Florence is well known for its fine toiletry shops. On a recent trip there I found a possible reason for this fame. The Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella is one of the oldest pharmacies in the world. It was founded in 1612 by Dominican friars, and their recipes are still used today. The pharmacy [...]

Imagine a magical place, where you can be transported back hundreds of years to medieval times. And in this place there are small villages, towers and castles clinging to the tops of hills. Imagine finding a small church in a wood containing frescoes by one of the Italian masters. And when you look around you [...]

Every tourist gets lost. If it’s not always part of the fun or part of the plan, it’s nearly always part of the trip. But in Venice, it is part of the magic. Even native Venetians fall prey to the endlessly inventive twists and trails, the dark narrow lanes, the [...]