Italingua Institute in San Francisco

If you are interested in learning Italian, it really is best to learn in a classroom setting until you can get to Italy. In San Francisco, the Italingua Institute offers classes in conversational Italian, Italian grammar, even Italian literature. The Institute also holds workshops on various topics of Italian culture such as cooking, film and politics. Their main campus is in San Francisco on Market Street, and their Berkeley campus is located on Center Street.

Hotel Review Site for Traveling with Children

It's important for kids to see the world-and it's important for their parents to have a little sanity while showing their kids the world. It certainly helps if you know your hotel is set up for kids. That doesn't mean fun parks and arcades-it just means space to relax knowing that your children won't be in danger or bored to tears. Ciao Bambino! is a website that takes care of the research for you, providing reviews of hotels, like the Ponte Sisto, pictured above, that are baby-ready, toddler friendly and fun for bigger kids too. Instead of worrying about the hotel, you can spend your time planning activities to entertain them when you go out. Or, since you are going to Italy, take advantage of the website's Italy-only customized itinerary planning.

"Counting the Stars" by Helen Dunmore

Gaius Valerius Catullus is probably ancient Rome's best known love poet (although some might award that title to Ovid). His poems about his on-again, off-again relationship with an older Roman noblewoman have inspired and frustrated devotees of Latin poetry for centuries. In fact, Catullus can be credited with being the first poet to encapsulate the vexaciousness of relationships. His words "odi et amo" (I love you and I hate you) perfectly sum up the feelings of countless lovers through history. The British writer Helen Dunmore has written a novel about Catullus' greatest love affair titled Counting the Stars. Although reviewers hint that the plot may be a bit slow, Dunsmore's writing style turns the tale into a smoldering study of human emotion. The Modern Traveler will certainly be picking up a copy as soon as it is available stateside.

Museo Centrale Montemartini-A Harmony of Ancient and Modern

Rome is a juxtaposition of the ancient world and the 21st century. Intermingled with ruins and Baroque churches are cell phones, motorini and stilleto heels. Never is the contrast more evident, and more harmonious, than at the Museo Centrale Montemartini. The museum is a former electrictricity plant which now houses an impressive collection of Greek and Roman sculpture. You will fascinated by the contrast of white marble against diesel engines and turbines. The Museo Centrale Montemartini is not to be missed! You can get there by taking the Metro Line B to Piramide. The Museum is located on Via Ostiense, a short walk from the Metro stop. Admission to Centrale Montemartini also pays for admission to the Capitoline Museums within a 7 day period.

Ancient Rome Comes to the Big Apple

Conversations in Tusculum, a play set at the end of the Roman Republic, is now playing at New York's Public Theater. Cicero and Brutus, among others, explore the responsibilities of Rome's aristocrats under the rule of Julius Caesar (pictured). Should they continue to live their lives, oblivious to the Republic's downfall, or should they save Rome from the ruin caused by a reckless man? Tickets are only $50 and the show is playing until March 23rd.

Hotel Raphael

Just behind the Piazza Navona is a classic, the Hotel Raphael. Moderately priced for Rome in the low season (rates start at 250 Euros) and more expensive in the high season (450 Euros) the Raphael is famous for its museum-quality art collection, Richard Meier designed rooms on the third floor, and rooftop restaurant and garden with views of the entire historic district. You will certainly enjoy walking out of your hotel to cafes, restaurants, shopping and sights all in the heart of Rome.

Budget Travel Deal to Sicily and Rome

Sicily is one of the last places in Italy that is still relatively unexplored. For $2,909 GoAheadTours (see Budget Travel) is offering airfare from eastern U.S. cities, 12 nights accomodation and sightseeing tours in Palermo, Segesta (pictured), Agrigento, Siracusa, Taormina (the Modern Traveler's favorite) and two days in Rome. Sicily is rich in natural beauty, Greek and Roman ruins, unique culture and amazing food. Stay tuned for the next installment of the Modern Traveler's Guide-to Sicily!

St. Valentine's Day in Rome

St. Valentine was indeed a Roman, and the best place to spend Valentine's Day is Rome! There are actually two historical figures named St. Valentine who are honored on February 14th by the Catholic Church, both religious men who were martyred under the rule of the emperors. The older St. Valentine was a bishop of Terni (near Rome) and was killed under the emperor Aurelian in 197 CE. He was buried on the Via Flaminia which runs north through the center of Rome and is now the Via del Corso. His relics can be visited at the Basilica of San Valentino in Terni. The later St. Valentine was a Roman priest martyred around 269 CE. He was also buried on the Via Flaminia and his relics are interred at the Basilica of Santa Prassede in Rome located on the Esquiline Hill in the neighborhood of Monti (pictured). The traditional day of St. Valentine coincides with the ancient Roman fertility festival, the Lupercalia, which took place on February 15th.

The Guardian interviews Frida Giannini, creative director of Gucci

A recent interview with Frida Giannini in the London Guardian uncovered some insider secrets of Rome. Giannini is the creative director of Gucci and grew up in the Monteverde Vecchio area of Rome (just above Trastevere and south of the Vatican). She shares with readers her favorite restaurants in Trastevere (pictured) and other neighborhoods, shopping districts, and even hotels. Don't miss her museum recommendations and tips on buying vintage Gucci in the flea markets at Porta Portese and the Borgetto Flaminio.

Via del Governo Vecchio-Hip Shopping near Piazza Navona

If you are not into the big-name designer shops around Piazza di Spagna and you are looking for a more avant-garde experience, take a stroll down Via del Governo Vecchio near the Piazza Navona. You'll find unique clothing stores from Italian and international designers, funky jewelry, trendy leather goods and even vintage apparel shops. You'll avoid the major crowds and certainly discover something entirely new. There are also a few restaurants and cafes with which you can restore yourself after the sensory overload that you'll experience. The famous Antico Caffe della Pace is just around the corner (head north on Via di Parione). Diverti te!

Low Airfares to Rome in June

June is the perfect time to go to Rome. The kids are out of school, the crowds haven't arrived yet, and the weather is perfectly warm. But airfare can be expensive. A recent search on Kayak.com turned up a $908 airfare from JFK to Rome on Iberian Airlines (with a stop in Madrid) leaving June 5th and returning June 12th. Not bad for the high season!

Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie: Italy

Gourmet Magazine has a show on public television that takes well-known "foodies" around the world to taste and make the most amazing dishes. These episodes are now available on gourmet.com for you to watch at your leisure. The first season's shows include a special on the foods of Italy and Rome. The recipes are also available on the website and highlight two of the best dishes of Italy: fried artichokes and fried zucchini blossoms (pictured above). Enjoy the episode "Italy:Home Cooking" and dream of your next trip to Rome!

JCrew in Roma? Che bello!

No, JCrew is not opening a store in Rome. But their February catalogue is photographed all over the Eternal City. Their website even includes a charming video, set to romantic Italian music, of JCrew models strolling down the Via Giulia and the Spanish Steps. Pick up a copy if only to sigh over how lucky the models are who were paid to go to Rome!

Appian Way Adventure in the New York Times

Today in the New York Times Travel section is a short article on the sights and tastes of the Via Appia (Appian Way). The Via Appia was the major road out of Ancient Rome leading to points south. Today you can visit catacombs, ancient tombs (like the tomb of Cecilia Metella, pictured), good restaurants and even a relatively well preserved circus (ancient racetrack). You'll avoid the crowds of the center of Rome as you walk along the ancient paving stones which still show the ruts from Roman chariots and carts. Go on Sundays when the road is closed to automobiles and scooters.

Parmigianino's Antea: A Beautiful Artifice

There has been much talk about an exhibition at the Frick Museum in New York City of Parmigianino's famous painting Antea (in the Economist and Vogue, among others). The painting depicts a mystery woman whose beauty and expression rivals da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Her dress indicates that she may have been a courtesan. In fact, the title of the painting, Antea, given almost one hundred years after Parmigianino created it, was also the name of a famous Roman courtesan who may have been involved with the artist. The painting is on loan to the Frick from the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples, Italy from January 29 to April 27, 2008.