Ciaotraveler

Ever thought about swapping homes for a much needed vacation?  Many travelers are doing this every year to save money or to have a more personal experiences.  There are many services that handle these vacation home exchanges.  What a great way to see the world...more houses...

One of the things that makes the small villages of Europe so special and charming are the quaint, local neighborhood markets.   This is a wine shop in Pienza, in the provence of Siena, Italy.  Notice the church in the background that adds a serene, romantic atmosphere to the area.  This is a main street in Piensa immaculately cared for by its citizens and business owners to attract tourists. Pienza in the Siena province is a very lovely quintessential hilltop town to visit in Tuscany.  Another...

Complete France In the last few years second-hand shopping, whether it’s for furniture, clothing or bric-a-brac, has experienced something of a renaissance, and France offers a particularly good hunting ground for those looking to create a unique look for less. Easter to October is flea market season across the Channel, with events taking place in towns and villages across France on Saturdays and Sundays during the spring and summer.  See more...

Oh that chef-family-man, David Rocco was on TV today again pushing his Italian cooking!  I just had to watch because he's so charming and well uh, you know, an inspirational Italian chef of simple authentic Italian cuisine.  He was featuring an Amalfi Coast  area farmer who creates hearty and creamy Bufalo Mozzarella .   Now, this isn't just mozzarella--it drips cream when you squeeze a mound of the fresh stuff!  More...

Published: Aug 10th, 2012     Life in Italy words by Kate Wickers With its distinctive red, white and green tricolore ingredients Insalata Caprese literally flies the flag for all Italian salads. Purists would say that it should only be eaten in the summer as the tomatoes should ripened on the vine so that they are not too soft but juicy and full of flavour from the mineral rich volcanic soil found near the Vesuvius. The basil should be young, tender and also grown in the earth and the mozzarella preferably the best “mozzarella di bufala” , made from buffalo milk , from the Campania region around Naples. And don’t even think about dousing the salad in any olive oil. Only genuine extra-virgin will do. Of course there are many variations on the theme and many confuse the Caprese with the Insalata Tricolore, which is a salad made up with the colours of the Italian flag, mozzarella and tomato combined with any other green ingredient, commonly arugula. See more.....

I recently caught the dynamic duo, Extra Virgin's Gabriele and Debi, on the Cooking Channel prepare a local dish for an audience in Tuscany.  Talk about stressed, poor Gabriele was nervous but did a great job preparing the shrimp and zucchini dish with risotto for the crowd.  He is testing dishes to share as authentic recipes from the the Tuscany region .  Debra also shares Gabriele's love of Tuscan cooking and chef duties, but is known as an actress as a regular on HBO's Entourage series.  More...  

Got an iPad?   You can make it reflect your travel tastes such as these  from SFarlow's Etsy  I just got an iPad so what goes better with an iPad than a travel theme case? I started looking around and pricing them and was overwhelmed.   Above are some very charming travel cases for your iPad to keep it safe and secure.  See more..

One of my favorite HGTV design series is 'Sarah's House', and since my crafts area is an office area/closet I can appreciate the room she created today.   The entire house decor budget was set at $100,000. and they went over budget by about $11,000.   Sarah and her Assistant, Tommy (right), always seem to make a great team.  See the new  crafts room, kitchen and basement  decor by the design duo.... 

Anyone thinking about staying at the Grand Royal Sorrento (4*) Hotel on the magnificent coastline o f Sorrento  won't be disappointed.   It just so happened that we got this one right when we booked ahead.   The Grand Royal is just steps across the plaza from the train station.  So, how easy is it to roll your suitcase across the plaza and you're there at the Hotel Sorrento...see more...

 Decorator s uitcases from Napa Style Not really sure what luggage to use when traveling overseas? Of course you want a trip to Europe to be the best time of your life.  Traveling light is the key to making that possible.  I'm usually hopping trains every couple days or at least pulling a suitcase at some point during the travels.   I see many travelers "hauling" luggage everywhere, making them miserable.  There's really no need to have a stressful "bad baggage" experience.   Continue to see some simple baggage tips...

I couldn't resist showing these amazing Italian hotels.  I've not stayed at any of them but have been to most of the cities and I'm sure the hotels are as magnificent as they appear.  Please see the complete article and additional 8 hotel photos at AD here .