Italy is currently fifth on the list of most visited countries in the world. Tourism is booming, hotels are packed, cruise ships tower over small ports, people queue for hours to get into the Vatican or even worse, to a certain bar because it went viral on social media. However, the crowds are concentrated in a handful of cities like Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan or Como.

I am inviting you to travel slow in Italy. Stay in a hilltop farmhouse surrounded by olive trees, an apartment in a cute medieval village or a villa with seaview. Live like a local. Get to know your Italian neighbours, the baker, the butcher, the old ladies selling zucchini flowers at the market, the men playing cards at the bar. Walk, bike, learn some Italian, pick up local habits like breakfast at the bar or siesta after a lazy lunch. Just go to the piazza and watch Italian life happen.

It’s been 19 years that I have been travelling around Italy, as an Intrepid Travel tour guide with groups, as a destination specialist with journalists and film crews, with my family and with friends to have fun, and to work on my own travel business. With tens of thousands of Italian photos on my hard drive, uncountable stories and adventures in my memory and wonderful feelings in my heart, I have been planning this blog for years. I want to share my stories and my passion for all things Italian, show my favourite photos, give you inspiration if you are travelling to this amazing country and as a travel expert of Italy help you organise your trip, do your bookings and make the most of your holiday.

Pitigliano: the town of tuff

I had been travelling around Tuscany for years, but somehow I never made it to the southern part, close to Lazio. This is a less visited area of Tuscany, quite far from the Florence-Siena-Pisa triangle, so most tourist groups avoid it. This fact makes it wonderfully qu...

Monteriggioni: a medieval walled town

I had seen the impressive walled town of Monteriggioni sitting on top of a hill many times while driving on the highway between Florence and Siena. Then one day I finally had the time and made the turn off to see what is hiding behind the medieval walls. I hav...

Vinci: birthplace of a genius

You all know the name Vinci. But probably many of you don't know that it's not only the name of a Renaissance genius, but it's also a wonderful small town in Tuscany. It's not a coincidence, as Leonardo was born here on April 15, 1452. Most travellers visit Vinci beca...

Garfagnana: Tuscany in the mountains

If you think of Tuscany, you'll be thinking about green rolling hills, olive groves, cypress lanes and vineyards. Rocky mountain peaks and ski hills will probably not come to your mind, although this is also Tuscany. The splendid Garfagnana valley can be found...

Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta

When I first visited Tuscany with my friends 15 years ago, we just spent a few days in the northern part. (Little did I know that only a year later, I would be working around Italy as a tour leader, returning to Tuscany over and over again.) During this first vis...

Volpaia: home of great wines

Volpaia is a charming Tuscan village with just a few inhabitants, another one of my favourites besides Montefioralle. This wine-making hamlet is hiding among the Chianti hills, and it's easy to just drive by. But you shouldn't! Watch out for the signs by the road betwe...

Montefioralle: an unspoilt medieval hamlet

I have discovered the tiny village of Montefioralle by accident, when I was driving around aimlessly on the winding Chianti roads, stopping all the time to capture the beauty of the Tuscan countryside with my camera. I have returned several times since th...

Lucca: bikes and arias

Lucca is still overshadowed by other Tuscan towns like Florence, Pisa or Siena, but if you are planning to go beyond the main sights during your Tuscan road trip, make sure you don't miss this gem. It’s worth spending a couple of nights in Lucca, but if you only have a day i...

Slow travel in Tuscany

While Italy has 20 stunning regions, Under the Tuscan Sun, Stealing Beauty, Tea with Mussilini and other books and movies have made Tuscany one of Italy's most famous regions. Tuscany - or Toscana - is waiting for visitors with a great variety of landscapes and uncountable t...