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Italy Travel Tales & Tips, Piazzale degli Uffizi, Florence (2026)

30/08/2026

15 Unforgettable Things to Do in Puglia

Puglia is one of those places where the best trip isn’t built around one famous attraction. It’s the combination of white villages, ridiculously blue water, olive country, caves, food and evenings when entire towns seem to come outside at once.

If it were my first trip, these are the 15 experiences I’d want.

1. Sleep in a trullo

Don’t just photograph Alberobello. Spend at least one night in a real trullo, preferably somewhere in the countryside of the Valle d’Itria where you can wake up surrounded by olive trees instead of tour groups.

2. See Alberobello early in the morning

Alberobello is famous for a reason. More than 1,500 trulli make the town unlike anywhere else in Italy, but come early, before the busiest part of the day, when the little lanes still feel peaceful.

3. Take a boat beneath Polignano a Mare

Polignano is beautiful from above, but seeing those cliffs from the water is even better. The coastline is filled with sea caves underneath the old town, and a small boat trip gives you a completely different view of the place.

4. Get lost in Ostuni after sunset

The White City looks spectacular from a distance, but the best part is simply walking its narrow lanes in the evening. Have dinner, forget the map and see where the staircases and arches take you.

5. Watch orecchiette being made in Bari Vecchia

Walk through the old streets of Bari and you’ll still find women making orecchiette by hand outside their homes. Then eat a plate of them rather than just taking the photograph.

6. Spend an evening in Lecce

Lecce deserves more than a quick daytime stop. The warm-colored local stone makes its Baroque churches and palaces glow in the evening, and the historic center is made for a slow passeggiata.

7. Swim at Baia dei Turchi

Near Otranto, this is one of those stretches of Salento where pine trees, pale sand and intensely clear water come together. Go early in summer if you want to experience it before the crowds arrive.

8. Walk through Otranto

The sea is beautiful, but don’t stop at the waterfront. Go into the old town, walk the walls and visit the cathedral with its extraordinary medieval mosaic floor.

9. Explore the caves beneath Castellana

Puglia isn’t only beautiful above ground. The Grotte di Castellana descend into an enormous karst cave system filled with stalactites, stalagmites and vast underground chambers.

10. Eat at a butcher shop in Cisternino

This is one of my favorite Puglian food experiences. Choose your meat at a traditional butcher shop with a fornello pronto, have it cooked there, then sit down and eat it nearby. Simple and very Puglia.

11. Drive through the ancient olive groves

Between Ostuni, Fasano and the Adriatic coast you’ll pass enormous olive trees that look more like sculptures than agricultural plants. Stop at a masseria, taste local olive oil and slow down enough to appreciate the countryside between the famous towns.

12. See Castel del Monte

Frederick II’s strange octagonal castle sits almost alone above the Alta Murgia. Eight sides, eight towers and centuries of questions about why it was designed this way make it one of Puglia’s most unusual landmarks.

13. Take a boat along the Gargano coast

Southern Puglia gets most of the attention, but the Gargano is spectacular. Around Vieste and Mattinata, limestone cliffs fall into the Adriatic and boats slip into sea caves that are difficult to appreciate from land.

14. Walk through Foresta Umbra

This is the Puglia many people don’t expect. Deep inside Gargano National Park, the beaches disappear and you suddenly find yourself surrounded by dense ancient woodland and walking trails.

15. Escape to the Tremiti Islands

If you have enough time, take the boat out to the Tremiti Islands. Swim, snorkel, explore San Domino and San Nicola and enjoy a completely different side of Puglia, far out in the Adriatic.

The mistake is thinking Puglia is just Alberobello, Polignano and a few beautiful beaches.

The region stretches from the forests and cliffs of Gargano all the way down through the Valle d’Itria and Salento, with more than 900 kilometers of coastline along the way.

Give it time.

Puglia is much better as a road trip than a checklist.

30/08/2026

Skip Bari? You Might Miss the Best Part of Puglia

A lot of travelers land in Bari, pick up a car or catch a train, and immediately leave for Polignano, Alberobello or Ostuni.

I think that is a mistake.

Bari Vecchia is one of the most atmospheric old towns in Puglia, with narrow medieval streets, tiny shrines, churches, courtyards and local life still happening right outside people’s homes. You can still see women making orecchiette by hand in the old streets.

Then there is the Basilica of San Nicola, the Norman-Swabian Castle and the long seafront overlooking the Adriatic.

And Bari is a great food city. Focaccia barese, panzerotti, orecchiette with cime di rapa, rice with potatoes and mussels — you could justify staying an extra night just for dinner.

Bari may not have the postcard fame of some smaller Puglian towns.

But that is exactly why I like it.

Don’t just use Bari to arrive in Puglia.

Stay long enough to actually see it.

29/08/2026

Firenze

28/08/2026

Looks Like Venice? Look Again — This Is Chioggia

If you love canals, fishing boats, colorful houses and that unmistakable Venetian lagoon atmosphere but would happily trade some of Venice’s crowds and prices for somewhere slower, put Chioggia on your map.

And no, Chioggia is not Venice.

It is a real lagoon city with its own history, traditions and personality, sitting at the southern end of the Venetian Lagoon. It is built across small islands connected by bridges, with canals cutting through the historic centre and narrow calli running between old houses. That is why photographs can make people do a double take.

The difference becomes obvious when you arrive.

In Venice, you can spend half the day moving with thousands of other visitors between Rialto and San Marco. In Chioggia, you can still walk beside a canal and watch fishing boats being unloaded, see locals stopping at the market, have coffee without planning it like an attraction and actually hear normal life happening around you.

That is what I like about it.

Start with Corso del Popolo, the long main street through the historic centre. From there, wander toward Canal Vena, where bridges cross one of the prettiest parts of town and boats sit beneath rows of colorful buildings.

Keep going toward Ponte di Vigo at the end of the canal. This is one of the classic Chioggia views and exactly the place where people start understanding why the town gets compared with Venice.

But Chioggia’s real identity is fishing.

The fish market is not something created for tourists. Fishing has been central to the local economy for generations, and fresh Adriatic seafood still plays a huge role in everyday life and local cooking.

If you are here around lunchtime, this is where I would spend some money.

Look for local seafood rather than ordering the same generic Italian dishes you could eat anywhere. Depending on the season and restaurant, you will find lagoon and Adriatic fish, shellfish, cuttlefish, sardines and traditional dishes connected with the fishing culture of the area.

There is another reason Chioggia makes an interesting alternative for a few days: Sottomarina is right beside it.

Walk or drive across and suddenly the canals and fishing boats give way to a long Adriatic beach. That means you can spend the morning wandering through an old lagoon town, have seafood for lunch and spend the afternoon beside the sea.

And then there is the price.

I would be careful with anyone promising that Chioggia is always exactly “half the price of Venice,” because hotel and restaurant prices change enormously with the season and individual property.

But Chioggia can be significantly easier on the budget, particularly for accommodation and eating away from Italy’s most heavily visited tourist zones. In some periods, the difference can be dramatic.

More importantly, you often feel like you are paying for the food or hotel rather than simply paying for one of the most famous addresses on earth.

Chioggia is also a place where I would stay overnight rather than race through for two hours.

Walk the canals during the afternoon, have dinner, then go out again when the light changes. In summer, combine it with Sottomarina. If you happen to be there on Thursday morning, Corso del Popolo hosts the traditional weekly market known locally as “El Zioba,” a tradition dating back to the 19th century.

This is not somewhere I would visit expecting a cheaper copy of Venice.

That would completely miss the point.

Venice is Venice, and everyone should see it.

Chioggia offers something different: canals without constantly fighting for space, a strong fishing culture, a genuine local market, beaches nearby, excellent seafood and a historic centre that still feels like a place people use every day.

28/08/2026

When Tuscany Gets Too Busy, I Come to Sorano

There is a version of Tuscany everyone knows: Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Val d’Orcia, the famous wine towns and the roads everyone stops to photograph.

And then there is Sorano.

This little town in southern Tuscany feels completely different. Instead of sitting neatly on top of a hill, Sorano seems to grow directly out of the volcanic rock. Houses, walls and narrow streets are stacked above deep ravines, and from a distance the whole village almost disappears into the landscape.

That is the first reason I like it.

The second is the silence.

You can still walk through Sorano without feeling that every street has been arranged for visitors. There are no huge tour groups constantly moving through the centre, no line of people waiting for the same photograph and no need to rush from one “must-see” attraction to another.

You simply walk.

Start around the old town and follow the narrow medieval streets downhill. Some passages become so tight that the buildings almost touch above you. Stone staircases appear between houses, little arches connect streets, and every few minutes the view suddenly opens toward the surrounding valleys.

Above the town stands the Fortezza Orsini, the enormous fortress that reminds you how strategically important this place once was. The Orsini family controlled Sorano for centuries, and the defensive structures still dominate the skyline today.

But one of the most fascinating things is outside the village.

This part of southern Tuscany is filled with vie cave, ancient roads cut deep into the soft volcanic tuff. In places, you walk between rock walls rising several metres above your head. Their exact origins and purposes developed over centuries, but many are connected with the Etruscan landscape that existed here long before medieval Sorano.

It is one of those experiences that feels completely different from the Tuscany people normally imagine.

And Sorano is perfectly placed for a slower road trip.

Pitigliano is nearby, with its famous houses sitting dramatically on another tuff cliff. Sovana gives you a tiny medieval centre and important Etruscan archaeology. The thermal waters around Saturnia are also within reach.

But I would not rush through all of them in one afternoon.

Sorano is exactly the kind of place that works because you have time.

Arrive in the morning. Walk through the old streets. Have lunch somewhere without checking your watch. Explore one of the surrounding routes and stay long enough to watch the light change on the stone buildings.

This is not the Tuscany I would choose when I want to see the most famous things.

It is the Tuscany I choose when I want Tuscany itself.

And when Florence, Siena and San Gimignano start feeling too busy, Sorano reminds me that quiet places like this still exist.

28/08/2026

5 Beautiful Tuscan Towns Most Visitors Still Miss

1. Santa Fiora
On the slopes of Monte Amiata, Santa Fiora feels almost hidden from the classic Tuscany route. Stone streets, chestnut forests and water define the village, especially around the beautiful Peschiera fed by the Fiora spring. It is peaceful, atmospheric and still feels genuinely lived in.

2. Sorano
Sorano is one of the most dramatic towns in southern Tuscany. The medieval houses seem to rise directly from volcanic rock above deep ravines, giving the whole town a wild, almost impossible appearance. It has some of the visual impact of Pitigliano, but far fewer visitors know it.

3. Giglio Castello
High above the sea on Isola del Giglio, Giglio Castello is a completely different side of Tuscany. Medieval walls surround tiny stone streets, old houses and viewpoints over the Tuscan Archipelago. The combination of mountain village and island scenery makes it especially beautiful.

4. Lucignano
Lucignano is one of Tuscany’s most elegant small towns, with an unusual elliptical medieval layout that makes its streets curve naturally around the historic centre. Stone houses, Renaissance buildings and quiet little lanes make it incredibly photogenic without the intensity of Tuscany’s most famous towns.

5. Loro Ciuffenna
Loro Ciuffenna is built around a rocky gorge where water runs directly beneath old stone houses and bridges. The historic centre feels almost suspended above the river, with narrow streets climbing between medieval buildings. It is one of those Tuscan towns that looks beautiful from almost every angle.

28/08/2026

This Is the Italian Lake I Choose When I Want Some Peace

Everyone knows Lake Como. Garda is enormous and spectacular. Maggiore has its grand villas and islands.

But when I want a lake that feels slower, quieter and much less like a competition for parking, restaurant tables and the perfect photo, I think of Lake Orta.

It is in Piedmont, west of Lake Maggiore, and somehow it still feels completely different from Italy’s most famous lakes.

The place I would start is Orta San Giulio.

It is a small lakeside town of stone streets, old houses, little courtyards and Piazza Motta opening directly onto the water. There are no huge attractions demanding your attention every twenty minutes. You walk, stop for coffee, sit beside the lake and let the town do the work.

Then take the little boat across to Isola San Giulio.

The island is tiny. Its basilica dominates the skyline, while a narrow path circles through old buildings and quiet corners. It is one of those places where lowering your voice somehow feels natural.

Back on the mainland, I would also walk up to the Sacro Monte di Orta. The chapels sit among trees above the town, and from parts of the hill you get beautiful views over the lake and island below.

But the reason I like Lake Orta is not really one monument.

It is the pace.

You do not need an itinerary packed with ten stops. You do not need to spend the day moving from famous villa to famous village. You can arrive in Orta San Giulio, take a boat, have a long lunch, walk beside the water and still feel like you had a complete day.

And that is exactly what I sometimes want from an Italian lake.

Not the biggest.

Not the most famous.

Just somewhere beautiful enough to make me stop checking what I am supposed to see next.

28/08/2026

Touch This Nose Before You Leave Florence

28/08/2026

The Best of San Gimignano: 3 Shops to Visit Before You Leave

Most people come to San Gimignano for the towers, walk through Piazza della Cisterna, take the classic photos and then move on.

But there are three places I would always stop before leaving. One is famous for gelato, and the other two are exactly the kind of ceramic shops that make you start calculating how much space is left in your suitcase.

1. Gelateria Dondoli

Right in Piazza della Cisterna, Dondoli is probably the most famous gelateria in San Gimignano, and in this case I think the reputation is deserved.

The interesting part is not simply that they make good gelato. Sergio Dondoli became known for creating unusual flavors connected with Tuscany and San Gimignano itself.

Instead of automatically ordering chocolate and pistachio, look for some of the house specialties. Crema di Santa Fina, for example, combines saffron, pine nuts and vanilla, using San Gimignano’s famous saffron as part of the flavor.

There can be a queue, especially in the middle of the day, but this is one of those San Gimignano stops I would still make at least once.

2. La Ceramica di Elena Ricciardi

After the gelato, walk down Via San Giovanni and start looking at the ceramic shops.

La Ceramica di Elena Ricciardi is one of the places where I would actually stop rather than simply admire the window.

You will find hand-decorated plates, bowls, serving dishes, jugs and larger decorative pieces with Tuscan landscapes, flowers, lemons and traditional patterns.

This is the kind of souvenir I prefer from Tuscany because it does not need SAN GIMIGNANO written across it to remind you where it came from.

A beautiful serving bowl or plate can still be sitting on your table ten years later, and every time you use it you remember the little shop where you found it.

If you are buying something important, ask where it was made and whether it was painted by hand. With artisan ceramics, small differences between pieces are often part of what makes them interesting.

3. Leoncini

Continue along Via San Giovanni and you will find another place that is dangerous if you love Italian ceramics.

Leoncini has the kind of colorful Tuscan tableware that immediately makes you want to redesign your entire kitchen.

Expect bowls, plates, serving pieces and decorative ceramics with fruit, lemons, flowers, countryside scenes and traditional Italian motifs. There are also larger pieces that you may love until you remember you still have to get them onto an airplane.

What I like about visiting both ceramic shops is that you do not have to decide beforehand what “Tuscan ceramics” should look like. Walk through, compare the styles and see which pieces actually speak to you.

That is the best way to shop in places like San Gimignano.

So if you only remember three extra stops beyond the towers, make them these:

Dondoli for the gelato.

Elena Ricciardi for the ceramics.

Leoncini for the ceramics you promised yourself you were not going to buy.

San Gimignano is famous for its medieval skyline, but sometimes the things you remember most are much smaller: a saffron gelato in Piazza della Cisterna and the plate you somehow managed to fit into your suitcase.

Italy Travel Tales & Tips

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