The Amalfi Coast and chocolate ... what a winning combination! I was in the mood for something fun and sweet to read this month leading up to Valentine's Day, so I pulled The Chocolatier by Jan Moran off my bookshelf and enjoyed a long distance mini book club reading it together with my Mom. ...
Book Review | Sex and Vanity by Kevin Kwan
I love a good romance story as much as the next hopeless romantic. Add in a setting on Capri and I'll be first in line to buy the book. That is exactly what happened with Sex and Vanity, the latest novel by the worldwide bestselling author Kevin Kwan. Of course, Kwan hardly needs an introduction. ...
Interview with Author Lucy Knott
One of the best parts of Ciao Amalfi has been the way it's brought so many incredible people into my life. Some of them have even become my closest friends over the years. A decade ago that happened via blog post comments and connections with other bloggers. These days it seems most likely to happen ...
Book Review | Always Italy by Frances Mayes & Ondine Cohane
There's never been a moment quite like the present when we all need a way to hold the beauty of Italy in our hands. COVID-19 has changed the landscape of travel and left so many people canceling long-awaited vacations, destination weddings, and family holidays. Or maybe just left that dream of ...
Book Review | The Amalfi Coast Up Close & Personal by Chantal Kelly
The Amalfi Coast seduces everyone who sets eyes on it. It is a rare destination guaranteed to give you a rush - the giddy kind you get when you can't believe you are standing there. From the sea to the hills, from Positano to Vietri, it is a spectacular subject to photograph. - Chantal ...
Book Review | Only in Naples by Katherine Wilson
Given my passion for reading and great love of the Amalfi Coast, as soon as I saw the title of Katherine Wilson's book Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from my Italian Mother-in-Law I knew it would be a book I would enjoy. And I certainly did! With Katherine's engaging writing style and ...
Book Review | Italy Explained: Italian Trains by Jessica Spiegel
If you're planning a trip to Italy and thinking of getting around by train, then I've got a book you'll want to read. But first, I'm going to let you in on an embarrassing little travel secret. The first time I took a train in Italy it was very nearly a disaster. Back in 2001, on my first trip to ...
Book Review | The Italians by John Hooper
As the time period for my Italian citizenship application to be processed comes to an end, I've found myself drawn more often to thoughts about what it means to be Italian. As a foreigner, sometimes it just seems like a jumbled up pile of puzzle pieces - where you're pretty sure at least a handful ...
Book Review | Dream of Venice
Very few readers of Ciao Amalfi will know that the first spot I visited in Italy was Venice. After dreaming of traveling to Italy for years, my first big trip to Europe and to Italy took me to Venice - and only Venice. With just a side visit to the Ferrari Museum in Maranello. (What did you expect ...
Book Review | Dreaming of Laughing Hawk by Linda Katmarian
While my reading time has been quite limited since the summer, I've had the pleasure of dipping into a wonderful story every moment I could with Linda Katmarian's debut novel Dreaming of Laughing Hawk. With deep and fascinating characters and a storyline that drew me into the novel more and more ...
Book Review | At Least You’re in Tuscany by Jennifer Criswell
As an expat in Italy, I'm drawn to memoirs by writers who have followed a similar journey of uprooting life and going in search of a new pathway in a new country. Naturally, if the book is about expat life in Italy, then it's probably top of my "must read" list. I was thrilled to receive an advance ...
Book Review | InterRail by Alessandro Gallenzi
There is something inspiring in a train station. The coming, the going, the energy of the crowds or the sadness of an empty platform - everything adds to the air of possibility and adventure. And freedom, of course. It's all three of these that entice Francesco, a university student living outside ...
