Antico Sole Italy

30/10/2024

Local market update: early autumn edition

31/07/2024

Flee the city crowds and slow it down in Tuscany's Val d'Orcia with a walk around the hill town Pienza and its Path of Art and Soul.

The Sentiero dell’Arte e dell’Anima, or Path of Art and Soul, in Pienza, is lined with 28 benches created by well-known artists where visitors can take in the countryside of the Val d’Orcia.

01/07/2024

It’s always easy to find a parking spot with a scooter!

02/06/2024

Early Sunday morning is the best time to have the city to yourself.

25/04/2024

Starting today day-trippers to Venice between 8:30 am to 4:00 pm for 29 select peak days through mid-July will need to pay an entry fee of Euro 5 per person. Visitors in hotels or private residences are exempt from payment but must register before arrival to avoid the fee. See this link to register or pay before arrival: https://cda.ve.it/en/

Day visitors to Venice on Thursday had to pay to get in as the famous city started implementing the much-talked about day trip fee

25/04/2024

Today is Liberation Day in Italy - or Festa della Liberazione, a national public holiday. Each year on April 25 Italians commemorate the end of the Fascist regime and of the N**i Germany occupation during World War II, as well as the victory of Italy's Resistance movement of the courageous partisans - partigiani - who opposed the regime. The partigiani comprised a network of anti-Fascist activists from diverse backgrounds including workers, farmers, students and intellectuals across Italy. Their courage and strength is appreciated today. 🇮🇹

April 25th is a public holiday in Italy, but what exactly are we celebrating? Here's a quick look at the history.

23/04/2024

The other side of Pisa…unexpected! Similar to its neighbor Florence down the river, but with a laid back university vibe when you get out of the shadow of that famous tower, away from the crowds. Try it!

13/04/2024

Stunning new frescoes in excellent condition have been uncovered in Pompeii, a treasure chest of ancient Roman art and architecture.

Archaeologists unearth significant new paintings in the ancient Roman town buried by a volcano in AD79.

21/03/2024

Join us this Sunday, March 24 as I guest speak for my colleague Elaine Ruffolo's Art History Encounters series in a LIVE virtual Zoom tour of "Easter Traditions Across Italy" - a journey across the peninsula to discover how Italians celebrate not just Easter Sunday but all the other holidays that fall into the passionate nine-day Holy Week. We'll cover a panorama of centuries-old traditions from street processions to sacred representations to food festivals, as cities from Florence to Naples to Trapani, Sicily bring out thousands of people to participate in their springtime festivities and folkloric events. Naturally Easter food - and sweets - will be enjoyed along the way!
Sunday, March 24 at 1:00 PM CST (USA) / 7:00 PM CET (Italy).

JOIN PRESENTATION HERE:
https://elaineruffolo.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e1ba05215edf5753b71773dc&id=5075376324&e=d7345285e2

12/03/2024

A tiny piazza in Rome will lead you to this hidden paradise...art, food, color, architecture, history, cheer 🍋

19/02/2024

Peek into an early spring here in Vignoni, a medieval castle perched above the ancient spa town of Bagno Vignoni. We are in the Val d'Orcia, one of Tuscany's most picturesque valleys featuring celebrated towns like Pienza and Montalcino.

But for something more unique, tuck into lesser-visited Bagno Vignoni for a day or even overnight, to experience the ancient thermal springs renowned here since Etruscan and Roman times. The natural flowing springs are known for their therapeutic qualities and bubble up from an impressive rectangular stone pool in the center of the square where most Italian villages have a piazza. It is a surprising and delightful sight, especially in early morning and night when the water gurgles and fumes in a magical play.

Piazza delle Sorgenti is one of the most charming squares in Italy...while you can't swim in this public pool anymore there are natural springs just down the hill where the same water flows underground, and a variety of spa hotels in the area offering thermal spring pools and treatments.

You can also just stop for a coffee or meal at one of the quaint eateries with outdoor seating along the stone-paved lanes, breathing in the clean air and marveling at how many charming towns Italy sneaks in along your journey here.

14/02/2024

Buon San Valentino ♥️
Who was San Valentino? See below!

13/02/2024

Buon Martedì Grasso / Happy Fat Tuesday!

During the winter weeks leading up to Lent (which begins forty days before Easter on Ash Wednesday) Italy’s streets and piazzas are overtaken by children in costumes throwing confetti and running wild. It’s Carnevale – a modern version of the old Catholic tradition where people indulged one last time before the penitence of Lent when, among other things, they could not eat meat. In fact this explains the presumed origin of the name of the holiday, the Latin expression carnem levare meaning “taking away meat” which throughout the centuries became "carne, vale!" (goodbye, meat!).
While you will see a local version of the festivities in any Italian city and village, some are more famous for their sophisticated spectacles like Venice with elaborate costumes, masks and wigs, and Viareggio in seaside Tuscany with allegorical papier-mâché parade floats of current and historical figures. Carnevale is the Italian version of Mardi Gras - today is Martedì Grasso or Fat Tuesday (Shrove Tuesday). We still enjoy the tasty Carnevale sweets, typically fried little donuts (frittelle, or fritole in Venice) and fried dough strips (cenci in Tuscany) to celebrate this essential event on the Italian calendar.

05/02/2024

Only have a quick day in Rome? Just choose a few things and do them well "con calma." Morning Trastevere stroll with hidden medieval frescoes and incorrupt local saint at the ancient Basilica of Santa Cecilia. Stroll across Tiber River walking over the charming Island of Tiberina, one of the oldest sites in Rome, on the way to the Jewish Ghetto. Lunch off path in university district near Villa Torlonia with not a tourist in sight. Afternoon descent underground into early Christian Catacombs of Priscilla. Aperitivo and back on train. 🙌🏻 What do you want to see in Rome?

28/01/2024

Bologna!

22/01/2024

Our advice for the best experience in Italy in 2024? Plan early and run don't walk off path to avoid the crowds. Head to delightful smaller cities like Modena in central Italy, a quiet gem filled with history, architecture and gastronomical delights like the local balsamic vinegar. Nearby are similarly rich neighbor cities Bologna and Parma and the Ferrari factory.

31/12/2023

Happy New Year - Buon Anno Nuovo 🥂✨
Here are a few fun New Year's traditions in Italy...and our news.

31/12/2023

Take this excellent advice! Don't wait to plan.

The waiting game on booking travel for next year could backfire with the Paris Olympics on tap and reservations coming to more National Parks.

25/12/2023

Joy to the world ✨

18/12/2023

'Tis the season...for artichokes in Rome!

03/12/2023

For a complete Venetian experience, get out of town and sail the lagoon in a public vaporetto boat or private water taxi. Venice is built on 118 islands enclosed by the shallow Venetian Lagoon. Here on the serene Isola di San Michele you’ll find Venice’s cemetery island graced by the elegant church of San Michele in Isola. One of the first works of Renaissance architecture in Venice, its graceful proportions and curves are highlighted by stunning Istrian stone - a magical sight best experienced from a boat.
🇮🇹

27/11/2023

Faces and facades of Venice…

09/11/2023

It's olive oil season here in Italy, that time of year when we can't wait to open the first bottle of fresh, green cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and slather it on everything we eat. See our fall news along with the story of a local Tuscan olive oil producer and friend, Elaine Trigiani.🫒

02/11/2023

While the island of Ischia is just an hour’s boat ride from Naples, Sorrento or Capri thus making a nice day-trip, we recommend taking a deeper dive staying for a weekend or more to best experience the beauty and vibe of this lesser-known island. From natural thermal springs and spas to sandy beaches; from charming seaside fishing villages to hiking paths and winding roads best navigated by Vespas, to incredible seafood, locally-made wine and more this island offers a refreshing experience for first-time or return visitors to Italy - and fewer crowds!

17/10/2023

Art in a landfill? Midway between Florence and Pisa, in the Green Triangle of Belvedere S.p.A., you'll spot two gigantic sculptures emerging from one of the largest waste disposal and treatment facilities in Tuscany - one that has managed to convert waste into energy and become a cultural attraction at the same time. These Giants of Peccioli, up to 9 meter high sculptures created by the Naturaliter group in 2011, literally grow out of the (non-smelling) garbage to symbolize the rebirth of waste and the power of reuse and recycling. An uplifting and inspiring sight to see a landfill celebrated and beautified by the local community. Open to visitors the 3rd Sunday of each month.