Voted one of the world's best Travel Podcasts!

I am excited to post that How to Tour Italy was voted one of the best travel podcasts in the world. Check it out here. Download it here and decide for yourself.

Thank you Donald Strachan for your kind words. And thank you Telegraph UK for printing it.

I'm am most grateful and humble.

Context Travel is up for a NatGeo Award!

Context Travel is a finalist in the National Geographic Sustainable Tourism Award.  This is a huge deal and a well deserved honor.  Please click on this link and help Context earn this prestigious award.  http://geotourism.changemakers.com/en-us/node/16599/vote

How to save money in Italy

Italy can get expensive.  Follow these tips to save money every step of the way.

1.  Book your hotel on www.howtotouritaly.com through my Venere partnership and sort by price.  You're in Italy to be in Italy not your hotel room.  As long as you have a private bath and shower you are good to go.  

a.  Rent an apartment for the week at www.howtotouritaly.com.  Much cheaper than a hotel room.

2.  No need to stay next to the Pantheon in Rome or the Piazza San Marco in Venice.  Italian cities are small and walkable...yes, even Rome.  The 15-20 minute walk to the main sights will save you a bundle of money and help you work off those fabulous Italian meals you'll enjoy.  Plus, being a bit away from the main sights means your hotel will be a lot more quiet.

3.  Eat panini or pizza for lunch at a cafe.  

4.  Shop at the local market for fruit and snack on it throughout the day so you eat less at the restaurants.

5.  Grab those breadsticks in the package from the restaurants you eat in and toss them in your bag.

6.  Buy one bottle of water and refill it at the FREE fountains in Rome, Florence, Venice, and Siena.  Can't find a fountain?  Pop in to the cafe and fill it up from the tap.

7.  Buy and drink only house wine by the 1/2 or full liter.

8.  Eat far away from the tourist sights.

9.  Take the bus or metro everywhere you go...never take a cab.

10.  Walk, walk, walk everywhere.

11.  Rent an apartment with a kitchen, shop at the market, cook at home.

12.  Need shampoo or something?  Go to the dollar stores.  They have them all over.

13.  Don't buy soda, water, or gelato from the carts near the sights.  Expensive and not too good.

14.  Buy your train tickets when you get to Italy and save the service charge.  There are lots of trains available so when you get to Rome, or wherever, go to the train station and buy your tickets then.  You can choose the date to travel, the time, and you can make a seat reservation all at the kiosk.  The days of rail passes are pretty much over.  

15.  Eat a snack before dinner like a panino or some cheese that you bought at the market or an affordable cafe.  Then at dinner you can share an antipasti, primi, and secondi.  Better yet don't get a secondi...they are usually the most expensive anyway.

16.  Grab a kabob for lunch.  I know you're in Italy, but they are good and affordable.

17.  Go to aperativo hour (happy hour) at the cafe.  Grab a glass of wine and snack on the great free food that is available.  Then go to dinner so you can order small.

18.  Don't go to Venice!  Just kidding.  Perhaps make it a day trip.  Venice is a very expensive city and that includes the food, public transportation, and hotels.  

a.  To get from the train station to St. Marks is Euro 6,50 by water bus.  Or you can walk over the bridge to Sestieri Santa Croce (a great neighborhood) and cross through to St. Marks Square by foot.  Fun, easy, and beautiful.  Best of all it's free and not very far at all.

b.  Venice doesn't offer free aperativo like the rest of Italy because the finger foods are part of their local culture and cuisine called cichetti.  This a great way to eat in Venice for a lot less money than a formal dinner.  So, hit a cafe and grab some cichetti.  Or better yet.  Do a cichetti walk and find a few to enjoy and skip dinner altogether.

c.  Stay in the Sestieri Castello in Venice.  You can find a place for around Euro 90,00 a night most of the year.

19.  Never sit at a cafe.  Order at the bar, drink or eat it at the bar, and save the surcharge and cover of table service.  

20.  Take full advantage of the free breakfast at your hotel.

The Key is fun, the comes understanding

The key is fun, then comes understanding.  What do I mean?  Italy is filled with historical and artistic treasures that can get overwhelming.  Take your time, have fun.  Those terms from art history class aren't really too important.  The key is to soak in the beauty, understand the story that is being portrayed, and then comes understanding.  The most important step is simply having fun.  Then, embrace the story.  Once you do steps 1 and 2 the understanding is a very easy next and final step.  

Don't weigh yourself down with names, dates, and eras beyond the artist's name and the name of the work.  It doesn't matter if the work was gilded, controposto, sfumato, or anything else.  Just soak it in and enjoy.

Watch my video on one of the sculptures from the Loggia in Florence and you'll see what I mean.

Enjoy Italy.  Feed your soul.

Cooking Vacations, Limoncello, and a great view

During the How to Tour Italy Project I have been lucky to enjoy the greatest of Italy.  The best part is everything I have done I've told you about during my show or on a video.  Some of my favorite moments have been the food and cooking segments.  In this segment I enjoy one of the greatest views in Positano at Cooking Vacations...from their deck!  I got to make and drink the best Limoncello I've ever had, and I finally figured out that those huge yellow things aren't lemons at all.

Their are so many great things about Positano, but the food is at the top of the list for me.  That puts the view in second and the view is amazing so you can only imagine how good the food is.   Be sure to take a cooking class at Cooking Vacations to dig in to the culture and cuisine of Positano.

Don't take my word for it.  Watch the videos (link to second video) and listen to the interview on the How to Tour Italy radio show.

The Pantheon

One of my favorite sights in the world the Pantheon always delivers.  It doesn't matter if it is the first time you've seen it or the 1000th...the Pantheon is one of those sights that will send chills down your spine.  I love and every chance I get I sit in awe of it.  I go inside and enjoy the wonderful dome.  I stare at Raphael's tomb reading my favorite epitaph : 

Here lies Raphael.  While he lived Mother Nature feared to be outdone.  When he died she feared to die with him.

I don't think a cooler epitaph exists anywhere.  

I feel lucky when I'm in the Pantheon and a bird is flying around the dome.  It really puts it in perspective.  In fact, on my video from the Pantheon you can see a bird flying around the dome towards the end of the video...cool stuff.

Check out my video for more information on the great Pantheon of Rome.

And remember...Marcus Agrippa built this :)

Those annoying flower peddlers in Italy

There is nothing you can do to avoid them.  They'll hound you, they'll bother you, they won't leave you alone.  As you're taking a bite of Cacio Pepe, as you're sipping your red...all of a sudden you get a flower shoved in your face, or a stuffed animal dropped on your table.  

They are everywhere and will annoy you all night long.  The only city I haven't seen them in is Siena.  Rome and Milan they are the worst.  Florence does a good job of keeping them a bay, but they're here too.

Check out my video on these guys.  It's a sad commentary.  I filmed it in only two drinks sitting at Campo dei Fiori in Rome.

Tips:  Don't buy anything, don't try to be funny and negotiate, don't take anything they hand you, don't make eye contact.  Say NO firmly!

Don't wait in line for the Colosseum!

Do yourself a favor and take my advice on avoiding the line at the Colosseum.  It's easy.  Simply buy your 3 way ticket for the Forum, Palatine Hill, and Colosseum at the Forum or Palatine Hill.  Enjoy both the Forum and the Hill first, then go to the Colosseum walking right past those that are in line to buy tickets or PICK UP THEIR RESERVED TICKETS from the ticket window at the Colosseum.  If you take my advice you walk right through the middle line into the Colosseum and won't waste a minute of you time.

Check out my video on it.

Enjoy Rome with no line by visiting www.howtotouritaly.com.  Also, subscribe to my podcasts on iTunes for free.

Leather and Mosaics in Florence

Two great things to do in Florence are the Leather School at Santa Croce and the Mosaic School right around the corner.  Both are free and well worth a stop.

The Leather School can be entered through the bookstore at Santa Croce or the side of the church.  The leather isn't cheap, but the quality is exceptional.  You can find smaller items that are affordable and are great for gifts back home.

The Mosaic School on Via Macci is amazing.  You can see firsthand how the masters of old worked with mosaic to create their masterpieces throughout Italy.  Be sure to check out the mosaic of the Sistine Chapel ceiling...OMG.

Check out my video on these two free stops in Florence.  

4 Rivers, a Great Piazza, and Chariot Races

Rome is a lot of things.  It is a city of Fountains.  It is a city of Popes.  It is a city of Emperors.  You can't go to Rome and not visit, in fact, visit often, one of the coolest piazzas in Italy...Piazza Navona.  It was once a chariot racing arena built by the Emperor Domitian.  Bernini built the amazing fountain of Four Rivers in the center.  His sworn enemy built the church and the pope's palace on it.  And today lots of artists, vendors, restaurants, and tourist pack it.

Just off the piazza you can enjoy Rome's most famous outdoor market, paintings by Caravaggio, the Pantheon, and lots lots more.

Check out my video on the Fountain of 4 Rivers and Piazza Navona.

Join me on Twitter: ajcspqr or on Facebook at How to Tour Italy.

Using the auto-tix machine is the way to go!

The line at the train station ticket counter is always long and now, totally unnecessary.  Using the automatic ticket machine is a snap. (On a side note, as I type this post, the bells of Santa Croce are ringing in Florence just down the street from my apartment.)  They have an easy to use English option and the screens are simple to use.

All you have to do is choose your destination city, the date you wish to travel, how many passengers, whether or not you want to reserve a seat, and then pick the train you want to travel.  You can pick today or any date in the future.  

There is really no reason not to use the automatic ticket machine and avoid the lines.  

Check out my video on it.  It takes all of 2 minutes to buy my tickets.

La Piazzetta - The best Florentine Steak in Florence!

This is one of my favorite spots in Florence at Via di Ripoli 43/R.  It is not in the center and you'll have to take a bus or a cab to get here.  Don't worry, after dinner, they'll call you a cab to get you back to your hotel.  This place is filled with locals.  You will very likely be the only tourist there and that is fantastic.

1.  The Florentine Steak here is so good it hurts.  I don't care what you've heard, or read this is the best place to get the coveted Florentine steak.  They do it right every time and this is the best in town.

2.  The grilled and skewered meat is fantastic.  They skewer it, cook it on the grill perfectly, and hang it from a stand at your table so you can dig in like a true carnivore.

3.  Do you like seafood?  If so, then this place still rocks.  They have a wonderful, for lack of a better term, Paella loaded with seafood and big enough to feed the entire table.

4.  Still hungry?  The pizza here is outrageously good with so many options any pizza lover can find exactly what they're looking for.  They make Vera Pizza here.

5.  Room for more still?  The pasta is very nice.  Go with one of the meat pastas to take advantage of their incredible meat selection.

6.  The house wine is a bottle and not a carafe of wine, but don't worry...it's cheap and very good.

7.  The dolci is fantastic.  A huge list to choose from.  I love the first one on the dolci page.

8.  Still have room?  The Grappa list is impressive.

9.  Digestivo!  End with a nice Cynar a little espresso and roll into your cab.

10.  Price tag - Not bad at all.  Very affordable or can get a little pricey if you go with a large meat selection.  

VERY GOOD!  Excellent in fact!  Check out their website.  The menu is posted.  

I forgot one thing.  They have a great outdoor seating area that will make you smile and the night even more fun.

Good Eats in Florence II

These are in no particular order

1.  Birreria Centrale at Piazza Cimatori 1/R - This unbelievably good spot is just down the street from Dante's house and is in the medieval district of Florence.  It is small so get there early or late.  In the nicer months they double in capacity due to the fantastic outdoor seating.  Beware of the annoying flower and junk peddlers though.  For a great meal in Florence you really can't miss here.  The chairs inside are old church pews.  The crostini are fantastic, the pasta misti is a great primi piatti and allows you to try 4 different pastas and sauces.  It comes on a little hot plate.  The real treat here is the Florentine Steak...OMG.  It is at the top of the charts for me where Florentine Steak is concerned.  The staff is wonderful.

2.  Cart with no name near Birreria Centrale at Piazza Cimatori - A great little place to grab a bite.  It is lined up with locals during the lunch hour.  They serve all kinds of panini, but specialize in Florentine Tripe sandwiches.  The price is right too.  Refill your water, pop, grab a panini, and off you go.  Nowhere to sit though.  You have to stand or find a seat elsewhere.

3.  Golden View Open Bar at Via de Bardi 54 - 64/R - The view here is spectacular and caters to Americans.  They have live jazz every night, the staff speaks better English than I do, and the view...oh my, the view.  If you call ahead and make a reservation you can get a table at the window.  I recommend reservations here because it fills up quickly.  This is a trendy little spot with huge, luxurious bathrooms that is filled to the rim with American travelers.  The food was excellent, but in my opinion, has lost a few notches.  My antipasti was excellent, my pasta was ok, my second course wasn't good at all.  I've eaten here a few times to make sure I'm not catching them on a bad night.  I don't want to overanalyze it, but it should make your list, but no this isn't the best food.  The place itself is amazing.  It overlooks the Arno, Ponte Vecchio, and the Uffizi.  The wine list is huge and well put together.

4.  Gusto Leo at Via Proconsolo 8-10/R - This place is next door to the Rum e Pere cafe and caters to tourists.  I have to admit...it isn't too bad.  Come for the bruschetta, stay for the pizza, and move on.  My favorite bruschetta is the one with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Simple, but good.

5.  Naima at Via dell'anguillara 54/R - A GREAT stop for lots of reasons.  During the day it is quiet with great prices, great espresso, and cold bottled water.  Take a break from the heat and catch up on email with their free WiFi.  The staff here is great.  Some of the nicest in Florence.  Matteo is the best bartenders you'll find in Florence.  He's happy to whip up all number of frozen, tropical drinks and makes the best Mojito I've ever had.  The lunch here is good too.  Naima has one of the best happy hour buffet you'll find here in Florence.  At night it gets pretty busy with college students, and it is always fun to hang out here.

6.  Grana Market just up the street from Birreria Centrale - Go here, grab some wine, some olives, some salami, and a little cheese and sit at the well in the Piazza by Dante's house.  

Great eats - Florence

These are listed in no particular order. 

1.  Le Colonnine at Via de' Benci 6/R - a good spot for lunch very near Santa Croce.  This is a well-priced spot with good pizza and crostini.  Indoor and outdoor seating.

2.  Rubaconte at Via Ghibellina 178/R - Not too far from the Bargello this place has great A/C for a little retreat from the Italy heat and some good pizza and pasta.  Their Fagioli Uccelletto is very good.  They are used to serving large groups from walking tours so they move pretty quickly if you're pressed for time.  The Olio Piccante is very good here.

3.  Bar Rum e Pere at Via Proconsolo 2/R - directly next door to the Bargello.  Make this your cafe.  It is very well priced for being so close to a great museum.  It is really a little local joint tucked in to the center of Florence.  You pay less the Euro 1,00 for a good espresso.  The beer is cold, the wine isn't bad either.  Stick to the bar here.  The food is below average since it isn't make on premise, but bought and stacked into the cooler.  They have a bathroom if you're in a jam; buy an espresso at least though.  

4.  Grom at Via di Campanile and the corner of Via Oche a very short walk from the Duomo - This is the third best gelato in Florence and I included it in my Gelato, Chocolate, and Panini walking tour (download it from iTunes and print it off for walking directions too).  I like the granita here and the pistacchio.

5.  Trattoria Alfredo at Via dei Leoni 14/R - A very short walk to the Uffizi, Piazza Signoria, the Bargello, and my favorite gelato in Florence Alfredo isn't too bad at all.  The crostini are good, the chef's pasta of the day is always a good bet, and the service is good.  They have good fruit salad here as well.  

Lemon Ice aka Granita in Positano

The best things in life aren't usually free, but they don't have to be expensive.  A favorite treat of mine throughout Italy is the granita.  I love lemon granita.  There isn't a better place to get lemon granita than the Amalfi Coast.  In Positano, every day, I would go to the little lemon granita cart just up the walkway and stairs from the beach, near the cab stand, the cool art store, and the bus stop that takes you to the top of Positano.  You can't miss it.  It is set up on your right as you walk up the hill.  Directly across from it is an art store that has the coolest picture of the beach from the 80's I've ever seen ( it's of a girl with an amazing tan line :) ).  The lemon Ice is only Euro 1,50 and tastes so good once it hits your lips that you'll keep coming back for more.  So much so that you may even spoil your dinner.  Don't be concerned that the portion is too small...it isn't.  In fact it is just right.  Enjoy it and go back as often as you can.

Positano Dining

One of the wonders of the Amalfi Coast is the food, sometimes above its amazing beauty.  There is a lot more to enjoy than limoncello in one of the most beautiful places to visit in Italy.  

1.  La Tagliata - Simply one of the best restaurants in the whole of Italy.  This is a family run place that delivers 100% of the time.  There is no menu, they use the vegetables from their garden, Mom cooks, Dad grills, the Sons cook and serve too.  Start to finish amazing.  For only Euro 35,00 per person you get 8 different antipasti delivered to your table, then a huge family sized plate of the pastas of the day.  After that they'll bring over a platter of grilled meats that would make any carnivore cry.  The limoncello is home-made, the dolci is too.  I had a cake made with Ricotta cheese and pear that brought me to my knees.  I can say that if God came to Italy to eat he would go to Positano and dine at La Tagliata.  I interview the family during the How to Tour Italy show.  One more thing...they have a pick-up and drop-off service.  Just have your hotel call or email them (link is their name) and they'll come get you and drop you off for free.

2.  Da Vincenzo - This great little spot is open for lunch and dinner and is about half-way up the hill in Positano.  You can walk or take the bus...it's easy.  Watch my video on getting around in Positano.  This place has been in the family since Nonna had it as a grocery store.  He started cooking for friends and one thing led to another.  Now his grandson, also named Vincenzo, is the namesake for this great place and his Mom and Dad are the owners.  When we did the interview for the How to Tour Italy Project with Vincenzo we got a tour through the kitchen as the chefs prepared the menu and dishes for the day.  They chopped fresh tuna, made fresh pasta, and Mom and Dad cleaned and peeled beans.  The espresso was delicious which came as a perfect ending to a molten-lava, homemade chocolate cake that made me look forward to the hike down the mountain to shag a few pounds.  A must stop in Positano.

3.  Grottino Azzure - One of my favorite little local spots in Positano.  It is near the top near Via Chiesa Nuova next door the Bar International.  Every local knows where it is.  You can take the bus up to it too.  (watch my video).  I had a fantastic bruschetta and a nice arrabiatta sauce.  When it took a little too long they brought over a little pizza.  It was cheap and it was great.  This is a real local spot so be ready for the local fare, the local pace, and a great bill.

4.  Bar International - A great stop for a great espresso, a little snack, some chips, cheap beer, wine and water.  This is a local cafe and one worth the tiny bit of effort to get to in Positano.  It is near Via Chieso Nuova directly across the street from a bus stop.  Any local can tell which stop to hop off at for a little Bar International espresso.

5.  Valle dei Mulini - On the mid to lower side of the hill in Positano near some great clothes shops this little gem has a great garden that you sit in to enjoy lunch or dinner.  I have to admit that the server was a bit of a pain, but the food made up for it.  The pizza was great, but the real claim to fame here was my antipasti.  It was simply grilled vegetables in oil with a touch of salt, but the bufala Mozzarella was grilled and drizzled with a little honey...OMG!  Amazing and worth the price of admission for sure.

6.  If you want or need some additional tips on where to go or what to eat email me at ajc@howtotouritaly and I can dig around for more insider tips from my friends that live in Positano to help you make your trip fantastic.

Getting to the Amalfi Coast on the Circumvesuviana

It's a snap.  All you have to do is get to Naples.  At the Naples train station called Napoli Centrali simply follow the signs to Circumvesuviana.  

1.  As you get off a train you'll walk down the binaro towards the station.

2.  You'll walk to your left.

3.  Hit up any of the tabacchi in the station along the way to buy your tickets.

4.  Be sure to hit the bathroom.  It's a long ride (about an hour and a half) to Sorrento and once you enter the corridor leading from the main Naples train station to Circumvesuviana there is no bathroom.

5.  If you need cash there is an ATM (Bancomat in Italy) down the same corridor towards the Circumvesuviana line.  You have to slide your card to be let into the room through a secured door to get to the actual ATM.  A VERY good thing at Napoli Centrali.

6.  Follow the signs.

7.  Feed your ticket into the ticket-feed like at any public transportation turnstyle.

8.  It beeps and you walk through.

9.  You will see a little cafe.  Grab an espresso and a bottle of water.

10.  Go down the stairs to binario 2 and 3.  The train will come on your right as you walk down the stairs.

11.  The TV's will tell you when the next train to Sorrento arrives.

12.  Got on.  Fight for a position because it gets packed.

13.  Watch your pockets at all times.

14.  The train starts to emply after the fifth stop or so and you'll likely be able to get a seat.

15.  Sorrento is the last stop so enjoy the ride.

The annoying flower and junk peddlers of Italy

Check out my video on these guys...sad and funny

Here is a little advice on how to deal with the annoying flower and junk peddlers of Italy.  Don't deal with them at all.  Ignore them, don't look at them, don't ever buy anything from them.

If you sense the annoyance in my tone it's because as I'm sitting down at a nice table outside enjoying my Florentine Steak or a cocktail one of the junk peddlers comes up and jams a rose in my face.  It really gets under my skin.

You'll find them selling whatever it is they get their hands on.  They'll walk right into a restaurant or cafe and shove whatever they have in your face.  Sponges, flowers, rocks that make weird noises, junk toys, sunglasses, plastic motorized cars, umbrellas, bull-horns (no joke), cowboy hats, gloves...you name it.

The best way to handle them is to say no and keep walking.  If you're at a restaurant just say no and wave them off with a polite annoyance.  If they don't stop then get a little more forceful.  Be nice, but don't buy anything.  If you have to just call over the server and let them deal with it.

Here are some of the scams they'll run.  "A free flower for the beautiful girl."  Nothing is free and once you have it in your hands they'll relentlessly hound you for payment.  Once in a while you'll see a huge tour group and everyone in the group has a flower!  This only encourages them.

If you haven't experienced them yet...you will.  Don't buy anything!  

Here is how you DON'T wait in line at the Uffizi or to see the David in Florence

1.  Go to OrsanMichelle in Florence.

2.  On the side between the statue of Saint John the Baptist and Doubting Thomas there is a little booth.

3.  That booth sells tickets to all state run museums which include the Accademia (David) and the Uffizi.

4.  Go there, walk up, buy your tickets for same day entrance.  

5.  Walk right by the people in line.  

A. Go early so you can choose what day you want to get in.  

B. Pick your time.

C.  If you have time to kill do my Gelato, Chocolate, and Panini walk through Florence and enjoy some of the city's best Gelato, Chocolate, and Panini.

Ranking in the top 5 on iTunes!

I am very excited and happy to report that I am ranking in the top 5 on iTunes in the Places and Travel category right behind that other guy Rick Steves.  I am also happy to report that I'm ranked #30 in the Society and Culture category.  I'm using David as my picture to capitalize on the symbolism.  The little guy taking on the big guy and winning, staring down my competition.  You know...all those things.

Thank you to everyone who subscribed to my podcasts to help me rank so well.

Here is a link to subscribe to the How to Tour Italy podcasts.

Lot's more great stuff to come over the next few months during the How to Tour Italy Project.

Have a great day and remember to Feed your Soul everyday.