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Weekly roundup
Ciao, here’s what we’re exploring this week!
Ever want a winter town that feels like a snow globe, without the crowds and the chaos? Brixen in South Tyrol blends medieval lanes, Tyrolean architecture, and a cozy German-Italian vibe with a Christmas market, cathedral sights, and a light show that makes evenings special.
Take a moment to see why this storybook stop can be the perfect cold-weather detour.
Hidden Italy
Brixen Makes Italy’s Most Magical Winter Escape Feel Almost Austrian
Travel Off Path spotlights Bressanone, also known as Brixen, a snow-dusted medieval town in Italy’s South Tyrol where German is widely spoken and the architecture leans more Tyrolean than Italian. The piece traces the region’s Austrian roots and argues that Brixen is the kind of walkable, storybook place most travelers miss when they default to bigger-name stops.
The must-do list is designed for cozy winter wandering: stroll the arcaded lanes and past old gates, take in the cathedral and the White Tower, and spend time at the Hofburg Palace, especially during its seasonal Light and Music show. The town’s Christmas market takes over the main square and runs into early January, giving you that classic festive atmosphere without feeling overly commercial.
For planning, the article points you to South Tyrol’s alpine-leaning food and local white wines, with stops like Fink Restaurant, Vinothek Vitis, and Der Traubenwirt. It also recommends a central, chalet-style stay at Hotel Krone and highlights the BrixenCard perk for public transit, plus easy add-on trips like Novacella Abbey and Plose Mountain.
Beyond the hotspots
Italy Makes Romance Easy, If You Stop Chasing One Perfect Town
Start with the icons, but lean into the after-hours magic. In Rome, the article’s case for romance is an evening stroll to viewpoints like the Spanish Steps, Capitoline Hill, or the Acqua Paola fountain, plus hotel picks ranging from classic splurge stays to a smaller, hideaway-style option.
Then mix in places that feel quieter, stranger, and more personal: Assisi’s stone lanes get especially atmospheric once the day-trippers leave, Lecce pairs Baroque beauty with long lunches and aperitivo energy, and Isola del Giglio is the rare island where “not much to do” is the whole point. For drama, Matera’s ancient cave-dwelling maze gets a shout-out, along with cave hotels that turn the setting into a stay.
If you want a different kind of romance, the list goes alpine and coastal too, with Ortisei in the Dolomites for a walkable center and quick cable-car views, Lake Como for a vintage boat ride with a picnic, and Val d’Orcia for peak Tuscany landscapes and wine towns.
Travel + Leisure’s roundup, by writer Elizabeth Heath, who’s lived in Italy for over 15 years, argues that the country still delivers the full romance package, including scenery, history, food, wine, and that “good life” feeling that makes small moments land big.
City spotlight
Florence to Rome, The Eurail Route Americans Keep Repeating
Travel + Leisure breaks down new Eurail data on where American travelers actually rode trains in 2025, and the story is clear: Italy and Switzerland dominated. The single most popular route was Florence to Rome (Santa Maria Novella to Roma Termini).
Right behind it are rides that feel like the whole point of train travel, including Switzerland’s Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen line and the Visp to Zermatt connection, both packed with mountain scenery, waterfalls, and alpine villages. Paris to London via Eurostar and Milan to Florence rounded out the top five, forming a greatest-hits mix built for time-pressed trips.
The more interesting signal is where momentum is building: Amsterdam Zuid led the fastest-growing stations for Americans, but smaller stops like Rheine in Germany, Bischofshofen in the Austrian Alps, Bettembourg in Luxembourg, and Mühldorf in Bavaria also spiked. The article reports that travelers are slowly expanding their horizons beyond the usual capitals.
Do This, Not That
Amalfi Coast 🌊
The Amalfi Coast looks tiny on Instagram, but on the ground it is stairs, cliffs, and curves. Whether it feels dreamy or draining depends on how often you and your suitcase have to tackle those stairs.
Do this: Use Sorrento as your home base and treat Positano, Amalfi, and Capri as day trips. One hotel, one unpack, endless options. Mornings on a ferry, afternoons on a terrace, evenings back where the staff recognize you by day two. It feels like you own a little slice of the coast, not like you are endlessly chasing it.
Not that: Do not drag suitcases up and down cliffside staircases every 24 hours just to match your Instagram feed. The “I have never been this exhausted on vacation” look does not photograph well.
Itinerary of the week
Three Days in Pisa 🗼
Day 1: Do the classics the right way, starting in Piazza del Duomo with the Leaning Tower, the Cathedral, the Baptistery, and the Campo Santo. Ideally, book an all-in walking tour so you get the history and entry logistics handled in one go.
Day 2: Make it a food-first day. Book a tasting walk that hits old wine bars and local favorites, with Tuscan cured meats, pici pasta, cecina, and a gelato finish.
Day 3: Get out of the center. Bike the canal route to Marina di Pisa, with a stop at San Piero a Grado. Then pick a big side trip: the Carrara marble quarries by off-road jeep, with an underground mine visit and lardo di Colonnata tastings, or a Chianti half-day for winery tours plus wine, olive oil, and cheese.
Expect iconic postcard moments in the morning, long Tuscan bites by afternoon, and at least one “wait, Pisa is actually fun” surprise once you leave the tower crowds.
Italian Dish of the Week
Risotto alla Milanese (Milan)
Risotto alla Milanese is a creamy rice dish from Milan, made with Arborio or Carnaroli rice slowly cooked in broth, enriched with butter, Parmigiano Reggiano, and perfumed with saffron. The saffron gives it that beautiful golden color and a delicate, almost floral aroma. It is usually served on its own or next to ossobuco (braised veal shank).
Why You Should Try It: Most visitors know Italian pasta, but they underestimate how seriously we take rice in the north. This risotto shows you another side of Italian comfort food: silky, rich, yet not heavy when done correctly. One forkful has bite from the rice, creaminess from the butter and cheese, and that gentle saffron flavor that makes it feel a little luxurious.
What Makes It Special: Good Risotto alla Milanese requires patience. The rice is toasted first, then cooked by adding hot broth a little at a time, stirring constantly so the starch releases and creates its own cream. At the end, we “mantecare” it with cold butter and cheese to make it smooth and glossy. When you see it gently spreading on the plate instead of sitting like a solid mound, that is the sign you are eating the real deal.
Get involved
📊 Take this edition’s poll
Romance trips win when your pace matches the place, not when you chase one perfect town.
This-or-that, which romance style would you rather plan around in Italy?
Why it matters
Brixen is a reminder that Italy has regions where culture, language, and food shift in surprising ways. A walkable base with easy transit perks and nearby add-ons like abbeys and mountain days makes winter travel feel simple rather than exhausting.
Sometimes, the most memorable Italy is the one that feels slightly unexpected.
Alla prossima,
Francesca Vitali
Editor-in-Chief
Italy Dream Life
PS: Love Italy as much as we do? Follow us on Instagram @ItalyDreamLife for daily inspiration, hidden spots, and real moments from il bel paese. Because Italy isn’t just a destination—it’s a lifestyle. 🇮🇹✨
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