At Home in Tuscany

10 things I don’t like about Italian tourism promotion

10 reasons why, in my opinion, a country that has so much is so bad in promoting it, with very few exceptions. Read More 26 Comments

Written by gloria on February 6, 2010

Off-the-beaten-path Tuscany: Piazza San Silvestro in Pisa

Located outside the major tourist routes in the city, Piazza San Silvestro has an ancient and glorious history. It contains a beautiful church and a former convent, now housing one of the most modern and advanced laboratories for nanotechnology research. Read More 1 Comment

Written by gloria on January 31, 2010

Luxury travel and local communities

Lately I’ve been thinking about the relationship between luxury tourism and the local communities. I believe in tourism as a way to improve the life of the locals, and I cringe at the idea of a place that has nothing or next to nothing to contribute to the local economy and environment. I’d love to hear other people’s opinions on this, as, I admit, I’m very confused. Read More 11 Comments

Written by gloria on July 15, 2009

June “Sagre” in Tuscany

For those who never miss a chance to try inexpensive traditional food, drink good wine and dance in an Italian square with the locals, here is a list of the sagre in Tuscany in the month of June. Read More 3 Comments

Written by gloria on June 6, 2009

Words matter: on “local travel” and other catchphrases

Words matter. Going slow and local travel should not just be catchphrases. But could it be that going local is already a fashion rather than a well-considered travel choice? Can we expect to see more and more people look for local while expecting global? Read More 11 Comments

Written by gloria on May 17, 2009

“Gentle Travel” is the way to go!

What do Slow Travel, the physicist F. David Peat’s theory of “Gentle Action” and eco-tourism have to do with each other? Find out why “Gentle tourism” is the way to go and why it has to be slow, sustainable and local. Read More 15 Comments

Written by gloria on May 6, 2009