Uncategorized (Page 2)

So much of the fun of Italian travel is Anticipation… In a few days I’ll discover someplace in Italy I’ve never been before…the Franciacorta wine region, north of Milan. Just a few weeks ago, back in Los Angeles, I was dreaming about it with my friend Pam, and wrote this: The cork pops, my heart leaps. My friend Pam and I clink glasses. “Salute” I say, just like my grandparents always toasted at childhood dinners. Of course, these days, toasting “To Health” carries a lot more weight. “Buon Viaggio!” toasts Pam. That lightens things up. This celebration is making it real. I’ve been watching Italy’s caseRead More →

Discovering Pleasures of this City of Towers, Tortellini, and Tette Whenever I’m in Italy I find myself standing next to a stranger, admiring a naked woman. Such as when I stood in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore with a scholarly-looking signor, gasping over a naked nymph who was spouting water from her breasts. The sculpture, (accompanied by three sister nymphs), forms the base of the Fountain of Neptune. The stranger, Claudio Cento, is a local guide who I’d just met. Claudio is a serious type, but laughed as we circled the nymphs and I asked, “So is this why Bologna is famous for Three “T”s: Torre, Toretellini, and Tette?”. Claudio noddedRead More →

August 15 is a big, beautiful, summertime holiday in Italy. The tradition goes way back to the days of the Roman Empire, when it was the Festival Holidays of the Emperor Augustus. The Goddess Diana was at the center of the revels, symbolizing the cycle of fertility, and all were grateful for the summer days of sunshine and ripening…Here’s Diana in a Villa D’Este fountain. What looks like breasts actually represent bull’s testicles, as bulls were sacrificed at the Temple of Mother Goddess Diana in Ancient Times. Along came Catholicism, and the holiday switched to center around the Assumption of The Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven, a triumphant event honoring the Mother of God,Read More →

Today, in Catholic tradition, is the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrating the day when the Angel Gabriel swept in and announced: THE DIVINE IS WITHIN YOU! Nine months later came Christmas. It’s no coincidence that both Florence and Venice chose March 25 as the date for their founding. Florence became a Republic in the 12th century, and traditionally celebrated their New Year on March 25, all the way up until the 18th century. Pre-pandemic, this was a day of grand parades and celebrations in the city. Venetians felt so connected to Mary that they chose the day to officially establish their Republic in 421AD.  TheyRead More →

Happy International Women’s Day! All over Italy on March 8, even in these unusual times, this holiday is celebrated with mimosa flowers, given by men to the women in their life, or by women to their friends… It’s a global day to celebrate all female achievements–past, present, and future.Courageous women began it in the early 1900s, holding demonstrations for the right to vote and for equal pay and working conditions.  The Union of Italian Women officially declared March 8 Women’s Day in 1945.The scent of mimosas is everywhere, reminding us that spring is near… When possible, girlfriends get together and have fun…and maybe get a little wild…with Mimosa cocktails… AND Mimosa cake…Read More →

It’s a warm, sunny day in Hollywood — -weather that still seems odd in December for this Jersey girl, and adds to an already unsettled feeling, amidst EVERYTHING ELSE. I close the curtains and curl up on the couch to gaze at the coffee table filled with a collection of Christmas stuff I’ve hauled in from the garage. I haven’t decorated our bungalow for holiday times in who knows how many years. Like many transplants to California, winter holidays for my husband and me have become about flying back East to celebrate with family. Sure, I’d put a few things up to get in theRead More →

Buona Primavera = Happy Spring! The Romans considered April the Sacred Month of Venus, Goddess of Love, Beauty, Fertility, and Sex… Her presence is eternal…you see her all over Italy, in sculptures, paintings. You feel her spirit beckoning you to lighten up, enjoy all the flavors and pleasures…Here in the Uffizi in Florence is the Botticelli painting of her being born from the sea… The Romans believed they were the chosen descendants of this beauty. As Virgil wrote in the Aeneid, it was Venus who seduced a Greek mortal and thus became the grandmother of Romulus and Remus, those twins suckled by a she-wolf on Rome’s Palatine Hill, whoRead More →

Happy International Women’s Day! All over Italy on March 8, this holiday is celebrated with mimosa flowers, given by men to the women in their life, or by women to their friends… It’s a global day to celebrate all female achievements–past, present, and future. Courageous women began it in the early 1900s, holding demonstrations for the right to vote and for equal pay and working conditions.  Credits: PagineCorsare The Union of Italian Women officially declared March 8 Women’s Day in 1945. The scent of mimosas is everywhere, reminding us that spring is near… At night, girlfriends get together and have fun…and maybe get a little wild… Mimosa cocktails are enjoyed… ,AND Mimosa cake…Read More →

Buona Befana! Tonight’s the night this dear signora rides through the night sky, sweeping away last year’s troubles with her broom, bringing in a Bright Happy New Year to All! Here’s an excerpt from my book, Letters from Italy,that tells my story of celebrating the holiday in Rome… Postcard from Rome: The Legend of La Befana* “There is no Santa Claus in Italy,” my Nana told me when I was a kid. I had nightmares of how awful Christmas must be over there. Nana said she had to wait until January 6, The Feast of the Epiphany, to get gifts. The presents came from an oldRead More →

100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, Susan Van Allen, Women Only Tours to Italy, Small Group Tours Italy, Women's Travel, My Brilliant Friend

So happy to see HBO’s My Brilliant Friend Episode 6 , where Lenu gets to leave the Neighborhood and go to Ischia…She was so pensive on her way there, and there’s me, returning ecstatic to one of my most beloved places in Italy… The island has been adored for its restorative springs since the days of the ancient Greeks, and today is the largest thermal-water destination in Europe, with over 300 spa-hotels and thermal parks. I fell in love with Ischia 10 years ago, while doing spa research for 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go., and keep returning to discover more of this treasure…The AragoneseRead More →