No really...what do I need to wear in Italy??

 I feel like this is the stereotypical topic that ALWAYS comes up when packing for a foreign country visit...or maybe that's just among us gals. Regardless, this question is as old as time.

Just what do I need to wear in Italy?

I feel like people have the general notion that when traveling to Italy, one must dress up and look fashionable. After all, Italians are known for their fashion.

Their carabinieri police have uniforms designed by Valentino. Their Olympic teams are always the best dressed in the Parade of Nations. You can probably name half a dozen Italian designers without even trying. Heck--even the Griswolds dressed up for the Italian leg of their European Vacation:

So do you need to go out shopping before you can even pack?

The short answer: no.

While Italians can definitely be fashionable, you likely aren't going to see crowds of people strutting around in Armani. For a couple of reasons. First--if you're visiting one of the more famous citta' d'arte like Florence or Rome, you're likely to encounter tourists from all over the world--not just highly fashionable Italians. And second--Italians are just people, too. And also like to wear jeans and tshirts and sneakers. 

I will say that Italians tend, as a general rule, to look more put together. They may be wearing jeans, but they were likely ironed that morning. Their shoes will probably be higher quality and better taken care of. They often wear the more fashionable muted colors like navy and black rather than loud, bright colors. And you rarely see an Italian male without his trusty foulard--a neckerchief meant to protect his neck from the dreaded colpa d'aria, or hit of air, that can strike even in the dead of summer!

So what if you want to try to blend in a bit more, and not look like one of the throngs of tourists?

Follow some simple rules:

-When in doubt, wear black. My brother swears by this, even in L.A.

-Wear comfortable shoes (read--avoid heels, ladies, if you'll be doing lots of walking. Cobblestones and stilettos don't mix.), but make them nice-looking comfortable shoes. Low boots. Nice, clean Stan Smiths. Leather loafers.

-For those of us who wear dresses: pack an abundance of sundresses in summer months. Not only will you stay cooler, but you automatically look more "put together!" Bonus--they take up less suitcase space. NOTE! Do pack a shawl you can throw in a purse. Some churches don't allow bare shoulders. 

-Italians are starting to wear more shorts, but it's not super common. They'll usually wear long pants, even in hot summer months. This is an example of where you may wish to forego style for comfort!

In short--wear what you want. Note this photo I took in Torino a few summers ago:

A couple of things stand out here. Note the long pants on everyone, despite the 90 degree+ heat. Nice shoes, clean sneakers (although that woman is taking her life in her hands with those heels! She clearly didn't read what I wrote about cobblestones). Other than that--no serious fashion on display! 

You do you. 

Have You Ever Thought About Umbria?

Have you ever even heard of it?

Most people haven't. I never had, but then ended up with my first real job in Italy there--as a tour guide, leading hiking tours through the Marche and Umbria regions. I haven't visited in some time--years, in fact, but I'm going back there in a few weeks to visit Gubbio--and that got me thinking about writing a bit about this beautiful, lesser-known region. 

Tucked right in the middle of Italy like the delicious filling in a panino, Umbria is often called the “green heart of Italy.” Unlike its trendier neighbor Tuscany, Umbria is like that effortlessly stylish cousin who always looks fantastic but never feels the need to flaunt it. This region has no coastline—shocking, I know—but it makes up for it with rolling hills, medieval hilltop towns, and lakes so pretty they practically beg to be painted. Lake Trasimeno, for example, isn’t just Italy’s fourth-largest lake; it’s also where Hannibal (yes, that Hannibal. No--not Lector) tricked the Romans in a battle. No biggie, just ancient history served with a side of scenic views.

One of my favorite cities in this region is Perugia, a city known for two things: ancient Etruscan walls and chocolate. Every October, Perugia hosts Eurochocolate, a festival so full of cocoa delights that you’ll leave wondering if there’s such a thing as too much chocolate (spoiler: there isn’t). I love it because it's gorgeously medieval, but also has a huge school of Italian for foreigners, which draws people from all over the world. So you can drop into any bar at night, run into people from all different countries, and strike up a conversation.

And let’s not forget Orvieto, which balances atop a volcanic rock like it’s showing off. It’s famous for its white wine, Orvieto Classico, so if you find yourself perched on a terrace overlooking the countryside, glass in hand, you’re doing Umbria right. Oh, and they’ve got a 72-meter-deep well built by a pope, probably just to prove they could dig all the way to Australia if they really wanted to.

Another charming little town is Spello. And in Spello,  flowers are practically VIP citizens. Known for its Infiorata festival, Spello takes floral art to the next level. Each June, the streets are transformed into an explosion of color as locals create elaborate flower carpets that would make even Monet jealous. The whole town smells like a giant bouquet, and walking through it feels like stepping into a living, breathing work of art. Even outside of the festival, Spello doesn’t hold back—every windowsill, balcony, and alley bursts with blossoms, making this charming medieval town one of the most photogenic spots in all of Umbria.

But I'm headed to Gubbio. This medieval gem has cobblestone streets so charming you’ll feel like you’ve time-traveled back to the Middle Ages, except with Wi-Fi. Gubbio is also home to the world’s largest Christmas tree—or rather, a massive hillside decorated with thousands of colored lights to resemble one. Our friend who's invited us there for a weekend sent a photo of it from her balcony, and it doesn't disappoint. Check it out--it's 750 meters high!

If you're feeling like Tuscany has become overrun with tourists (it has), or just want to experience something new in Italy--give Umbria a try! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Deck the Halls...or Churches!

This is a holiday post! 

And I may or may not be stealing this post from my other Blog: "Angie's Trekking the Globe." I'm feeling a bit Christmas-y these days, and I remembered this post that I wrote last year, when I spent some time in Italy in December.

I felt then, as I feel now, that Italians just innately know how to make things beautiful.

Like Christmas decorations. I've always thought they had a certain flair. In the cities, they always hang rows of lights above each street, and it's such a cool effect. In Torino, for instance, they have different lights designed by different artists, and each street has something different. Sometimes this results in things that look...a bit...perhaps...not so Christmasy, but certainly memorable.

Case in point:

I mean, what doesn't say "Merry Christmas" like naked people??

But last year, I saw something new.

They are now projecting lights onto buildings. But not just any lights. They're designed for the buildings so that the lights match the architecture. Like so:

That pretty much blew my mind.

I mean, how do they get it so perfect???

#goals

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire...

 Well, I know it's only October, but in Italy, that is castagne season! Castagne is the Italian word for "chestnuts," and between September and November is the peak time to collect them....or in other words, NOW!

Now we haven't had chestnuts in this country in a very long time, despite the popularity of the Christmas song. In fact, I wondered why I'd never had a chestnut as a child, and I never tasted one before going to Italy in the 90s.

And why is that?? 

Apparently, chestnuts are America’s great "almost food." We should have them, but Mother Nature threw a massive hissy fit back in the early 1900s and unleashed a chestnut-blasting fungal apocalypse. It wiped out billions of our beloved trees like a bad plot twist in a nature documentary. So now, chestnuts in the U.S. are kind of like unicorns—technically possible, but you'll have a hard time finding one in the wild.

Fast-forward to today, and we’re still importing most of our chestnuts or growing them on small farms with hybrid trees. They’re like that cool band that never quite made it big—people talk about them in cozy holiday songs, but in real life, most folks are still reaching for almonds or walnuts.

But not in Italy.

In Italy, during the cold months, you can smell their enticing aroma coming from every city corner in Italy—it’s like stepping into a warm, buttery postcard from a simpler time. Picture this: you're strolling down a cobblestone street, dodging Vespas, and suddenly, you catch a whiff of something smoky, nutty, and downright irresistible. You follow the scent like a cartoon character floating through the air, and there it is—a little cart with a weathered Italian nonno roasting chestnuts over a fire.

The chestnuts themselves? Hotter than an August afternoon in Rome, so naturally you burn your fingertips trying to crack one open. But once you finally get it—oh, mamma mia. It’s sweet, earthy, and just the right amount of toasty. The perfect snack to keep you going between your cappuccino and your next gelato.

It’s one of those Italian experiences that makes you feel like you’ve wandered into a scene from a 1950s movie, except with fewer sunglasses and more fumbling with change. But hey, that’s part of the charm—because in Italy, even snacks are served with a side of nostalgia.

Now you can also go collect them from the woods yourself, and I remember the first time I headed into the forest with a group of my friends from Pinerolo, stocked with shears and paring knives, looking for fresh chestnuts that had fallen from the trees. I remember thinking--man, 20-year-olds in the States would be doing something totally different on a Sunday afternoon. Likely something involving playing video games or nursing that hangover or dropping the little cash you have at the mall. But not in Italy. We were out in nature, collecting chestnuts, building a fire on the spot, scoring the chestnuts with our knives and roasting and eating them right there.

It's actually something I haven't done in years, and as I sit here writing this from my living room in the Detroit suburbs, I want nothing more than to be back in those woods on a crisp fall day, burning my fingers and lips on freshly roasted chestnuts.

I Hate Camping, Too, But...

 I swear to you. The Italian campeggio is like nothing you've ever experienced in the States. Or at least nothing like I have ever experienced. Not that I've experienced a lot. I'm not much of a camper.

But I have to share this tip with you, friends, because the Italian campground is a little-known secret (outside of Europe) that I only discovered THIS summer. After decades of traveling to this country!

To humor my boyfriend, Hans, I pretended enthusiasm with his idea to go on an RV trip to the south of France. I figured a long weekend in a camper wouldn't kill me--perhaps just torture me a little (I should know; I used to own one, strangely). Long story short, the RV trip fell through, but we still wanted a little getaway somewhere, and Hans told me he'd really love to get a little bungalow on the beach. I sort of snickered, thinking that this was just a dream, but not really the type of thing you find in Italy. But he was serious. 

"Look at campgrounds," he said. "They usually have that sort of thing."

"CAMPGROUNDS??" I exclaimed. I thought I'd just dodged a bullet with the RV trip, and here he was talking campgrounds! But I was still in the mood to humor him, and started Googling beachfront campgrounds with bungalows. I figured I wouldn't find anything, and we'd settle on a nice 5 star hotel. Or at least 4 star. To my surprise, however, there were some. Several, in fact, and I began to get curious.

I ended up booking a very nice looking place in Talamone--which is a Tuscan beachfront village in the Maremma--a beautiful little town in its own right.

To my surprise, Italian campgrounds are more like resorts than what I'd consider camping. And obviously, they run the gamut from rustic to almost luxurious, but they tend to cater to families, with lots of activities and amenities.

Our campground had multiple pools, a beachfront bar, a restaurant, supermarket, and lots of staff running activities day and night. And it wasn't just tents and campers. You could book just a plot of land and throw down your tent, but they also had "glamping" tents with air conditioners in them and then a variety of bungalows that were fully stocked houses.

Ours was a small villa with a full kitchen, air conditioning, and a great deck with a view of the sea. 

The beautiful campground pool:

View from the beach bar:

I only wish I'd discovered these campgrounds years ago when my kids were small. We traveled with other families, and were always looking for places where we could all stay together and our kids could run around and play without bothering anyone. These would have been the perfect solution!

If you want to recreate my trip, we stayed at the Gitavillage Talamone. I highly recommend it.

Movies You Have to Watch if You're Dreaming of Italy

 Whether you're going there soon, feeling nostalgic for your study abroad days, or just dreaming that one fine day, you're going to make it there, here's my list of favorite watches to feed that Italophile in you.

1. Only You

Ahhh...this movie, starring Robert Downey Jr. & Marisa Tomei is such a 90s throwback, and reminds me of my formative years in Italy. Classic rom-com. Amazing scenery. Ridiculous scenario. Early music of Eros Ramazzotti featured throughout--5 stars!

2. French Kiss

Yes, I KNOW. It's called French Kiss, and it takes place in France. But it came out around the same time as Only You, and it, more than any other movie, reminds me of my younger years in Italy. So much so, that I used the theme song as my wedding music. I love this movie. It might be my favorite. But lately, it's hard to find. Look anyway. Meg Ryan. Kevin Kline. A whirlwind trip to Europe and a great romance. Watch it!

3. Under the Tuscan Sun

As I get older, I love the premise of this movie. A woman finds she needs to start her life over, and on a whim buys a crumbling villa to fix up and moves to Italy. She finds a new life and purpose as she does so. We all need a little of that! In fact....wait...what am I doing in the suburbs of Detroit???

4. Stealing Beauty

Not one of my favorite favorites, and definitely, with an Italian director, a bit quirky, but love the scenario of a bunch of different bohemian individuals all descending on an Italian villa and having various experiences. I sort of want to make that happen. One of Liv Tyler's breakthrough roles.

5. From Scratch

So this is a series, not a movie. But it really spoke to me, and I felt like it was recounting a lot of my own story. To that end, watching it was fairly traumatic for me, and it definitely has some very emotional moments--the kind that make you openly cry on an airplane, or maybe that's just me! But a great story about an American studying abroad who falls in love and brings her boyfriend back to the States. My story. ;)

6. The Talented Mr. Ripley

I'm sorry, but Jude Law is just BEYOND hot in this film! I could watch it just for the eye candy, but I digress. A fun thriller about a 1950s American youth (Matt Damon) hired by the father of a classmate to bring his son home from Italy, this movie is chock-full of scenery, and I'm not just talking about Jude. Also starring Gwyneth Paltrow, it's a must-see.

A Little-Known Italian Dessert You Can't Live Without

 It took me forever to find a decent photo of it, because every photo I found makes it strangely look absolutely disgusting, but I swear that the persi pien will be the most scrumptious dessert you'll ever eat. If the restaurant does it right, that is.

So just what IS this amazing delight? 

The persi pien are baked peaches filled with dark chocolate and amaretto cookies.

(This is the best photo I could find of them--credit to another blog, here.

Still sound not all that great?

That's what I thought at first, too. Then I went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Italy: Ristorante I Cacciatori in Roure--which is a tiny hamlet in the mountains about halfway between Pinerolo and Sestriere, and discovered these little gems. My boyfriend and I never skip dessert when we go out to eat, and we often get 2 different ones, just to have more to try. 

I'd ordered a bonet--which is my second-favorite dessert, and a post for another day, and had frankly scoffed when he ordered baked peaches. I mean--gross. I've never liked baked fruit much, unless perhaps in pie form. They remind me of my one stint in an Italian hospital, where I was fed only nasty baked apples, but I digress.

Hans ordered the peaches, the persi pien, and when they came, and the sweet smell of peaches wafted toward me along with the rich, dark chocolate scent, I grabbed his plate instead of mine.

That night we actually ordered a second helping of the peaches--they were that good. And when I was back at the restaurant this summer, we told the owner as soon as we sat down that she'd need to save some for us!

Unfortunately, you can only get them in the summer, as they are seasonal. But if you find yourself in Piemonte, where they are a specialty, and it's July, don't miss them. You won't regret it. Even if they look a little like dog poo. Ignore that and dig in!