The Sweetest Bite in Sicily

SICILY – An olive oil producer tracks down a centuries-old recipe for torrone, an Italian Christmas confection.

The World's Best Vintage Hermès Shop

PARMA, Italy – The designer names are (almost) overwhelming: Chanel, Cavalli, Balenciaga, Gucci, Vuitton. But I come for only one: Hermès. I don't know if I should curtsy or applaud.

Pantelleria: Italy's Anti-Capri

PANTELLERIA, Italy – If true escape is what you're looking for, Pantelleria is your place. The bleak ruggedness of the island, the anti-Capri of it all, makes it worth the flight from Rome.

Aeolian Islands Essentials

AEOLIAN ISLANDS, Italy – It's best to hike up the volcano at night, stopping off for dinner at a restaurant close to the top. People cheer when the lava explodes in the sky. It's like organic dinner theater.

Just Back From: Venice

VENICE – I could have spent more time at Harry's Bar having Bellinis. My local friends will never go there, but I do not care if it is for tourists only. I love it!

A Few Days in Porto Ercole, Italy

PORTO ERCOLE, Italy – My family and I recently spent a few languid days of sun, spa, and signature jumbo club sandwiches delivered poolside. Dolce vita indeed.

Innkeeper's Tales: When in Italy

Summer is travel-to-Italy season. What does that mean? You will meet a new pasta shape. You will yell at the GPS. And you'll wonder if you're in the right Monte. And that's just the beginning.

A Heavenly Meal in the Marche

LE MARCHE, Italy – Italians don't value scheduled time in the way Americans do. Still, they'll give you incredibly tasty dishes to distract you from it.

Europe's Most Expensive Hotel Room

FLORENCE, Italy – It's a baroque explosion of vaulted ceilings, endless rooms, and gilding galore. You'd be forgiven for thinking you were a long-lost Medici in this stunning perch.

Time Travel: Glamorous Italians

ITALY – Goddamn, those classic Italian movie stars sure were a gorgeous and stylish bunch.

Literary Excerpt: "A Traveler in Italy"

"I forgot that I was looking at the ruin of a picture and thought I might be seeing it when Leonardo was slowly, and bit by bit, building it up." An excerpt from H.V. Morton's "A Traveler in Italy."

Being and Nothingness in Umbria

UMBRIA, Italy – If you were lucky enough to have a friend who loaned you her house in Italy, your lazy and pizza-filled life would look like this.

An Inn Grows in Tuscany

TUSCANY – When attending your daughter's wedding in Tuscany, don't show up with your new Russian girlfriend. And don't let her drink vodka and pass out before 9 p.m. in the common area.

Ask Fathom: Plan My First Trip to Italy?

ITALY – It's your debut trip to Italy, and you want to get it right. Here's Venice to the Amalfi Coast for first-timers who want to get the most of the boot in less than two weeks.

Most Romantic Hotels in Italy

ITALY – Sprawling lemon trees, lavender hydrangeas, views of Ischia, the Mediterranean lapping at your balcony. How can you not fall in love in places like these?

Travel Fiasco: Vino, Stilettos, and Cads

FLORENCE, Italy – And now, the Travel Fiasco Storyteller Contest winners! First up, an American girl who meets a handsome Italian and, well, doesn't have the night she wants.

It's New to Me: Italy

ITALY – They may lack major highways, ATMs, and internet connections, but Italians don't miss a beat when it comes to making lunch. Andrew Grosso takes time to stop and smell the basil.

Travel Fiasco: I Never Made It to Spain

It seemed simple enough: Get from Rome to Spain to finish vacation. Then came missed ferries, flights, and slow trains. Kate Lee, we feel your pain. Sadly, we've been there.

Italy Loves Bambini

ITALY – When you travel to Italy with a child, you are traveling with a celebrity. In America, a parent may help in a time of need; in Italy, everyone from grandmothers to teenage boys pitch in.

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