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My favorite area to wander and live in Florence is Oltrarno, the area just across the river from the main tourist center where you can quickly sink into local life centered around Piazza Santo Spirito. One of the many things I love about Oltrarno is that it is still full of hidden artisan studios where, with the right insider know-how, you can discover ancient techniques still in use today to create timeless masterpieces. I recently met with one of those master artisans, hum

Guest post by Mehek Punatar So you’re traveling to Italy and you want the most authentic experience. But you’re also vegetarian! Italian cuisine is extremely vegetarian-friendly (probably the most vegetarian-friendly of all European cuisines). You’ve got pizzas, pastas, paninis, gelato and coffee. Some spots even have vegan options! But you have to look in the right places if you want the authentic stuff. Here are some pro tips and recommendations for exploring the best of ve

The perfect day trip to experience the countryside in Tuscany and immerse yourself in the culture during your stay in Florence. Most who travel to Tuscany have their hearts set on views of rolling hills, plates of handmade pasta, and glass after glass of amazing wine. But some want more than that... Some want walks through the countryside to see the details of the landscape. They want to learn how to make the pasta themselves. And they want to take in the view not from a tour

It’s a funny thing, that greener grass on the other side… I recently met an Italian man named Marco who describes the United States the same way I would describe Italy…exciting, rich in culture and history, immense natural beauty, and people that are more open and friendly than back home. The things I find lacking in my life in the US I find vibrantly present in Italy..yet Marco would say the same for the US. How is that? I’m not sure, but I was so intrigued by the passion Ma

It’s a funny thing, that greener grass on the other side… When I met Marco at a language exchange Meetup event in Florence, I was so intrigued by his immense passion for the colonial Northeastern US that I asked to interview him. In our initial conversations that would later blossom into a friendship, I discovered that Marco feels about the US the same way I feel about Italy. I wanted to understand and explore this paradox that we could be so equally in love with each other’s