story for years through their blog and the …

Italian beaches are a very civilized affair. Most of central italy’s beaches are sectioned up into “Stabilimenti balneari”, or bathing establishments. These consist of a hut or structure with a bar, bathrooms, shower and changing …

Pope Pius II Piccolomini visited his hometown of Corsignano in 1459 and found out that he’d grown up in a bit of a dump. He promoted it to the level of city-state, imposed upon it …

The pilgrimage church of The Madonna of San Biagio lies just outside of the town of Montepulciano. Its symmetrical greek-cross plan reflects the High Renaissance drive towards perfection in a combination of squares and circles.
The …

A Poem:
 
 

 
The city of Venice is slowly sinking; ground floors of buildings become useless.
The ocean waters are rising one annual inch.
Flooding is frequent, daily in winter.
Sidewalks float away.
The mayor says: “buy tall rain boots”.

My friends own a recently restored holiday rental accomodation in Tuscany that I highly recommend for its peaceful atmosphere and excellent hospitality. Il Poggiolo Tuscany (www.poggiolotuscany.com) offers two large, beautifully decorated accomodations in the heart …

Here is a common kitchen appliance from Etruscan and Roman times that has gone the way of the dodo bird… the GHIRARIUM. Etruscan finds in many areas, including in Cortona and Chiusi, have revealed the …

At just about any time of any day of the week, you can walk into Cocoa on via Guelfa in Cortona and find Alessio Burroni with his hands in some chocolate or dough. You enter …