The Dolomites, that massive mountain range stretching across Italy’s northeast, is one of our favourite places. The landscape here is spectacular – towering mountains rising above long, narrow valleys. It’s magnificent. We’ve twice spent Christmas in the Dolomites, when those… Continue Reading →

This beautiful city in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy has a lot going for it – mediaeval city walls, narrow cobbled streets, frescoed churches, pretty canals. Just a short hop north of Venice, Treviso has much of the charm… Continue Reading →

Summer may have passed, but the season of the festivals continues in Italy … and the small town of Castel San Pietro Terme seems to host a lot of them. Not far from Bologna, Castel San Pietro Terme is, among… Continue Reading →

After our visit to Montegridolfo, we left Emilia-Romagna and continued south into Umbria and Marche. First stop was the mediaeval town of Gubbio, about 50-kilometres from the Umbrian capital Perugia … But our main destination was in Marche. Macerata is a… Continue Reading →

Five years ago today, Greg and I were married in a little village in Emilia-Romagna. We couldn’t return to Italy without returning to Montegridolfo, and our visit this time brought back all the wonderful memories of that special day –… Continue Reading →

Some of you are familiar with the concept of ‘Coffee and Conversation’. It began in 2017, when Greg and I first arrived in Bologna … Back home in Brisbane, I’d been learning Italian with our wonderful tutor, Benedetta. When we… Continue Reading →

If you’d been a Venetian noble in the 18th century, you’d almost certainly have had your summer villa on the Brenta Canal, a narrow waterway that connects Venice and Padua. To reach it, you’d have sailed down the Grand Canal,… Continue Reading →

Padua – or Padova as it is in Italian – was founded in 1183 BC. So it’s old. Older even than Rome. And like the nation’s capital, a lot of Padua’s rich architectural and cultural heritage survived through the centuries…. Continue Reading →

As we were planning this trip, Greg and I were excited at the prospect of returning to Italy – we’d had such a great time when we’d lived here for those couple of years pre-COVID. And though the itinerary included… Continue Reading →

Marche is a region on Italy’s central east coast, so it faces the morning sun and the sparkling waters of the Adriatic Sea. It’s a place of outstanding natural beauty and fascinating history, but international visitors aren’t drawn to it… Continue Reading →