Wanderer's Eye Photography
Travel Photography from Italy and Elsewhere
Europe For Visitors
C'mon, take a trip to Europe
Italy For Visitors
Travel Information on Italy
Lunigiana Rentals
Rent a house in the Lunigiana
Renting for more than 17 days? You might want a new car with full insurance coverage: a buy-back lease.
Content on this page © 2007 by James Martin, the professional vagabond, all rights reserved. [contact page]
Wandering Italy was conceived to get deeper into Italy's little places, the odd nooks and crannies that are largely unprofitable to write about but interesting to travelers who've "done" the big three and are searching for "the real Italy" which is really all around them.
James Martin, a Professional Vagabond, lives part time in one of those seldom visited spots in Italy called la Lunigiana, a place in far northern Tuscany along the Via Francigena that sports over 160 castles and some pretty unique cuisine. He likes talking about his odder experiences, which you'll find in the Wandering Italy Blog (headlines below). Before becoming a travel writer, James went through several "career" phases: as archaeologist, electrical engineer, and race car driver. He's obviously unstable as hell, as the worn-heeled traveler should be.
The Via Francigena is an ancient pilgrimage route that has shaped Italy's landscape since the 900s. It's getting more press these days, as folks look for something more spiritual than coach tours. We're interested in the route for its interesting architecture and the carvings on Romanesque churches at the height of the pilgrimage craze in the 11th and 12th centuries, when folks thought that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get to heaven. So the rich dropped some pretty good money trying to garner favor with God, and the results are interesting indeed.
We like valleys like the Valcamonica, with its incredible concentrations of rock carvings hacked out through the ages, regions like the Marche, Puglia, Calabria and Sardinia, and those special foods like truffles to explore. Thanks for joining us for the journey through Italy's smaller and less touristed places. They're no less interesting than Rome, only smaller and with fewer tourist resources. We encourage you to explore them with an open mind, a little knowlege of the Italian language (or some unabashed hand signals) and no small amount of joy for discovery.
Wandering Italy means taking your time, noticing the details, and planning just enough to get you to interesting places. Life is a hoot when you let yourself go.
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