Vatican Museums: Extended Evening Hours on Fridays This Summer and Fall

In 2013, for the fifth straight year, the Vatican Museums have extended visiting hours on Friday evenings this summer and fall, to accommodate the many visitors who wish to take in the constellation of collections known as the "Pope's Museums.” As in years past, there will be live music, both classical and contemporary, in the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel. Read all the details

Dream of Italy's Rome App Reveals Best of The Eternal City! Just $2.99 on iTunes or Google Play (Android) 420+ entries (with a lifetime of free updates) on hotels, restaurants, must-see sites, art, museums, shopping, cooking classes, walking tours, private guides, apartment rentals, food tours and more.

Photo by aaskew, flickr.com

Rent a Cell Phone or MiFi for Italy

Frustrated with other mobile options while traveling in Italy (I've wracked up those iPhone data charges, even when I have been cautious), on my most recent trip to Italy, I decided to test out the options offered by Cellular Abroad.

I opted to buy an Italian cell phone (really a GSM phone with an Italian SIM card) from Cellular Abroad. The phone I bought in Italy in 2006 was lost in a move. For those who don't travel to Italy as frequently as I do, there is also an Italian cell phone rental option. I also rented an Italy MiFi device, providing mobile WiFi access nearly everywhere and UNLIMITED DATA (iPhone users, you know how important this is!) for one price to use with up to five devices.

My experience was impressive:
+ cell phone instructions, prompts, live customer service were all in English
+ cell phone charges (initial credit was $26 for 28 international or 112 local minutes) were reasonable especially when reloading at a location in Italy( €0.35/min for to U.S. & Canada and  €0.09/min outgoing in Italy) and incoming calls as well as voicemail were free
+ minutes could be added to the cell phone before I left the U.S., by contacting Cellular Abroad from Italy, texting a code on the phone or by purchasing a voucher (option with best rates) at various locations in Italy
+ the MiFi allowed me to use my iPhone for surfing, roaming, posting photos as much as I wanted to without worrying about data usage
+ the MiFi meant I didn't need to pay for wireless anywhere or go through a hotel front desk to set up access

When I returned, I talked to Cellular Abroad owner Sebastian Harrison, about offering a discount to Dream of Italy subscribers. We usually only offer these Italy travel discounts to paid subscribers but I'm making this one available to all Dream of Italy readers: Save $10 off any purchase/rental from Cellular Abroad with the code: dreamitalia

Read my detailed review of Cellular Abroad's services

The Ultimate Italian Opera Event in Verona's Arena

Mama Mia! If you ever needed a reason to go to Italy, it might be this once-in-a-lifetime concert celebrating 100 years of opera in Verona's Arena - one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters in Italy. The performance featuring Andrea Bocelli, Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo takes place Saturday, June 1st.

April 2013 Issue - Genoa, Venice, Puglia

The April 2013 issue of Dream of Italy  is hot off the presses.

If you're NOT a subscriber, subscribe today to instantly access the PDF version of this issue, our previous issue on best tour guides in northern Italy and more than 100 back issues of our award-winning print newsletter. Our paid subscribers (who can log-in here) are reading the following articles this month:

Exploring the Palazzi and Piatti of Genoa
At first glance, a newcomer may wonder what Petrarch was thinking when he dubbed Genoa "La Superba." But it doesn't take long to first discover and then delight in the charms of this ancient fishing village-cum-bustling seaport.

Genoa Travel Guide: Where to Stay and Eat, Palaces and Tour Guides
When you're ready to visit Genoa, consult our mini-guide? We've got great places to taste Ligurian cuisine, former palaces turned hotels and museums and charming Genoa tour guides to show you around.

My Venetian Pleasures: A Spa, Vivaldi, Murano Beads and A Church of Miracles
La Serenissima, meaning "the most serene," is the nickname of the magical city of Venice. Follow me as I wander through the city looking for enchanting experiences that you too can indulge in when you visit the city.

A Lesson in Pugliese Cooking
Our Puglia cooking class is in a whitewashed former stable with a lipstick-red door, called Stalla del Prete, featuring a wood-fired oven dating from 1500. The morning lesson includes lots of hands-on participation, demonstrations and lunch afterward.

Must-See Exhibit in Milan: Leonardo3 – The World of Leonardo

If you're planning to visit Milan this summer, don't miss an exhibit that just sold 40,000 tickets in its first 40 days - Leonardo3 – The World of Leonardo. This interactive exhibit focuses on in interpreting 5,000 pages of Leonardo DaVinci's notebooks and runs through July 31 in the Sale del Re in Piazza della Scala (across from the Galleria).

This show presents the results of research carried out over the last ten years by Mario Taddei and Edoardo Zanon. Its purpose is to highlight Leonardo’s work not just as “artist” but also as “engineer” and help us understand what he wrote, what he designed, the studies he made for his machines and how he worked. 

The research is presented as more than 200 interactive 3D machines are on display, in addition to physical reproductions of Leonardo’s machines, many of which he never even built and are seen here for the first time ever.
For the first time, there's a complete edition of the Codex Atlanticus with more than 1100 folios that visitors can consult digitally. Leonardo in Milan guides the viewer through the firsthand experiences of building the Flying Machine of Milan, constructing the highest tower in the world planned for Sforza Castle and painting the Last Supper. Another station is devoted to the Giant Horse, also known as the Monument to Francesco Sforza, revealing what the monument could have looked like if DaVinci had ever completed it.

The exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and tickets are 12€ for adults.

Stunning "Sky" Section of Siena Duomo Now Open to Public

For the first time ever and after centuries of renovations, the "sky" section of the beautiful Duomo of Siena will be open to the public on a limited basis through October 27, 2013. Visitors who reserve tickets will be lead by a guide through hidden walkways, indoor and outdoor balconies and spiral staircases.

Groups will ascend the two towers that flank the church via private spiral staircases, bringing them excitingly close to the starry sky frescoes on the vaults of the structure - also known as Porta del Cielo (Door of Heaven).  The tour will provide a bird's eye view of the Duomo's inlaid marble mosaic floor. Visitors can cross the walkway over the main altar viewing the stained glass rose window by Di Buoninsegna from a unique vantage point. All of this was only accessible by building architects until now.

Reservations are required to take the tour. Tickets are 25€ per person and can be reserved by calling (39) 0577 286300 or emailing  opasiena@operalaboratori.com

If you're visiting Siena and looking for a great tour guide to show you the city, see our best tour guides in Tuscany.

Photo by Thomas Shahan, flickr.com

Cooking in Venice: Making The Sardine Dish Sarde in Saor

In our March print issue, frequent Dream of Italy contributor Susan Van Allen recounted two incredible cooking classes in Venice. She asked both chefs to teach her to make a Venetian seafood delicacy. If you're not planning on cooking in Venice, she tells us which Venice restaurants serve this classic dish.

When I booked this cooking class, I asked if I could learn to make one of my favorite Venetian specialties: Sarde in Saor. It’s a traditional dish of fried sardines marinated in onions, vinegar, and sugar, resulting in an intense, savory flavor. Marinating it for at least a few days is essential to the recipe.

To my pleasant surprise, Chef Patrizia unveils a Sarde in Saor she made for me days earlier, so I could taste her proper rendition, and then shows me another version she’s made: Verdure in Saor, where sardines are replaced with sautéed zucchini, potatoes, eggplant, and peppers.

As I gut the sardines and chop onions, Patrizia tells me how Sarde in Saor originated centuries ago when fisherman would be at sea for weeks at a time. Since there was no refrigeration, fisherman’s wives invented a way of preserving fish so it would last for their husband’s time away from home. In the Renaissance, pine nuts and raisins were added to the recipe, to aid digestion and sweeten the breath.
The kitchen fills with the homey aroma of onions slowly cooking in oil. Patrizia hands me toothpaste to wash my hands, her clever way to take away the fishy sardine smell.

If you’re looking to make Sarde in Saor in Venice, check out Susan's full article on Venice cooking schools. If you just want to try the dish,  here are two restaurants that serve the Venetian classic:

Osteria Oliva Nera
Castello 3417/18 (near San Zaccaria)
(39) 041 5222170

Antiche Carampane
San Polo 1911, (near Rialto)
(39) 041 5240165

Read more about cooking classes in Italy

March 2013 Issue - Stresa and Lake Maggiore, Cooking Classes in Venice

The March 2013 issue of Dream of Italy  is hot off the presses.

If you're NOT a subscriber, subscribe today to instantly access the PDF version of this issue, our previous issue on best tour guides in northern Italy and more than 100 back issues of our award-winning print newsletter. Our paid subscribers (who can log-in here) are reading the following articles this month:

Cooking Up A Storm in Venice
The former Venetian Republic has a cuisine unto itself, very focused on seafood. Dive into local Venice life by taking a cooking class. Plus we will tell you where to eat Sarde in Saor, a local sardine dish.

Venice Hotel News
A new luxury hotel opens on Venice's Grand Canal on June 1. Plus a big Marriott will be opening in 2014 on a private Venetian island.

De-Stressing in Stresa
With humble beginnings as tiny Lake Maggiore fishing village accessed by a dirt Roman road, Stresa’s attraction as a holiday town with newly constructed elegant villas, hotels and gardens, soared after the 1906 construction of the Simplon Tunnel Railway. Stresa is small and very beautiful.

More Excursions from Stresa
When you're visiting Lake Maggiore, there's so much to see. We recommend Rocca Borromeo, Villa Taranto, the Alpine Gardens and more...
A Day Into Switzerland
The Lago Maggiore Express is an intriguing combination train and boat trip between Stresa and Locarno, Switzerland. Scenery along the route ranges from pastoral and beautiful to rugged and spectacular