In honor of Columbus Day and our Italian cultural heritage, I want to share a fascinating Italian resource with you.Whether you've been to Italy or only dreamed of going some day, you can have a little bit of Italian culture and history arrive in your email box every morning by subscribing to the Italian Notebook. Various contributors provide short vignettes of local history, interesting places, food, wine, archeology, art, etc. on a daily basis.
Learn about places like San Pietro in Valle, an 8th century cloister, monastery and church in the Nerina Valley, a living chess match in Marostica, a medival city near Verona, discover walk through bakerys in Rome, and marvel at the works of Raffaello in Urbino.
My favorite notes come from GB, the editor, when he shares recipes and stories from his "girlfriends" (the youngest is 78).
Each note includes a link to a map of Italy, with all of the notes pinpointed. So if you're planning a trip (for real or only in your mind) and want to see what has been noted about those locales in advance, you can drag around and click on the map to your heart's content. I know nothing about Umbria in Central Italy, but after reading the Italian Notebook, I know where I want to visit one day.