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Month: May 2017

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Video: Jockeying Dinghies at the Blue Grotto

rick steves at blue grotto

Thanks for the photo, Ben!

Visiting the Blue Grotto on Italy’s fabled Isle of Capri is one of those must-do experiences. Here’s a quick look at how it’s arranged. And here’s a tip: You’ll pay essentially the same (about $20) to shuttle from the big port to the grotto and back (ten minutes each way) as you’ll pay to take a scenic, narrated, one-hour ride all around the island…and the island tour stops at the Blue Grotto before completing the circle. To jump into a dinghy and pop into the grotto costs another $20. (By the way, I thought the trip around the island was as memorable and as fun as the Blue Grotto ritual.)


My Capri day was made fun and efficient with the help of local guide Anna Bilardi Leva. Thanks, Anna!

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This is Day 28 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: Living My Guidebook, High Above the Amalfi Coast

Sitting down to lunch in Ravello — high above the treacherously beautiful Amalfi Coast — and enjoying the pasta that’s the specialty of this town, it occurs to me that experiences like these are made possible by good information…and that’s what the Rick Steves Italy guidebook is packed with. As I spend about 80 days a year personally in the field, “living my guidebook,” I often wonder how many people are actually still doing this work. It’s clear to me: The only way to research and write a good guidebook is to live it. And it’s tasty work.

This is Day 27 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

 

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Video: Sorrentines Thank God…and St. Antonino

Popping into a church, you can always discover little treasures. Here are the relics of St. Antonino, patron saint of Sorrento. Ex-votos fill the display cases with tokens of thanks to God…I mean, St. Antonino. My guide, Giovanna, is walking me through the experience, complete with electronic candles.

This is Day 26 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: A Sorrento Passeggiata with Giovanna

While Naples is gritty, Sorrento is elegant. It’s a vivid contrast. People complain about the high cost of real estate here in Sorrento — but you can understand why. The police shut down this main drag each evening, and everyone is out savoring the magic hour…as I’m doing with my local guide, Giovanna.

This is Day 25 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.

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Video: A Sleepy Morning Stroll in Naples

I love simply being out and about on Spaccanapoli (literally “split Naples”), to marvel at the ancient Greek street plan — specifically, the straight street that splits the old town — and all the life that for 25 centuries has populated it.

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This is Day 24 of my “100 Days in Europe” series. As I travel with Rick Steves’ Europe Tours, research my guidebooks, and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences in Italy, Portugal, France, Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, and more. Thanks for joining me here on my blog and via Facebook.