Hotel Alessandra Blog

  Carnival comes from the Latin carnem levare which literally translates into taking away the meat. This is what the carnival was originally meant to be - a splendid pre-lent feast, a last night of indulgence before the period of penance begins. Today's carnival is, however, a much grander event spanning several days and even weeks.

Almost every catholic European city holds an annual carnival in the months of February and March. Probably amongst the best known is the Viareggio Carnival held in

  When staying in Florence, Tuscany, there are so many beautiful squares, museums, frescoes and shops to visit that you don't have much time to go to a restaurant. The best thing to do, instead of going to a busy and fattening fast food, is to eat typical Italian food at one of the numerous delicatessen stalls in the main markets in town.

1. Panini with lampredotto

The most distinctive Florentine street food is something that may sound disgusting but, believe me, once you have tasted it, you'll

 When you first arrive in Florence, its easy to think that the entire city is filled with camera-snapping, tour-grouping crowds of visitors. And for many of the most famous sights in Florence, this is true. From the church of San Lorenzo and the surrounding street market, down past the Accademia, Duomo and Uffizi Gallery the tourists are often so thick that I've taken to attaching a small plow to the front of my bike just so I can get around. However, there are also many absolutely beautiful

 Italian wine is like Italian politics; it’s complicated, barely understood by the rest of the world, and often breaks its own rules. It is also delicious and diverse. From the fragrant whites of the north, to the sun drenched reds of the south, Italian wine is pure pleasure on the tongue. That is as long as you know what you’re looking for. So where to start? Let’s start where we normally start; with the ABC’s, or rather the DOCG’s DOC’s, and IGT’s. The Italian system of classifying wines can

Here are four cheeses that every gourmet traveler should sample when visiting Italy:

1. Parmigiano

 Parmigiano Reggiano is the most famous of the Italian cheeses made from cow's milk. Parmigiano is the Italian adjective of where it is produced, Parma. The mistake we, Americans, make is referring to the Parmesan produced in the states as the same as the authentic Parmigiano Reggiano. The difference is the original Parmigiano is aged between 12 to 20 months unlike the Parmesan of the states. The

 Piazzale Michelangelo

Piazzale Michelangelo has the views of Florence and beyond. All you have to do is turn around once you walk the hike up through San Niccolo, up further as you start to get your camera out to take your first picture of Florence, you must press on to the tippy top. Once there, enjoy the markets, vendors with refreshing beverages and ice cream. Now what you see straight ahead of you is Fiesole up on the hill with the tiny bell tower in the middle. Fiesole is reached by bus

For first time International travelers landing in a foreign country can be intimidating.

But what do you do when you land at an airport ?

Here is a formula, a sort of « shock therapy » that acclimates your mind to a the new land: If you are arriving and meeting a friend, don't have the friend meet you at the airport. Make it your goal to find the way to your friend. If you are arriving and going straight to the hotel, try to use public transportation to get there. Right away you will need to use

 Definitely now summer has finally arrived, Panzanella is on the menu at many houses here in Florence. I enjoyed this fresh Tuscan bread salad a few nights ago with delight.

Panzanella born on the fields of Tuscany grown with passion. Living a hard life, the farmers produced this amazing and fresh salad from the ground. When they were working during the summer, they would arise from sleep at around 3 am and then by 4 am be out in the fields harvesting the crops. As 8 am came around, the sun

 When traveling avidly around Italy it is very easy to take in the breath taking countryside or city sights of Italian life. Italian food is renowned the worldwide. The Italian dessert is almost sinful to the palette due to its enriched with gastronomical pleasure inducing experience.

·         Italian chocolate

While Italian chocolate has been historically one of the unrivaled dessert pleasures of Italy for decades, it is in stiff completion with of favorites like the Italian Cookies and

Un tributo alla nostra meravigliosa città.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1f8Z_JS93w

A video tribute to our wanderful