Great New Italy Data Plan for Smartphones,iPads

Whether you're bringing your own smartphone or tablet to Italy or renting one our friends at Cellular Abroad, the company tells us that they have a fantastic and cheap option for getting data. Cellular Abroad's new and improved Uno Mobile SIM card costs just 9 euros for one GB of data (plus regular calling).

"If a traveler has an iPhone and they want to get the Italian SIM card, they can get the Uno Mobile SIM card we offer and still get our great rates (.09 euros to call in Italy, .35 to call the U.S. and free incoming calls) and they can get data for 9 euros for 1 GB. That means that they can browse Google Maps live, etc. Alternatively, if they have an iPad they can put the SIM in their iPad," says Sebastian Harrison, president of Cellular Abroad.

Here is how the Cellular Abroad Uno Mobile SIM card measures up to other data roaming options with other carriers:
Uno Mobile is 9 euros for 1GB of data
Verizon is $250 for 1GB
AT&T is $120 for 800MB (if you ask for the plan)
TMobile is $15 per MB

SPECIAL SAVINGS: Cellular Abroad is also offering a $10 discount to Dream of Italy readers with the code: dreamitalia

November 2012 Issue - Italy for the Mobility Challenged, Moving to Tuscany

The November issue of Dream of Italy - covering the realities of moving to Tuscany, travel in Italy for the mobility challenged and more  -  is hot off the presses.

If you're NOT a subscriber, subscribe today to instantly access the PDF version of this issue and nearly 100 additional back issues of our award-winning print newsletter.

Our paid subscribers (who can log-in here) are reading the following articles this month:

What I Learned When I Moved to Tuscany
Thirtysomething Jennifer Criswell leaves New York for Montepulciano and learns a thing or too about real Italian daily life. You can't help but laughing at what she discovers. A must-read for anyone who is thinking about moving to Italy.

Italy For the Mobility Challenged
Those who have trouble walking or who use wheelchairs can still enjoy Italy - it takes a bit of planning but we've talked to some inspiring travelers who share their trips and strategies.

Flying Wheels
A profile of an accessibility travel company that plans both independent and group tours for the mobility challenged.

News, Tips, Deals and Events
The Testaccio Market in Rome has moved into its new digs. A museum devoted to gelato opens outside of Bologna. Two new Italy books for Italophiles.

Cyber Monday Deals on Italy Travel Gifts

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Italy Note Cards - Great Gift for Italophiles -
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Italia 2013 Desktop Photo Calendar By Mary Ann Glass - Special Price

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All of these deals are available on Cyber Monday and on Tuesday, November 27th!

Christmas in Italy: A Living Nativity in Umbria

Settled on a hilltop in rural Umbria halfway between Rome and Florence off the A1 autostrada is Monteleone di Orvieto, a municipality of Terni built in the 12th century. During three days throughout Christmas season, visitors can meander through the cobblestone streets of the centro storico, the setting for the Presepe Vivente or “living nativity."

During these special days, the residents of Monteleone transform their town, consisting primarily of one main thoroughfare and a road that circles the town, into a grandiose replica of Bethlehem.

Upon entering the iron-doored archway to the town, which always remains open now that the troops of Florence are no longer storming the walls as they did in the 1600’s, visitors enter a buzzing historical reconstruction of Bethlehem during the days of Jesus Christ’s birth.

Stores, homes, and palazzi along the town’s main thoroughfare are transformed into various scenes from the birthplace: inns, local artisans such as butchers, blacksmiths, potters, and craftmakers; a synagogue; roman soldiers standing guard and sheep posts; and of course, the nativity scene itself. Visitors are also invited to enjoy local wine and food as they stroll through the unique spectacle.
Residents of Monteleone are dressed in elaborate costumes, hand-tailored by the women of the area after careful historical research and design. The weapons and military clothing are also true works of art handicraft. No detail goes unnoticed.

What results every year is an intense and exciting atmosphere, the grandeur and the accuracy of the scenes, the precise historical reconstruction, the same natural landscape and a certain mystical air that allow visitors to gain a unique glimpse of history while meeting the open-armed residents of Monteleone.

The presepe vivente takes place every year on December 24, December 26 and January 6. Visitors are asked to pay 3 euros upon entrance.

-- Kaylee Higginbotham, Chow &Ciao

Also see another Dream of Italy article on Christmas in Umbria

Photos by Luca Scutigliani

The Perfect Gift for Travelers and Italy Lovers: A Holiday Gift Subscription to Dream of Italy

It is that time of year again....

Time to start thinking of a gift for that favorite Italophile in your life...even if that is YOU!

We're offering our most affordable, goodie-packed holiday subscription deal EVER, with a six-month online subscription starting at just $32! ($15 off our usual subscription rates)

Plus, this year's BONUS is a stunning Italia 2013 desktop calendar by Mary Ann Glass - a $16.50 value. The plastic display case provides a rotating photo display for each month.

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we will send it in a gift package w/calendar by Xmas 

  

  

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Looking for a cooking vacation in Puglia?

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Introducing Capture Italy Boutique Photography Tours

Let Capture Italy Boutique Photography Tours take you to some of Italy’s most beautiful locations - Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Venice – where you will learn how to perfectly capture historic architecture, ancient monuments, stunning landscapes and the everyday life of Italy and its people.

Dream of Italy readers receive $500 per person discount on our May 2013 Photographers Tour, must book by February 8, 2013.

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A Classic Christmas Dessert Recipe from Sicily

When writing my guest article on Italian Christmas desserts, I asked my friend Maria Louisa Manca, who is a very good cook from Catania (a beautiful city situated on the slope of Mount Etna) to share a favorite dessert from her native Sicily.

Here is Maria Louisa’s classic recipe for Croccante alle Mandorle Siciliano:
Ingredients: (for 7/8 servings)
500 gr almonds, lightly toasted
6 table spoons of sugar
4 table spoons of honey
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 pinch of grated orange peel

In a pan, over low heat, melt the sugar and the honey. Add the almonds and the cinnamon. Stir until the mixture thickens, taking care not to burn the almonds, approximately 5 minutes. Toward the end, add the grated orange peel. Turn the contents of the pan onto an oiled marble surface. With a wooden spoon spread the mixture into a compact rectangular shape, about 1 or 2 centimeters thick. When it is cool, with a sturdy knife, cut into smaller pieces and serve

There is something very magical about the holidays that draws us all together... and yes even into the kitchen to prepare our favorite dolci! It is the nostalgia for the times we spend together, past and present, that make our holiday traditions and foods so special...and so sweet! -- Melissa Muldoon

Melissa Muldoon writes the Italian language blog Diario di una Studentessa Matta. Find out more about her 2013 language and culture immersion trips to Venice, Basilicata and Puglia.

Photo #12 Flying Angel - Italy Photo Tour via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The photo above is the featured photo for December 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

When we stayed in Umbria, we used to take frequent trips to Montefalco to buy wine. At that time (this was a few years ago) the town was a bit run-down, but it still had its beauties. This gilded wooden angel was in a church near the town gate, and I'm attracted by anything gilded! I didn't have a good angle to photograph the entire angel, but I didn't mind because I thought this cropping brought to life the otherwordly quality of such a beautiful creature.

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Photo #11 Tuscany Chapel - Italy Photo Tour via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The photo above is the featured photo for November 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

This abandoned Tuscan chapel was in the countryside near Buonconvento, just south of Siena. For me, it is perfection -- iconic Tuscany. We had stopped here to take photos a few hours earlier, then returned as the sunset light hit it, and the difference a couple of hours makes in light intensity is amazing. I took photos of this chapel from a number of angles, but I felt head on, framed by its cypresses, was the strongest and most satisfying composition.


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Photo #10 Rome Cubist Walls - Italy Photo Tour via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The photo above is the featured photo for October 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

This wonderful array of Roman color stopped me in my tracks! How best to show it became the question. I wanted to include as much of the color as possible, while keeping the flavor of the modest street. To my eye, the black detail of the wires and -- is that an air conditioning unit? it looks more like stereo speakers, but it couldn't be, oh well -- add a needed grounding element to the sequence of pastel color



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Photo #9 Rome Bookseller - Italy Photo Tour via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The photo above is the featured photo for September 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

 I had no schedule, no particular agenda in Rome, so I spent my days strolling around the historic district, with obligatory stops for water, wine, pasta and gelato. My hotel was near the Tiber, and I was entertained by the variety of vendors all along the river. Among my favorites were the old booksellers (the books were old, not the vendors necessarily). I love the look of the old paper, the typefaces, the bindings, so I took this photo to remind me of it.
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Photo # 8 Umbria Villa Sunset - Italy Photo Tour via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The photo above is the featured photo for August 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

Can you smell the lavender? This view is from the Umbrian villa we stayed at for last July's painting/photography workshop. Our participants, when asked what they wanted from the workshop (besides learning how to paint and photograph better), all said they wanted to be able to slow down and savor life. So we did. Soon after this photo was taken, we sat at the table, sipped the house wine, dined on pasta and wild boar, figs and apricots from the villa, and talked late into the night.



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Photo # 7 Rome Street Saint - Italy Photo Tour via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The photo above is the featured photo for July 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:
Rome, again. As a general rule of thumb, I photograph all the saints and angels and Madonnas I see, on the street, by the roadside or in a church. This faded saint -- I don't think it's a Madonna -- still reigns in one of Rome's historic districts. I composed this on an angle so that I could bring in some of the soft blue of the old shutters, which contrast sweetly with the worn orange of the stucco. And who doesn't love a bit of ribbon detail!
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Photo #6 Roadside Madonna - Italy Photo Tour via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The Madonna photo above is the featured photo for June2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

Umbria and Tuscany are particularly rich in Madonnas -- not only in churches, but on building walls and even stand-alone shrines. This Madonna - protected by chicken wire -- was along a local road near Cortona. No matter what condition a Madonna might be in, she continues to be honored and remembered with candles and fresh flowers.



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Photo #5 Umbria Olive Tree - Italy Photo Tour via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The olive tree photo above is the featured photo for May 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

This is another 5:30 am morning shot. The villa we stayed at near Todi, in Umbria, was on a ridge. A few hundred yards up the hill was a stand of olive trees, softened by the morning mist. I have taken many photos of olive trees -- lovingly tended by the Italians for many many years, the trees exhibit character and beauty. I am drawn to the soft moody quality of this image, so that's why I included it in this year's calendar.
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Photo #4 Tuscan Sunrise - Italy Photo Tour via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The sunrise photo above is the featured photo for April 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

We were staying at a Tuscan villa near San Gimignano for 3 weeks, and having a glorious time. This was the view from our apartment, taken at 5:30 in the morning. If you want to get this kind of gentle, layered vista, you have to get up just before sunrise. Unfortunately, it won't look like this every morning! but if you're persistent, you will be rewarded.

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Photo #3 Rome Church - Italy Photo Tour Via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The Rome cupola photo above is the featured photo for March 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

When I travel in Italy, I go into every church I see. Even the plainest country church can have beautiful candlesticks or serene madonnas or flying angels on the walls. But Rome, hands down, is the best for churches. The interiors are extraordinary and often Baroque. This is not a particularly famous church, but I loved the intricate plasterwork, the multitudinous cast of characters - human and divine, naked and clothed -- swirling around the dome. It's hard to see in this size of the photo, but at the very top, an angel or saint is looking down on us from heaven.
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Listen to A Free Podcast on Christmas in Italy

Christmas in Italy is such a magical time. It is one of my favorite times to visit Italy or get Italian inspiration for my life back home.

I was thrilled when my friend Anthony of How to Tour Italy wanted to interview me about travel ideas and traditions surrounding Christmas and New Years in Italy.

You can listen to the free Christmas in Italy podcast online here or download it for free on iTunes.

And be sure to get our free guide to Christmas in Italy -- it has some great holiday recipes too!


Photo of Catania Sicily by Leandro's World Tour

A Reading List for Sicilian Cuisine

Barrie Kerper, the author of The Collected Traveler series of travel books, introduced to two incredible Sicily cooking schools in our October issue. Here she shares her reading list to immerse yourself in Sicilian cuisine:
 
Two excellent books that generally cover Sicilian cuisine are Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty-Five Centuries of Sicilian Food, Mary Taylor Simeti and Sicily: Culinary Crossroads, Giuseppe Coria.

But a more focused read is Cucina Paradiso: The Heavenly Food of Sicily, More than 175 Luscious Recipes Reflecting the Rich Arab Heritage of Sicilian Cuisine by Clifford Wright. Wright's fascination with the history of Arab culinary influences in Sicilian cuisine has produced an interesting book with great recipes. A Sicilian gastronome and author he met, Tommaso d'Alba, shared a Sicilian proverb with him: Scratch the skin of a Sicilian and you will find an Arab." D'Alba went on to note, "Make no mistake: the Arabs produced a true and proper revolution in the food habits of Sicily."

(Even In Mary Taylor Simeti's other wonderful book, On Persephone's Island, she writes about Sicilian panelli, saying they are, "as far as I know, the only dish in all of Italian cooking that requires chick-pea flour, and they are made only in Sicily, no doubt a legacy from the Arabs." )

I was especially interested to read about the origin of some Sicilian desserts, like cannoli, which has an Arab heritage, and cassata, a cake, which is derived from the Arabic word qa'sat, a kind of large baking pan. Zeppole (or zippula in Sicilian) comes from the Arabic word zalabiyah, soft fried dough. Wright also informs us that a 14-century Egyptian writer, Al-Maqrizi, wrote in his book entitled Al-Mawa'iz, that the Sicilian sweets traditionally made for religious celebrations - Easter, Christmas, Lent, and all those many saints' days, as numerous then as now - were exactly the same as those made for Ramadan in Cairo.

Photo by dottorpeni, flickr.com

In Palermo Sicily: Marzipan and La Martorana

In our October issue, Barrie Kerper wrote about two incredible cooking schools in Sicily. Here she shares one of her favorite Sicilian treats and its provenance:

It's hard for me to accurately describe the creativity of Sicilian confectioners, who shape and color marzipan into incredibly life-like treats - sea creatures, fruits, nuts, baskets, spaghetti, eggs, etc. Marzipan is an island-wide specialty in pasticcerie, but in Palermo it is king.

Its popularity is traced to the Benedictine convent of La Martorana, where the nuns were famous for their pasta reale from about the 13th century. The convent no longer exists, but it was associated with Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, commonly known as La Martorana because the convent was founded by Eloisa Martorana.

Dream of Italy readers who've been to La Martorana know that it's a gem - with its stunning mosaics and elements of Byzantine, and Islamic North African architecture - and Arab traveler Ibn Jubayr referred to it as "the most beautiful monument in the world" in 1184. Those who haven't been yet must put it on their list for a Palermo trip.

Photo by dichohecho, flickr.com

Photo #2 Borgo in Umbria - Italy Photo Tour Via the Italia 2013 Calendar

Ready to fill 2013 with Italy? We have the perfect Italia 2013 Desktop Calendar for you. You can either purchase it OR receive it FREE when you subscribe to Dream of Italy.

The above Umbria photo is the featured photo for February 2013. Here photographer Mary Ann Glass explains how she captured the image:

We visited an abandoned borgo -- hamlet -- tucked on the side of a mountain. In the hazy distance is the outline of Todi, one of the charming hill towns of Umbria. The borgo was terraced up the hill, and consisted of a chapel, a manor house, a well, and maybe a dozen stone houses -- it was magical! I chose this image for February because its cool colors and strong shapes make it a more inverted image, and I always think of February in that way.

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NEW Italy in Snow Christmas Cards - Special Deal!

For years now, we have carried wonderful Italian Christmas Cards by artist Allison Cross. Allison is at it again this year with two new designs (snowy Florence Duomo and snowy Siena) and an incredible Snowy Italy variety set. These three new products are all specially priced at $14.95 (for eight cards/envelopes) for a limited time only. Get them hot of the printing press!