"Z" is for Zucchini

I was intrigued the first time I saw zucchini in a European market (Cours Saleya in Nice). Next to the green vegetable so commonplace in North American kitchens was a smaller version sprouting a yellow bloom and I could only imagine how it would taste. 

Zucchini Blossoms at the Cours Saleya Market, Nice

"Y" is for Year

If I could spend an entire year in Italy, how would I pass my time? What a wonderful dilemma that would be! There’s no shortage of interesting events going on all year long: music, sports, religious celebrations, and festivals for everything from crickets to truffles. Here’s a small sampling of events taking place in Italy for every month of the year.

"X" is for X-Bones

The Skull and Crossbones is a familiar symbol likely first used by the Knights Templar in the Middle Ages. Today the symbol is a warning of poison (or pirates) so you probably wouldn’t expect to find the image adorning a church.  But the Skull and Crossbones also represents a religious order, the Brotherhood of Death and Prayer.

Pirate Symbol: Skull and Crossbones

"W" is for Wishes

Are you superstitious? If so there are plenty of opportunities in Italy to make your dreams come true. The most famous location for making wishes is probably the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Toss a coin in the fountain and you’re guaranteed to return to the Eternal City one day. I know this one works – I’ve been fortunate to return to Rome twice.

Trevi Fountain, Rome

"V" is for Vivaldi

One of my favourite composers is the Baroque genius Antonio Vivaldi who hails from the city of Venice. I love his stirring set of violin concertos known as The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. If you’d like to listen to my favourite concerto, follow this link to a performance of Spring on YouTube. 

"U" is for Unicorn

The Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees in Stresa is a hotel built for 19^th century travellers on their Grand Tours of Europe. This is where Ernest Hemingway recovered from his war injuries and Winston Churchill honeymooned. So why does this luxury hotel on northern Italy's Lake Maggiore display the symbol of two unicorns?

"T" is for Taxi

The taxi is a convenient – but sometimes confusing –method of transportation for travellers in a strange city. In London you can flag down a passing taxi on the street; in Paris you should look for the nearest taxi stand. I don’t even know what Uber is all about. And sometimes your taxi may not be quite what you expected.

"S" is for Souvenir

When planning a trip I always give thought to the souvenirs I’d like to bring back. I want items unique to the region I’m visiting but they should also be easy to pack. And every time I look at these treasures they bring back happy memories of my travels. Here are three special souvenirs I brought home from Italy last summer.

Ceramic Bird, Capri

"R" is for Red House

There’s an unusual house on the island of Capri painted in the same orangey red used in frescoes in the ancient Roman town of Pompeii. When archaeologists unearthed these frescoes the colour became known as Pompeiian Red. In the late 19th century an American, J.C. MacKowen, chose this shade of red for his home in the town of Anacapri – la Casa Rossa, the Red House.

Casa Rossa, the Red House, Anacapri

"Q" is for Quarantine

During the Middle Ages bubonic plague – the Black Death –arrived in Europe on returning merchant ships carrying flea-infested rats. The sea-faring republic of Venice was especially vulnerable to epidemics so ships were required to anchor offshore for a period of forty days – quaranta giorni – before they were allowed to dock. This practice is the origin of the word quarantine.

"P" is for Peacock

When I think of a peacock I visualize a large bird with brightly coloured feathers. A more modest peacock with snowy white plumage lives in the gardens of the Borromeo Palace on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. And meeting these ethereal creatures was an item on my Bucket List.

White Chinese Peacock of Isola Bella

"O" is for Obelisk

An obelisk is a four-sided stone pillar that tapers into a pyramid-shaped point at the top. These monuments originated in ancient Egypt but conquering Romans shipped many of these massive structures back to Rome where they still stand today.

St. Peter's Square, Rome

"N" is for Nightfall

I’ve heard a lot about the crowds in Venice, especially at popular locations like Piazza San Marco, and to some extent it’s true. But many travellers arrive on cruise ships only for the day; others return to their hotel rooms on the mainland for the night. Then the city can breathe again.

When night falls on La Serenissima, the serene one, it brings quiet and beauty to this city of the sea.

Cruise Ship Arrives in Venice

"M" is for Majolica

The gift shops in Campania are filled with ceramics in vibrant hues of lemon yellow, azure blue and emerald green. Any meal would taste better on this colourful serving ware. And only strong colours like these can stand up to the intense sunlight of southern Italy. These colours are also found on a style of earthenware known as majolica.

Colourful Ceramics in Capri

"L" is for Lemon

Lemon is one of my favourite flavours. This tangy citrus fruit is thought to have originated somewhere in Asia and was brought by the ancient Romans to southern Italy. Now lemons thrive in the mild climate of Campania and are prepared in many ways: an icy lemon slushy called a granita; tender veal scallops glazed in a delicious lemon sauce; and the classic Italian dessert, a refreshing gelato al limone. The local limoncello liqueur however reminds me a little of cough syrup.

"K" is for Krupp

One of the most scenic spots on the island of Capri is a botanical garden overlooking the sea, the Gardens of Augustus. Lush bougainvillea vines compete with views of the Faraglioni Rocks, making this a wonderful spot to sit and enjoy the beauty of nature. Originally this public park belonged to the villa of German industrialist Friedrich Alfred Krupp and was known as Krupp Gardens.

Gardens of Augustus, formerly Krupp Gardens

"J" is for Juliet

You’re probably familiar with William Shakespeare’s story of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet. The play is set in the northern Italian city of Verona and, though the characters are fictional, the city has happily adopted this tragic couple. Visitors now flock to a bronze statue of Juliet in the tiny courtyard of Casa di Giulietta and gaze up at her balcony as Romeo himself would have done.

Statue of Juliet, Verona

"I" is for Inferno

I’m a big fan of Dan Brown’s books. His suspenseful novels delve into history and art, taking readers to some of Europe’s greatest cities. His latest bestseller Inferno takes place in the Italian cities of Florence and Venice. I’ve been to both before but after reading Inferno there were more locations in the story that I wanted to see for myself.

Palazzo Vecchio, Florence

"H" is for Hairpin Curve

Many years ago I was travelling on a motor coach that hit a patch of ice, spun 360 degrees, plowed over a mailbox and landed in a snowy ditch. Fortunately no one was hurt, a tow truck pulled us out and we carried on our way. But ever since this incident I’ve been a little nervous about buses. And while touring the rugged Campania region of Italy I came face to face with the roadbuilder’s solution to precipitous terrain: the treacherous hairpin curve.

Hairpin Curve, Sorrento

"G" is for Gelato

No ice cream lover’s visit to Italy is complete without sampling the local gelato and opinions abound on where to find the best. There’s a wonderful shop in the hill town of San Gimignano that has won awards for its artisanal gelato, Gelateria Dondoli, and our stop here was a highlight of my afternoon in Tuscany.

Gelateria Dondoli, San Gimignano

"F" is for Forcola

The gondola is an enduring image of the watery city of Venice. These flat-bottomed boats are rowed through congested canals by an agile gondolier and a single long oar. Holding the oar in place is the forcola, or oar lock. Forcole (the plural of forcola) are still hand-carved today by skilled local craftsmen and they’re not only functional; they’re also works of art.

Gondola Forcola, or Oar Lock

"E" is for Eruption

When standing in the archeological site of Pompeii near Naples I cast  a wary eye at Mount Vesuvius, shrouded in low-lying cloud. I think of the eruption in 79 AD that destroyed this ancient Roman town and the thousands of people who were killed by the pyroclastic flows of ash and hot gases. Could such a disaster happen again?

Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii

"D" is for Dome

It's a thrill to stand beneath the round coffered ceiling of the Pantheon in Rome. I gazed up at the sky through the open central skylight as others have done for 2,000 years. (For the inevitable rainy days there are drainage holes in the floor beneath the opening.) And until the Renaissance the Pantheon had the largest dome in the world. 

The Pantheon, Rome

"C" is for Cicchetti

In the Dorsoduro district of Venice there's a tiny wine bar with a very long name, Enoteca Cantine del Vino Gia Schiavi. Every day we walked past the window filled with plates of fresh cicchetti, traditional Venetian bar snacks similar to the tapas served in Spain. We dropped in several times to sample these snacks and soon began to call the bar 'our little cicchetti place'.

Assortment of Cicchetti

"B" is for Bell Tower

I love the sound of a tolling bell. And in Italy where there’s a bell there’s often a bell tower, or campanile, nearby. If you climb to the top of a bell tower on a clear day you’ll see the city from a whole new perspective. In Venice, the most popular bell tower is the campanile of St. Mark’s Basilica on Piazza San Marco. The tower also has an elevator.  Some don’t.

The Bell Tower of St. Mark's

"A" is for Aperol

While planning my trip to Italy I made a list of things I wanted to do; the places and experiences from my Bucket List that would make my trip really special. This list included foods and beverages that were invented in different regions of the country, like pesto in Liguria and the Bellini in Venice. When I read about a drink that was popular across Italy, the Aperol Spritz, I decided to trust the locals and give it a try.

Aperol Spritz