Visiting Medici Library, Florence, Italy

By the time Columbus sailed, Lorenzo the Magnificent had assembled the world's largest library and built an addition to the Medici Palace in Florence to house it. Lorenzo the Magnificent was so...

Civita di Bagnoregio – The Dying City

So last summer, while my daughter and I were in the small town of Selvacava, in the Lazio region of Italy where my father was born, wondering what to do next, I had the brilliant idea of driving...

Passionate Love Stories Inspired by The Amalfi Coast

Ancient stories and legends nestle among the breathtaking rocks overlooking Amalfi. One of the most famous concerns the Torre dello Ziro, the cylindrical fortification built in 1480 by the Duke of...

Off the Beaten Track Rome: Etruscan Museum

On my third time in Rome, I decided to still run around like crazy and revisit some of the sights, but also add to my list new places that were a bit out of the way. So I went to the Etruscan Museum...

The Mysterious Montagna Spaccata in Gaeta, Italy

The mysterious sea grotto of Montagna Spaccata, or Split Mountain, is a natural wonder found on Monte Orlando, a protected natural park in Gaeta. According to local stories, God was so...

A Guide to Florence Cathedral

Anyone who has studied art, architecture, film, or history will have heard of Florence Cathedral! Now known for Filippo Brunelleschi’s Dome, this most miraculous monument begs the question, how did...