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Italy Travel
Life in Italy
Val’s tips
Events
About me
Let’s collaborate!

9 great restaurants in Turin to try during your trip

The story of Rose Island: 4 lessons you can learn from it and from the movie

50 once in a lifetime experiences in Italy

3 beautiful villas to visit in Lake Como

Things to do in Turin: a 4-day itinerary

Traveling on the Italian Trans-Siberian railway

Lombardy hidden gems: the Castle of Chignolo Po

What to see in Genoa: a 4-day itinerary

Lavender in Italy: Piedmont’s little Provence

How to spend a fantastic day in Monza

How to make Limoncello at home

A guide to some of the best beach towns in Italy

Fabulous Italian cocktails to make at home

17 hidden gems to visit in Lombardy

How to plan your dream trip to the Amalfi Coast

Italy reading list: around Italy in 20 books

Italy’s best virtual museum tours

10 truly unique Carnival celebrations in Italy

My Italy travel bucket list for 2020

Visiting the Branca Museum and Distillery in Milan

Hidden corners of Milan

A wine tasting tour in Oltrepò Pavese

A day trip to Brescia

The medieval village of Finalborgo in Liguria

Civitacampomarano, the street art capital of Molise

Molise does exist: 6 reasons to visit Italy’s most unexplored region

6 reasons to visit Varese

A day trip to Sacro Monte di Varese

What to see in Verona in 2 days

The ultimate guide to train travel in Italy

What to see in Trento: a guide to the best things to do

An interview with Eva and Chris from Shabby Sheep Design

What to see in Salerno, the gateway to the Amalfi Coast

Where to find the best panoramic spots in Rome

Visiting the Vatican Museums with no crowds

Verona: the magic of love at Juliet Club

Phonetography: Bomgogo smartphone lens kit review

5 reasons to visit Vigevano

10 of the best Christmas markets in Italy

Italy’s most famous cemeteries

Sicily: the ultimate Montalbano tour

The best day trips from Milan

13 things to see in Padova: 1 day itinerary

11 useful tips for your trip to Venice

An authentic farm stay in Alta Langa

Exploring Le Marche: 1 week itinerary

Tuscany: the Valdichiana Senese trail

Bussana Vecchia, the international artists village

Tuscany: the Valtiberina

A practical guide to Milan Design Week 2018

Villa San Michele: feeling at home in Tuscany

Exploring the Langhe wine region in Piemonte

The Tuscan hamlet of Certaldo

Pisa: 8 things to see beyond the Leaning Tower

25 fun facts that will inspire you to travel to Italy

Follow my adventures on Instagram

Join a community of Italy lovers

Ciao, I’m Val! Welcome to my Italian diaries

Why you shouldn’t miss Lucca on your next trip to Tuscany

Seborga: the self-proclaimed state in Italy

Carnival of Ivrea: the Battle of the Oranges

Italy: my 2018 travel wishlist

Top 15 things to see in Palermo

Road trip itinerary for 10 days in Tuscany

One day in Cremona: things to see and do

A weekend in Naples

5 unique experiences in Naples

Olive harvest in Camogli

The Medieval hamlet of Cornello dei Tasso

The ultimate coast to coast adventure in Basilicata

Calabria: 5 days along the Tyrrhenian coast

5 reasons to visit Bergamo

A week in Puglia

Pavia, a perfect day trip from Milan

Bobbio, a town wrapped in legend and history

Liguria beyond the usual routes

Caltagirone, the ceramic capital of Sicily

Puglia: things to do in Salento in 4 days

What to see on Procida island

Tag Archives: Noto

Sicily: the ultimate Montalbano tour

Sicily: the ultimate Montalbano tour

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7 October 2018

This is how I turned the adventures of Italy’s most famous inspector, Mr. Montalbano, into a fantastic road trip through one of Sicily’s most beau...

Ciao! I’m Val

Ciao! I'm Valentina, an Italian blogger with a huge passion for my country, its culture and traditions. My Italian Diaries is the online space where I share my expert knowledge of itineraries, activities and off-the-beaten path places to help you experience the best of Italy like a local.

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The story of Rose Island: 4 lessons you can learn from it and from the movie

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Bagno di Romagna

Bagnoli del Trigno

Basilica of St Francis

Battle of the Oranges

Bed & Breakfast

Bussana Vecchia

Camerata Cornello

Cantina Scuropasso

Capitoline Museums

Caprese Micheangelo

Cassinetta di Lugagnano

Castel del Monte

Castell'Arquato

Castelluccio di Norcia

Castelnuovo al Volturno

Castrocaro Terme

Chianciano Terme

Civitacampomarano

Colossale Fagiolata

Conca dei Marini

Conti Vistarino

Cornello dei Tasso

day trips from Milan

Desenzano del Garda

Egyptian Museum

Espresso Martini

Fenestrelle Fortress

Forte di Fenestrelle

Friuli Venezia Giulia

Italian cocktails

Italian Riviera

Italian spirits

Italian Trans-Siberian

Masone Labyrinth

Mobile photography

Negroni Sbagliato

Oltrepò Pavese

once in a lifetime

Piazza Armerina

PIetrabbondante

Pieve Santo Stefano

Polignano a Mare

Quirinal Palace

Reggia di Colorno

Reggia di Venaria

Reggio Calabria

Rocca d' Giorgi

Rocchetta Nervina

Romagna Toscana

Royal Palace of Caserta

Royal Villa of Monza

Sacro Monte di Varese

Sacromonte di Varese

Saint Michael's Abbey

Sale San Giovanni

San Colombano al Lambro

San Francesco del Deserto

San Pellegrino Terme

Santa Marinella

Savignano Irpino

Shabby Sheep Design

Toscolano Maderno

Trabocchi coast

Trajan's Market

Trentino Alto Adige

Valdichiana Senese

Vatican Museums

Venice Civic Museums

Vietri sul Mare

Villa Bernasconi

Villa del Balbianello

Follow my adventures on Instagram

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and m

"Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul" - Luther Burbank⁣
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📸: the old town of Castell'Arquato, about an hour's drive north of Parma
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#castellarquato #exploreitaly #italylovers #igersemiliaromagna #emiliaromagna
#lifeinitaly ⁣#italianviews
#italia_shotz #best_italiansites #bestofitaly #map_of_italy #bellaitalia #viaggiareinitalia #meraviglieditalia #italy_photolovers #italytravel #italyvacations #italytour #nature_captures #italianescape #italia365 #italia_cartoline #italytips #europetravels #italiadascoprire #italyisalwaysagoodidea #europevacations #mylifeinitaly #myitaliandiaries

[Genoa]⁣ ⁣ Here’s the Ligurian capital as se

[Genoa]⁣
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Here’s the Ligurian capital as seen in all its beauty from Spianata Castelletto, the fabulous balcony over the city’s historic center.
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I really like Genoa because - to quote good, old Charles Dickens - “there seems to be always something to find out in it. There are the most extraordinary alleys and by-ways to walk about in” ❤️⁣ ⁣
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#visitgenova #visitgenoa
#genoaItaly #exploreitaly #genovamorethanthis ⁣#italyviews #italia_cartoline #italia365 #italytravel #italytrip #map_of_italy #italyvacations #lifeinitaly #italy_photolovers #italianplaces #best_italiansites #bestofitaly #italytips #italytour #italylovers #panoramicviews #italia_shotz #europevacations #europetravels #meraviglieditalia #italyisalwaysagoodidea
#italianlandscape ⁣#italylovers #whereinitaly #myitaliandiaries

Night falling over Pavia - pure magic ❤️⁣
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#visitpavia #inlombardia #paviacity #igerslombardia #italygram #exploreitaly #italyviews #italylovers #whereinitaly #bridges #italytrip #italia365 #italia_cartoline #italytips #italy_photolovers #italianplaces #best_italiansites #bestofitaly #lifeinitaly #italyvacations #italytour #map_of_italy #italia_shotz #italianadventure #italianescape #paviacentro #fotopavia #myitaliandiaries

[Lake Como]⁣ ⁣ “Everything I was I carry wit

[Lake Como]⁣
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“Everything I was I carry with me, everything I will be lies waiting on the road ahead” - Ma Jian⁣
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📸: the beautiful path lined with giant plane trees inside the park of Villa Melzi in Bellagio, one of my favorite lakeside walks in Lake Como.
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⁣ #lakecomoitaly #lakecomo #bellagiolakecomo #inlombardia
#comolae #lagodicomo
#italianlakes #italianviews #italytips #italia365 #through_italy #viaggiareinitalia #map_of_italy #bestofitaly #best_italiansites #lifeinitaly #italianescape #ladolcevita #italylovers #whereinitaly #lakesideview #meraviglieditalia #italy_photolovers #italytravel #italyvacations #italytour #nature_captures #bellaitalia #italyisalwaysagoodidea #myitaliandiaries

[Pisa]⁣ ⁣ Are you one of those who think of Pi

[Pisa]⁣
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Are you one of those who think of Pisa just as a quick detour to see the Leaning Tower? ⁣
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I must confess that I thought the same thing for a loooong time, but when I finally decided to spend an entire day exploring the city, my perception totally changed. ⁣
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Pisa is a super interesting city with lots of beautiful things to see and some of the most enchanting views over the Arno river 😍⁣
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Here are some of my favorite:⁣
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📌 searching for the other two leaning towers of Pisa - yep, there are more! ⁣
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📌 strolling around the “lungarni” (as the banks of the Arno river are called) with a gelato in hand, admiring all the beautiful multi-colored palaces⁣
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📌 stumbling upon Piazza delle Vettovaglie, a really cute arched square home to a food market and some interesting trattorias ⁣
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📌 sipping coffee in one of the elegant cafés of Borgo Stretto, a lovely pedestrianized street right in the city centre (look out for the plaque above Caffè Settimelli indicating the house where Galileo was born)⁣
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📸: view of Pisa's Cathedral from a tiny window at the top of the Baptistery of St. John (the largest in Italy and the one where Galileo Galilei was baptized) ⁣
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#pisaitaly #visitpisa
#pisatower ⁣#visittuscany
#tuscanygram #tuscanylovers #exploreitaly #italylovers #italia365 #italia_cartoline #italytips #italy_photolovers #italianplaces #best_italiansites #bestofitaly #through_italy #map_of_italy #italianviews #meraviglieditalia #mylifeinitaly #italianviews #italyvacations #italytour #map_of_italy #italytrip #europevacations #europetravels #europe_ig #italianescape #myitaliandiaries

[Things I liked about Turin]⁣ ⁣ Here are some

[Things I liked about Turin]⁣
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Here are some of the things I particularly liked about Piedmont’s capital:⁣
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✔️ stumbling upon the most romantic bench while wandering through the Valentino Park⁣
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✔️ spending almost an hour browsing the Papyrus of Iuefankh at the Egyptian Museum, the longest and most complete “Book of the Dead” in the world explaining the journey through the afterlife - so fascinating! ⁣
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✔️ stepping into the town’s cathedral and giggling at the sight of ATMs to make donations by credit card (I’ve never seen anything like this before!)⁣
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✔️ reliving a key moment in Italy’s history at the National Museum of Italian Risorgimento⁣
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✔️ riding the glass elevator to the top of the Mole Antonelliana while passing through the fabulous cinema museum⁣
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✔️ bar-hopping from one historic café to the other while learning interesting facts about the city and its illustrious inhabitants⁣ ✔️ channeling my inner Princess Belle as I climbed up the sumptuous staircase of the Royal Palace
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✔️ eating vitello tonnato and cri-cri every day (I’m addicted to them!)⁣
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By the way, l’ve finally published a 4-day itinerary in Turin based on my recent trip 👉 click the link in bio and save it for when the right time comes! ⁣
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📸: view of Turin from Monte dei Cappuccini⁣ #visititaly #visitturin #torinotales #lamiatorino #lifeinitaly #italyvacations #italytour #map_of_italy #exploreitaly #italylovers #italianplaces #best_italiansites #bestofitaly #italytips #italy_photolovers #italia365 #italia_cartoline #italianviews #through_italy #direzioneitalia #viaggiareinitalia #italyisalwaysagoodidea #igerstorino #igerspiemonte #meraviglieditalia #europevacations #europetravels #europe_ig #myitaliandiaries

[6+1 things about me⁣] ⁣ I’ve never done th

[6+1 things about me⁣]
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I’ve never done this before here on Instagram and thought it would be fun to share some random fun facts about me. Ready? ⁣
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📌 I love music, but after a disastrous attempt at learning how to play the clarinet at the age of 8 (I’m still wondering why…), I decided to stick to the listening part only⁣
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📌 I have the words Explore.Dream.Discover. tattooed on my right ribs⁣
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📌 My guilty pleasures are popcorn, olives, peach juice and diet coke with ice and lemon - very rock’n’roll, I know..
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📌 I’m a big fan of old black & white movies (especially those with Italian actor Alberto Sordi) and know pretty much all the lines of the Rocky saga by heart (he's such a motivator, right?!)
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📌 I lived in London and Dublin and had this dream (well, still have…) of moving into a cottage in Ireland - @all_about_rosalilla, that's why I love your account so much! ⁣
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📌 My favorite place in Italy is…nope sorry, there are just too many, I can’t pick only one! Let's just say that most are located south and have a sea element!
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➡️ Ok, now it’s your turn. What’s one interesting fact about you? ⁣
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Look forward to reading you in the comments 😊
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PS The face mask I’m wearing in the picture was #giftedby @shabbysheepdesign as testament to my love for Spritz (my favorite is with Campari, one more fun fact). They have a variety of Italy-themed masks and currently offer 10% off first orders, if you’re interested I’ve added a link in bio⁣ #funfacts #mylifeinitaly
#italians ⁣#italylovers
#facemaskgoals #facemaskstyle #italianstyle🇮🇹 #traintravel #windowseat #italytravel #italytrip #italianescape #lifeinitaly #lifeincolors #italytour #spritztime #italygram #iloveitaly #italiandream #italytips #italiandays #postcardfromitaly #myitaliandiaries

[Genoa]⁣ ⁣ This is the secret garden of Palazz

[Genoa]⁣
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This is the secret garden of Palazzo Nicolosio Lomellino, one of the magnificent buildings lining Genoa’s via Garibaldi.⁣
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The palace was erected in the 16th century for a wealthy local family and later enlisted in the "Rolls of public housing", a unique model of public hospitality that used these noble palaces to provide accommodation for diplomats and aristocratic visitors, since Genoa didn’t have a royal palace of its own.⁣
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Today such palaces are a UNESCO World Heritage and the city of Genoa celebrates them twice a year during the “Rolli days”, with a rich programme of initiatives and events.⁣
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PS: These grandiose palaces were quite a novelty in the 16th century and totally impressed Flemish artist Rubens, who even published a collection of drawings titled “Genoa Palaces” upon returning from his trip to the Ligurian capital!⁣
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Pretty cool, right? 😃⁣
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#visitgenoa #genoaitaly
#genovamorethanthis ⁣#igersliguria #igersgenova
#exploreitaly #italylovers #lifeinitaly #italia_shotz #best_italiansites #bestofitaly #lifeinitaly #italyvacations #italytour #map_of_italy #italianviews #europevacations #eurotrips #postcardfromitaly #italia_cartoline #italia365 #meraviglieditalia #italytips #italyisalwaysagoodidea #beautifulgardens #italianescape #italiangardens #italytrip #myitaliandiaries

[Lake Como]⁣ ⁣ What’s not to love about this

[Lake Como]⁣
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What’s not to love about this view? 😍⁣
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This is the majestic holm oak that dominates one of the lakeside terraces of Villa Balbianello in Lake Como.⁣
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Its unique shape allowed Italian explorer Guido Monzino, the villa’s last owner, to admire the lake and the mountains from his desk - but I can only imagine the acrobatics of the gardeners when this big guy needs its periodic pruning!⁣
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You can reach the villa by water taxi, or by walk like I did. Now, here’s a tip: there are two paths leading to the Villa. The one on the left is the shortest and easiest, while the other on the right, well… do it only if you like a good hike! ⁣
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Guess which one I chose? Yep, the right one of course! Attracted by the idea of walking amid the lush vegetation, I ended up spending over 40 minutes in the woods, mostly uphill, all sweaty and stopping every five minutes with the excuse of admiring the landscape (when all I needed in reality was some oxygen) 🥵⁣
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Not the most glamorous entrance onto a place that used to welcome its guests with the intriguing motto “Fay ce que voudras” (“Do what you want”) 😁⁣
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#villadelbalbianello #visitlakecomo #lakecomoitaly #lakecomovillas #italianlakes
#exploreitaly #italianviews ⁣#meraviglieditalia #italytips #italy_photolovers #italianplaces #best_italiansites #bestofitaly #lifeinitaly #perfect_italia #italia365 #italia_cartoline #map_of_italy #eurotrips
#europevacations #bestintravel #inlombardia #igerslombardia #igerscomo #awesomeitaly #italytrip #italianvilla #mylifeinitaly #italyisalwaysagoodidea #myitaliandiaries

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My Italian Diaries is the place where I share with you stories, photos and useful tips from my travels around Italy. I hope you will enjoy reading it and that my stories will inspire you to organize your next trip to my beautiful country.

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