The booking must be confirmed by March 31.  Please contact us for additional details.

The opera will take place on these dates:

TOSCA
Friday August 3
Thursday August 16
Saturday August 25

MADAMA BUTTERFLY
Friday August 10
Friday August 17

LA TRAVIATA
Saturday August 4
Saturday August 11
Saturday August 18

LA BOHEME
Thursday August 9
Sunday August 19
Friday August 24

ALSO:  Lucca Nobile is offering a 20% on these SIX NIGHT stays in June (sorry, no opera tickets):

If you can stretch your linguistic skills a bit, you might see that there is a similarity between the words vitello and italia.  Why is this?

According to David Gilmour, in his recently published (and highly readable) history “In Pursuit of Italy”:

“Italy seems to begin with the myth of Hercules, the Greek hero who rescued a stray calf that wandered across southern Italy and swum the straits of Messina.  The land the animal crossed duly became known as Italia, from the word ‘ouitoulos’ or bull-calf, a word that has also bequeathed us, via Oscan and Latin, the word ‘vitello’ or veal.  A related theory, recorded by the Greek historian Timaeus, held that the ancient Greeks had been so impressed by the cattle in Italy that they had rewarded the land with the same name.”

So originally, the term only applied to the land at the bottom of the boot.  In time, the Romans conquered this part of the peninsula and the name began to describe a larger area.

Over the centuries, Italy was actually a number of independent states, not unified until 1871, at which time the name ‘Italy’ was applied to the whole country.

Coverage can be given for medical reasons–including pre-existing conditions, but read the policy carefully on this one.  Other coverages include loss of luggage, strikes, severe weather, etc.

There are many reputable providers of travel protection insurance, and you should review several policies because there can be differences in coverage.

CSA Travel Protection has a helpful FAQ page that can get you started and answer some basic questions:
http://www.csatravelprotection.com/frequently-asked-questions.do

Other established firms include:

Travel Insured:  www.travelinsured.com
Access America: www.accessamerica.com
Travelex:  www.travelex-insurance.com

Also, in the US, check with your local AAA for their policies.

The most popular time to visit is during July and August, the height of summer.   This is most convenient for families, who tend to be limited by school vacation schedules.  If you go during this time, you can be assured that there will be a lot going on in terms of festivals, gallery shows, even street music.  It’s the best time to rent a villa with a pool and spend some time enjoying it.  In the major cities, you can expect lively crowds.

But if you are able to consider other times of year, you can save some money and still enjoy  nice weather and traditional events.  The months of May, June, September and October tend to be the mid-season months and prices of accommodations will come down during these months.  In the past few years, these times have generally provided good weather and Italy is as wide open and welcoming as during the high season.

Also, the further south you go, the longer the season.  We recently visited Sicily in November, and found it to be balmy, uncrowded and as fascinating as ever.

And for something truly unique, consider a stay during the holidays.  Italy is become ever more popular for Christmas, New Years and Easter.

If you are considering an Italy trip, contact us and we can give you some additional pointers about the best time to visit.

http://www.italyrentals.com/contact-form.htm

VdT – Vino da Tavola – This is the lowest and least regulated class of wine.  Because it is less restricted by government regulation, the wine maker is free to create it as he or she wishes.  Most are adequate, affordable and generally appropriate for casual dinner wine.  Because they can vary so much, there are some that are quite good.

DOC – Denominazione di Origine Controllata - The name means ‘designation of origin controlled’.  This requires that a wine (or food) product must come from the region indicated on the label.  You can find a list of Italian DOC wines on Wikipedia at this link.

DOCG – Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita – Literally ‘designation of origin controlled and guaranteed’, this standard is enforced by government regulators who test and taste the wine to ensure compliance.  Not a bad job if you can get one.  Currently, there are 47 DOCG wines, and here is a list on Wikipedia.

Trenitalia (www.trenitalia.com) is the site to check for schedules from city to city.  To get there the fastest way possible, look for “Le Frecce”, Italy’s version of bullet train.

“Freccia” means “arrow”, and there are three types of them:

Frecciabianca (the white arrow) – Up to 200 kilometers/hour.  Connects Milan to Venice, Udine, Trieste, Genoa, Rome and other points.

Frecciargento (the silver arrow) – Up to 250 kilometers/hour.  Connects Rome, Venice, Verona and other points.

Frecciarossa (the red arrow) – Up to 360 kilometers/hour.   Connects Torino, Milan, Florence, Rome, Naples and Salerno.

That night, we turned on our TV at the villa and there was Don Matteo himself, the humble priest who works closely with the Gubbio police chief to help solve mysteries and bring criminals to justice.  It was so much fun to watch.

Game shows, variety shows and talk shows are all across the dial, as well as many of your favorite series with dubbed voices.

It’s challenging if you’re not familiar with Italian, but lots of fun to watch and you increase your language skills just by listening.  Some game shows involve word play, and this can really help with vocabulary.

Here’s a link to the RAI page where you can choose from short features and some longer shows.  The most popular series may be limited to Italy viewers, but there is still a lot to watch:

http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/homeTv.html

The other major network, Mediaset, can be found here online:

http://www.video.mediaset.it/

- Visit www.weather.com
- Enter your destination city in the search box and select Search
- Select ‘Historical Data’ on the right side of the page (scroll down–it’s not easy to find)
- Select the month you will be traveling

There are ‘F’ and ‘C’ links in the upper right to switch from Fahrenheit to Celsius.

Here are the average temperatures in Siena for June:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/health/fitness/wxclimatology/daily/ITXX0072?climoMonth=6

We asked about the best way to reach the Sentiero degli Dei, the ancient Roman pathway that joins the towns of the Amalfi Coast like the famous trails of the Cinque Terre.  Sentiero degli Dei means the ‘Pathway of the Gods’.

The woman at the reception was kind and hospitable.  She brought out a map and showed us the way.

“If you go up the hill and turn right, you will find Via Costantinopoli.  Follow this for about a kilometer and you will arrive at the Convento San Domenico.  Continue on this way and you will be in Positano in about three hours.”

We were relieved that we would not have to descend into Praiano, as we were already in a high spot.  In a short time, we were leaving the confines of the city and making our way uphill.  We encountered a German tour group and passed through them politely.  Likewise with a British group that we soon discovered.

The Convent of San Dominico has an ancient chapel which is sparse though beautiful.  The main part of the convent shows the benefits of a new renovation completed in 2011.

Along the way, you can spend time exploring ancient abandoned farmhouses and climbing through rocky forested areas.  And best of all, you can experience the beautiful view that is always with you.

At one point, we made a turn and walked into an open meadow.  Something was in the air, and we really weren’t sure what it was.  There was a tinkling sound all around us that soon became a sort of symphony.  Beautiful.  Then the first goat appeared on the trail, and there were several more in the brush alongside us.  Then they were many, fully at peace with us, as we were with them.  And sitting up on a promontory, the goatherd himself–smiling and watching over his flock.

Eventually, we passed through the villages of Nocelle and Montepertusso and began our long descent into Positano.  It was a gorgeous and healthy walk, always on the high ground.  Even though it had taken some time, it was definitely time well spent.  We met our friends on the beach in Positano and told them about the encounter with the goats.  They wanted to take the hike themselves!

Inevitably Umbria gets compared to its neighbor Tuscany, but that’s not even necessary because Umbria has a life and a spirit all its own. We recently visited Umbria and had one of the best meals ever.

The restaurant is called Refectorium and is located on the Il Convento in Campagna estate in Mantignana. A former 10th century convent, this property has always been one of our favorites. It was our first home-away from home on our debut visit to Umbria with our children in 1995. We stayed in La Torre, the original tower, and were quite taken with the frescoed altar in our bedroom.

So we were only too happy to revisit Il Convento in Campagna with Roberta, our Umbria partner. She enthusiastically explained to us that Refectorium had recently opened in the former cellar and that she would like to invite us to dine there with her and some of our Umbrian friends. We learned that the chef, Luca, is from Umbria and, after having worked in many restaurants in Italy and abroad, wanted to come back home to Umbria to practice his craft. Guests of Il Convento are very lucky that Luca made this decision because Refectorium is a first-rate dining experience.

We arrived early and had a glass of wine with Luca and his wife. It was early October and there was a fresh crispness to the autumn air. Upon entering the brick arched room, we felt an immediate warmth. There was a blazing fire in the large stone fireplace that was bright and welcoming. Also welcoming and warm was how the space was decorated with its original cotto floors and white clothed tables. Roberta and friends soon arrived and we all sat down to start our evening of fun and amazing dining.

Here is the menu that Roberta selected for us:

LA SCARPETTA
Sauce made with fresh tomatoes flavored with a variety of herbs and eaten with pieces of grilled bread called abbrustolito. Scarpetta means “little shoe” in Italian. Italian tradition calls for dipping the bread into the sauce and using it like a small shoe for scooping up the sauce.

ANTIPASTO REFECTORIUM
Mixed meat/cheese platter with prosciutto, salami, capocollo (salami made with pork neck (an Umbrian specialty), goose liver and fresh local sheep’s cheese; bruschetta with tomatoes, garlic and basil; sweet onion jam and peach jam.

PRIMO
Pici with goose meat sauce or Pici with truffles.
Pici pasta is an Umbrian specialty and are very thick, long, hand rolled noodles.

SECONDO
Mixed platter of grilled meats including veal, sausage, and pork
Brochette of chicken breast cooked with mixed herbs

CONTORNI
Fire roasted potatoes
Grilled mixed vegetable with herbs

DOLCE
Sacher Torte – a unique chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot jam and a chocolate glaze. The Sacher torte is named for Austrian Franz Sacher who invented this famous cake in 1832

Caffè and liqueur (amaro)

Umbrian red wine

Needless to say, it was a fulfilling evening, in many ways, complete with good food and good friends. We said our good-byes to Luca and his staff and stepped out into the clear Umbrian night. The lights subtly illuminating the stone structure of Il Convento in Campagna were simply magical, reminding us of how lucky we are to have Umbria in our life.

PS: Our stay this time was in Il Fienile 1. Check it out!