Into The Mezzogiorno

Are you following the new Glam Italia tour on Instagram?
(@Corinnamakeup ) 

Today we are leaving Rome and heading into the mezzogiorno, Italy's fabulous south.

We will be spending time on glorious beaches with sapphire seas, staying in mystical looking conical houses, cave hotels and Moorish styled beachfront properties.
We are visiting two different regions, the driest region in all of Italy, Basilicata, and the most fertile region, Puglia. There is going to be so much to see and it's going to be spectacular!

When I get home I'll be blogging in depth about these fantastic places to add to your bucket list, but in the meantime I hope you will follow along on Instagram.  

Ciao!

Unusual Things To Do In Rome ~ The Pyramid of Cestius

It's day three of more fascinating things to do in Rome!

Yesterday we looked at the Jewish Ghetto, Monday was the Teatro Marcello. Today we head over to the Testaccio district and visit a pyramid built in to the city wall. It's fantastic.

The Pyramid Of Cestius

Did you know that Rome has a pyramid?? It's actually one of the very best preserved buildings in all of Rome. 
Built for Gaius Cestius in 12 BC when things Egyptian were super fashionable, the pyramid was looted centuries ago but the frescoes in the burial chamber still remain.
The pyramid is about a 30 minute walk from the Jewish Ghetto through the Testaccio, a tourist-free neighborhood bordering the Aventine Hill. 
Any place that is tourist free has great local restaurants at local prices, caffes with inexpensive drinks, and gives you insight into the lives of the locals. 

Strolling along the Via della Marmorata you will have the sidewalk mostly to yourself and can actually breathe, right up to the moment you see the top of the pyramid above the trees, when it literally takes your breath away!

note the there are no tourists anywhere in sight, and then note the top of the pyramid above the trees!!

A road way intersects the wall where there is a watch tower on one side, and a pyramid on the other. It's actually quite surreal! And completely and utterly brilliant.

watch tower on the left...

... pyramid on the right...

The Romans appreciated art and architecture, and rather than destroy great buildings they built their cities around them. As such they didn't tear down the Pyramid when building the Aurelian Wall in 271 A.D, they just incorporated it into the wall. At the time of it's construction the pyramid would have been in the countryside, but as Rome experienced massive growth during the first 3 centuries A.D. the city found it's way to the pyramid and far beyond.

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Thr Pyramid Of Cestius is well worth visiting. You can walk all around it and also get a perfect view of it from the neighboring Cemetery For Non Catholic Foreigners, the final resting place for Keats, Shelley and Goethe among others.

Inside the cemetery there is a grassy area with benches and trees and a birds eye view of the pyramid.

7 More Things To Do In Florence

I just love Florence.
Florence is one of those cities that I just cannot ever get enough of. Every time I go there I always discover something new. In the past 6 months alone I have been to Florence three times, and each time leaving has felt a little bit like dying. I can't wait to go back.

final morning in Florence. I never want to leave....

I've written before about 30 Things To Do In Florence, Mornings in Florence, 10 Things You Absolutely MUST Do In Florence, and now I'm fresh off the plane back home from Florence again so while it's fresh in my mind here are 7 more things for you to do in Florence

1. Go To Santa Croce

The best church art in all of Florence is inside the Basilica Santa Croce.  

The frescoes in this church are just staggering. 

Dating back to the 1300's, they are still true in color, are absolutely breathtaking, and as an art lover they never fail to bring tears to my eyes. 

The Cimabue crucifix dates back to the 1280's, and although severely damaged in the flood of 1966 is still achingly beautiful.

While the rest of Florence will be bursting at the seems with tourists, hardly any make their way to Basilica Santa Croce, which suits me just fine! Art is far more enjoyable when you're not trying to view it 5 people deep.

2. Buy Leather Jackets At Jimmy's

I've written about buying leather at Jimmy's before, (in fact that blog post still gets hundreds of hits per week) and I constantly get messages from readers who make their way to Jimmy's Leather Collection in Piazza San Lorenzo and buy his fantastic leather jackets. It's quite the fabulous and fun experience, and Jimmy's designs are to die for.

Read about where to buy leather in Florence here

3. Walk Up To Piazzale Michelangelo Before Sunset

dusk from Piazzale Michelangelo

I hadn't done this in years, but on the second 2016 Glam Italia Tour we took an early evening stroll across the Arno at Ponte alla Carraia and worked our way up the river in the lovely, residential and much less touristy Oltrarno, to Piazza Poggi where we wound our way up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo as dusk was falling.
The view of Florence from up high is just gorgeous, and after a day exploring the city you not only get to breathe some fresher, quieter air, but you get a wonderful perspective of the terrain you've covered that day.

And of course there's the green guy on the hill, watching over the city!

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4. Take In Sunset From Ponte Alle Grazie

Ponte Vecchio at sunset, from my iPhone

From Piazzale Michelangelo it's maybe a 10 minute walk down to Ponte alle Grazie bridge, which is the perfect place to take in the sunset, looking down the Arno toward Ponte Vecchio.

5. Grab An Aperatif

After taking in the sunset from the Ponte Alle Grazie keep walking across the bridge and continue up Via De Benci a block or two to the intersection with Via dei Neri and Dei Tintori where you will find several options to sit at a sidewalk table and enjoy an aperatif. It used to be that spritz aperol was a drink you'd associate with Venice, but now it is everywhere. After sunset on the bridge try drinking a sunset colored spritz.

6. Eat The Best Sandwich Of Your Life.

Seriously. The best sandwich ever. 

I discovered this one when I rented an apartment around the corner and every night I would see the locals spilling out of Al Antico Vinaio all night long. 

the street of sandwiches, Florence

Everyone was milling about in the street with these giant sandwiches, or sitting on the curb with the sandwich in one hand and a huge glass of red wine in the other. When I travel one of my rules is eat where the locals eat, avoid where the tourists eat, and absolutely never eat at any restaurant that has photos on the menu.

the three of us had sandwiches from al Antico Vinaio on our last night in Florence

Although you can order a la carte, just pick from the favorites list and have it the way it was meant to be eaten. You will get a giant sandwich on fresh focaccia, with local creamed pecorino cheese, about a pound of freshly cut salami or porchetta, a slice of eggplant marinated in chili flakes and olive oil and maybe some arugula. What you won't see is processed food, condiments like mayonnaise and mustard, no added salt and pepper. Its all real food that just explodes with flavor and doesn't need any additives. And it only costs $5.
If you don't believe me read their reviews - people dream about these sandwiches.
Al Antico Vinaio is on via Dei Neri 2 minutes walk from the Palazzo Vecchio.

7. End Your Evening With A View

end your night with a view

Florence has so many spectacular views, whether they be of the city skyline, the piazze, the monuments, the buildings - so many amazing things to lay your eyes on! So take time at the end of the night to sit somewhere fabulous with a glass of wine and take in a view to remember forever.

Where to stay in Florence:
I'm not much of a hotel girl when I'm in Italy, I prefer renting an apartment instead. A friend of mine has just put her gorgeous apartment in San Lorenzo up for vacation rental on AirBnB. 
You can check it out here

When I Win The Lottery I Wil l Move To Rome

When I win the lottery, and I am convinced that I will, 

I will move to Rome.

I will find myself un attico con terrazzo - an attic apartment with a little garden terrace, in my favorite neighborhood, the Trastevere and I will spend my days studying history and art.

I will lead a simple life full of great wine, bold coffee and easy travel. 

If money were never to be an issue again, if you could live any life you wanted, what would you do and where would you go?

Explore. Dream. Discover. Capri.

20 years from now

you will be more disappointed

by the things you didn't do

than by the ones you did do.

So throw off the bowlines.

Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover

~ Mark Twain

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Today the Glam Italia Tour is in Capri.

Check out some of the things we will be doing here

Follow us on Instagram @ Corinnamakeup

Wanderlust

Are you embracing your inner nomad?
Today on the Glam Italia Tour we are leaving Tuscany and heading to Rome, exploring this magical world.
Follow us on Instagram @Corinnamakeup

Lago Maggiore, Italy

The Magic Of Marzamemi

Sicily is my favorite place on earth.

Endlessly fascinating, she is an island that offers so much, from incredible wines, sensational food, history, art, architecture, and then there are those views. Views to die for. The oceans, the beaches, the volcano. There is just so much!

Last year my Glam Italia Tour spent time in Baroque Sicily. 

One place that we went to that was supposed to be a couple of hours visit, but that turned into almost daily trips back was a teeny tiny speck of a fishing town called Marzamemi.

Marzamemi is divine.

Harkening back to the islands Arab rule in the 9th century, Marzamemi is thought to possibly mean bay of the turtle doves (Marsa al hamen) or from Memi, which means small port.

Marzamemi has the palace of the prince, who in his time ran the place from its terrace, 

a now closed tuna factory, (which was built during the Arab rule of Sicily, and was one of the most important on the island) 2 baroque churches, and the houses of the fishermen.

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It's harbor is full of small boats.

We took a day trip in a boat, exploring the coastline from the point where the Mediterranean meets the Ionian and the rip tides will churn you up and take you away, down past the nature preserve of the Vendicari, stopping and swimming in the bluest sea you can possibly imagine, and floating off the coastline just lying around enjoying the sun.

One of the reasons we kept going back to Marzamemi was to visit the restaurants. They are phenomenal.

You can sit around for hours, eating the incredible Sicilian cuisine of fresh fish, fresh fruit and vegetables, local breads, and washing it down with glasses of the local Nero d'Avola. 

Sicilians are so friendly, they will talk to you forever. 

When you are finally ready to move on you need a couple of espressos to give you the strength to wander down to the beach either at Marzamemi or at nearby San Lorenzo. 

I can't imagine living a life that didn't let me go back to Marzamemi.

I wouldn't necessarily stay there - we stayed in nearby Avola as well as in Modica, and I would love to stay a few nights in Noto next time, but I know that whenever I am in the southeast of Sicily my days will be peppered with visits to this ancient fishing village.

Marzamemi is in the province of Siracusa, easily accessible by car from Catania, Siracusa, the baroque towns of Ragusa, Modica and Noto.

What To Eat In Venice

What To Eat In Venice

Food in Venice often gets a really bad rap, which is such a shame because the local cuisine is fantastic.

Unlike stateside, in Italy there isn't just one type of Italian food - the food of Italy is regional, so you need to know ahead of time about the local delicacies from the region you are traveling to.

Wood burning ovens are largely prohibited in Venice, so pizzas and breads are not that great. Eat your pizza in Naples, in Venice satiate your hunger with the fruits of the Adriatic.

Venice is a city of seafood. In spite of the lagoon getting churned up by unending cruise ship traffic, it still is full of fish, as well as all the seafood gleaned from the surrounding area in the Adriatic.
A walk through the Rialto Market (in San Polo - you can't miss it!) will show you a dazzling variety of seafood, some you've probably never seen or tasted before. Local restauranteurs shop here, so you are previewing what you will be eating later in the day. You will also find an unbelievable array of spices in the mercado ,having made their way here centuries ago dating back to the spice trade. 

** Spices from asia and northern africa accessed the rest of the world via the world trade center, Venice.**

Make sure you try fritto misto, a mixture of deep fried squid, octopus and prawns. Unlike the heavy, oily deep fried seafood you're used to, Venetian chefs are superbly light handed, creating a divine misto that doesn't weigh you down.

Venetians are also celebrated for their cakes and pastries. Step up to the bar in a coffee shop, order a caffe (espresso to non italians) and enjoy a baicoli or a busolai, little local light biscuit/cookies.

One of the most fun ways to enjoy eating in Venice is to go bacari hopping.
A bacaro is a bar. Stop in for the local drink, prosecco, and pair it with a tapas like snack known as ciccheti. 

These are little finger foods, perfect with a light drink. 
Try sarde in saor, grilled octopus, baccala Montevarchi, shrimp prepared in many different ways - it's a great way to get a taste of Venice. 
If you are like me, a total lightweight when it comes to drinking, you can order un'ombra (a shadow) or smaller taste of wine.

 By stopping here and there for ciccheti you wind up eating far less than if you are sitting down in a restaurant for a full meal. Plus it's much more fun, especially in the early evenings when all the locals are out and about, stopping to socialize on their way home. 

How To Enjoy The Best Of Venice ~ learn what most tourists don't see or experience

Another thing you will see is people sipping on sunset colored drinks, normally red or orange. These are the famous Venetian spritz. White wine with a splash of campari (the red) or my favorite, with Aperol (the orange). The loveliest way to end the day and welcome the early evening is to sit outside a bacaro with a spritz and some snacks and watch the world go by. Avoid Piazza San Marco (as it will cost the same as your car payment!) instead head into the other neighborhoods, such as Cannaregio, and join the locals. The people watching is much more fun here! Read more about it in my post on Ca' D'Oro (linked here)

Read more about traveling in Venice here

Check out my favorite neighborhood in Venice, the magnificent Dorsoduro