Rick Steves's Blog, page 27

Perched Above Siena with a Porcupine and a Macchiato

Join me now from a secret hideaway above Europe’s finest square — Siena’s Il Campo. I’m here with my friend and guide, Roberto Bechi, just enjoying a caffè macchiato and experiencing one of Italy’s great cities.

Twice every summer, all of Siena hurls itself with medieval abandon into the world’s wildest horse race — the Palio — and this square is overcome by pandemonium. As Roberto explains, in Siena you’re born…then there’s the Palio…and then you die.

Planning a trip to Siena? You can pick...

Florence’s Rustic Gem: Trattoria la Burrasca

I’m so happy that Florence’s Trattoria la Burrasca is still good. I was worried that it had gotten touristy over the years, scaring away the locals — but it’s still a great trattoria. Join me in this clip with my friend Elio, in one of Italy’s small, humble kitchens that work wonders.

This is my kind of place: family-run, offering a people-to-people connection, and personality-driven. Here’s how I wrote it up in my Rick Steves Italy guidebook:

   [$$] Trattoria la Burrasca is a rustic gem on...

My Florence Hotel: Location, Location, Location

Join me at the place I’ve called home for the last few days in Florence — Hotel Loggiato Dei Serviti — and check out my rooftop view of the Duomo, coming right in through the bathroom window. I’ve set up a little office here where I can work on the next edition of my Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany guidebook while enjoying a picnic dinner with the best sandwich in town.

The Renaissance at Night — With Wine

Tonight, after a beautiful dinner and a bit of wine, I was overcome by the historic beauty of Piazza S.S. Annunziata, the most Renaissance square in Florence — and the graceful arches and columns of Filippo Brunelleschi’s Hospital of the Innocents, built in the 1420s.   

Join me as I take in the harmony, just feelin’ good under the floodlights, out and about, getting excited about the Medici. Life is good.  

 

Dessert with Bobo

My friend Tommaso (who runs Hotel Davanzati with his family) and I have a tradition of spending an evening getting up-to-date on restaurants in Florence. I’m so thankful to have a local friend to help me know the latest. Join me here, with Tommaso and Bobo (who runs this restaurant), as we get all excited about a 500-year-old dessert the Medici family loved, and we debate the best after-dinner drink: Amaro vs. Limoncello vs. Vin Santo.

Excuse our French.

Buon Appetito at Trattoria da Tito

I’m spending every evening this month researching restaurants for my guidebooks. Every night, I have a list of a dozen or so places to check, and my treat to myself — when I finish the list — is to enjoy my favorite of the bunch. Here in this candid, alcohol-fueled moment, a chef/owner illustrates how a personality-driven restaurant can be a real winner. Bobo loves his work, and as he told me, “When I stop to be happy, I would quit…that’s a promise.”

Here’s how I wrote Bobo’s place up in my...

Casa del Vino with Gianni

I want to make sure my Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany guidebook includes the most characteristic, fun, and affordable places to eat — so I’ve been spending my lunch and dinner hours here blitzing restaurants. Today, I dropped in at Gianni’s Casa del Vino (“House of Wine”), a place I’ve recommended for 20 years, and it’s better than ever. Check out this video taste of my lunch — a delightful $8 board of antipasti with a fine glass of wine (for another $8).

Here’s how this place is written up...

Hospital of the Innocents: The First Renaissance Building in Florence

I just wrapped up a research trip through Rome and Venice — and now I’m in Florence, working on my Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany guidebook. And just like in Rome and Venice, the tourists here are crammed into the two or three most famous sights, leaving other museums and galleries — which would be big hits in a lesser city — essentially empty.  

Today, I visited the Hospital of the Innocents, where a museum tells the story of the abandoned children who, beginning in 1445, were cared for here...

Warning: This Video Will Stoke Your Appetite

I’m in Venice, doing research for the next edition of my Rick Steves Venice guidebook — and I just spent a great evening updating restaurant listings with the help of two American expats, Maya and Adam Stonecastle of Venice Bites Food Tours. We all happen to share the same favorite cicchetti bar, Cantinone Già Schiavi. Join us now as Maya explains what I’m having with my wine.

Here’s how this delightful place is written up in my guidebook:

[$] Enoteca Cantine del Vino Già Schiavi, with a won...

A Glimpse at the History of Venetian Masks

Any visit to Venice is filled with ornately painted masks. These are more than just colorful souvenirs — they come with a story. Throughout the centuries, these masks have always been a big part of Carnevale celebrations, the weeks-long Mardi Gras festivities leading up to Lent — and high-class people have traditionally put them on to hide their faces while they are out and about, doing less-than-respectable things. 

Join me now at a mask shop in the heart of Venice for a peek at the history...