Italy Beyond the Obvious

Five favorite hikes in Italy - guest post at Italylogue

It was a challenge to narrow down my list of favorite hikes in Italy to just five for Jessica at Italylogue (but I did it!) The hikes I ended up picking include the Dolomites, Lake Como, Liguria, the Amalfi Coast, and Sicily. Notably missing from the list is the Cinque Terre - don't worry, I explain why.

So head on over to Italylogue and read about all the details!

That's me hiking in Ortisei. Photo by Sanjay.   

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The best Italian songs according to Guido: Part II

My friend Guido put together his list of the 10 best Italian songs of all time - except he couldn't narrow it down further than 19 :-)  Part I was Battisti and De Andre'. Part II is swing and jazz.

Estate by Bruno Martino

This Italian classic is about being happy that summer is over, and it's the kind of song you'd expect to hear live in a good Italian restaurant, maybe even as a tasteful rose-seller was making the rounds. Pretty jazzy, and he enunciates well, making it ideal material for Italian language learners.

La Notte by Mina

This song is typical of the '60s, when Italy was influenced by American swing music.

Che Coss'e' L'amor by Vinicio Capossela

Another one in the swing genre, this song is somewhat well-known abroad because it's on the Putamayo Italian Cafe' CD

All'una e trentacinque circa by Vinicio Capossela

This one is more jazz, with some great piano at the beginning.

So that's it for the best jazz and swing on the list - did we miss any of your favorites?

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Tips on taking a cycling vacation - Fox News article

 

If you've clicked through from the article on FoxNews.com about how to take a bicycling vacation - welcome to Italy Beyond the Obvious! And if you haven't clicked through from there, go read the article - it's got lots of great tips on planning a cycling trip to anywhere.

If you liked the story featured in the article about biking in the fog in the Veneto, the longer version is here. You'll find lots of specific tips and information on this site in the section on cycling in Italy. Or listen to the Eye on Italy podcast about hiking and cycling (and working) in Italy. If you like active vacations in general, read the articles on hiking and walking or SCUBA diving in Italy.

Or just start with what I recommend for travelers to Italy. And if you don't want to plan your trip yourself, have a look at my Italy trip planning or coaching services.

Thanks for visiting!

Photo from istockphoto.com

The best Italian songs, according to Guido: Part I

To say that my Sicilian friend Guido is passionate about music is somewhat of an understatement. After about year of devouring the music videos he posts on Facebook daily, I asked him for a list of the best Italian songs of all time. It was tough, but he managed to narrow it down to 19 songs, so here are the first five - by Fabrizio De Andre' and Lucio Battisti.

Bocca di Rosa, by Fabrizio De Andre' (which I'm putting first because it's been in my head after Giulia's comment)

Fiume Sand Creek, by Fabrizio De Andre'

Il Pescatore by Fabrizio De Andre'

Eppur Mi Son Scordato di Te, by Lucio Battisti

Amarsi un po' by Lucio Battisti

Of the 19 songs he chose, those are the only ones by Battisti and De Andre'. Do you agree that those are their best ones, or are there others by those artists that are your favorites and not included here? Stay tuned for Part II...

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