Welcome to my little corner of Italy.
A combination of mystery, comedy and travel, the Italian television series Imma Tataranni takes viewers on an armchair trip to Matera, the evocative Città dei Sassi (Stone City) in the Basilicata region, located in the instep of the Italian boot. The beautifully filmed drama follows the career and family life of its protagonist and intrepid investigator Imma Tataranni. Read More
Who doesn’t like a wine tasting? A friend recently invited me to a degustazione di vini at a school in Villa San Giovanni, Calabria, and I jumped at the opportunity to sample wines from twenty different Calabrian producers. Attempting to taste even a percentage of the wines on offer that evening would be a challenge, but I was certainly more than willing to give it a go! Read More
Cool, crisp mountain air – make sure to breathe deeply when you visit Calabria, as the region has the cleanest air in Europe! All of the mountains contribute to this freshness with three major ranges: the Pollino in the north, the Sila in the center and the Aspromonte in the south. As a matter of fact, the Sila Mountains, a vast high plain just above Calabria’s narrowest geographical point, are known as the gran bosco d’Italia, Italy’s great forest. Read More
Fiumefreddo Bruzio boasts a panorama that stretches from Sicily’s Aeolian Islands along Calabria’s Tyrrhenian coastline in the Province of Cosenza all the way to the mountains of the Cilento in Campania. The medieval old town was established for its strategic position, and today’s visitors can choose from numerous cliffside terraces from which to enjoy the beautiful Southern Italian views. Read More
I grew up hanging laundry in the backyard. We had a dryer in the basement, but my mother said there was nothing like the smell of fresh air in your sheets. I haven’t ever seen tourists taking pictures of wash in the United States, on that rare glimpse of swaying fabric in a summer breeze. Laundry in Italy, however, seems to hold a certain fascination. Read More
Red, sweet and crispy – just a few characteristics of the Tropea onion, the famous Cipolla rossa di Tropea. What makes it so special? You might need to take a trip to Calabria to get the full sensory picture, but to whet your appetite, read on. Read More
Visitors to Matera in recent years can’t help but have noticed the oversized Dalí sculptures strategically placed throughout the historic center. The contrast between the artist’s provocative surrealism and the old-world setting, extraordinary in itself, cries out for attention in a very contemporary way. Look at me! Take a selfie! Who would have expected to see Salvador Dalí in Matera? Read More
Vacations are meant to be a special time, a breath of fresh air, whether for total relaxation, leisure travel, energetic activity or a combination thereof. With whom should you travel and where should you go? And just what would it be like to join a small-group tour in Southern Italy? Read More
Basilicata is off most travelers’ radars despite the recent popularity of Matera. My new tour is designed to remedy that! The program explores the entire region, a lesser-known jewel of the Italian south, and I am proud to say that the Basilicata Cultural Tour, the first of its kind, had its maiden journey this fall, and it was a resounding success! Read More
Where will Tucci go next? His Searching for Italy has managed to create a buzz with the mystery, revealed just prior to the new season. Although it’s a country with a richness that could take a lifetime to explore, I wasn’t surprised that this fall the show would kick off with Stanley Tucci in Calabria. Read More