RomaPolacchi

Anthony Everitt, who brought us biographies of Cicero and Augustus, has just published a new book about the emperor Hadrian. While I haven't read it yet, I am a great fan of his last two books. Everitt is a conscientious scholar and his portrayal of Cicero was entertaining and intriguing. Augustus was a more shadowy figure and the lack of personal correspondence made his personality very difficult to pin down. I am curious to see how he portrays Hadrian, whose reign is well-documented but whose personal life was difficult to interpret. Read a review of the book in The New Yorker or buy it here.

Atlas Obscura , a website devoted to the weirdest places on earth, has an extensive list of curious and extraordinary sites to visit in Italy . On the list are many churches housing the relics of saints, the Capuchin crypt of Santa Maria della Concezione in Rome, Santa Maria Novella Pharmacia in Florence, and the Park of the Monsters in Bomarzo (all places I have mentioned on MoltoItaly). The website offers great information on the history of each site as well as numerous images. It's a great resource for trip planning or for a few minutes' diversion. If you know about a weird and wonderful place in Italy, you can add it to the site too!

Just a few feet away from the Colosseum is the Caelian Hill (Celimontana) and its yearly summer event, the Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival . Almost every night, starting at 10:15 pm (perfect for after dinner) the ancient Roman Villa Celimontana hosts a jazz concert for the low price of 6 Euros! Young and inovative musicians are the feature of this particular festival-and things really heat up after midnight, when a second concert begins. Latin jazz is on the schedule for this weekend.

Lake Garda, straddling the Italian states of the Veneto and Lombardia, has been a destination for pleasure-seekers for centuries. Close to the poet Catullus ' hometown of Verona , even the ancient Romans were enamored of this beautiful mountain lake. Today you can visit this romantic lago and stay at the Villa del Sogno , a grand 19th century palazzo on its shores. The hotel has faithfully preserved all the period details and its swimming pool has a gorgeous view of the water. The best part? Rates start at under 250 Euros in the high season-a pretty good deal for this region-but if you can, you should spring for a suite. Well worth it!

Estate Romana is in full swing and Tiber Island is the place to be. Movies in the piazza are on almost every night, as well as shows in theaters around the island. This week Coco Avant Chanel and The Reader are on the schedule , among many other movies in Italian and English. Enjoy the cinema under the stars!

A recent article in Lucky magazine about the Seravalle Designer Outlet outside of Genoa got me really excited about outlet shopping in Italy. Seravalle is home to outlets for amazing brands like Blumarine, Brioni, Cocinelle, Etro, Frette, Moncler, Prada and Versace! Just a short train ride away from Genoa, the center is open from 10-8 every day (not like the rest of Italy!). Another outlet center owned by the same group is Castelromano , just outside Rome ( shuttle service from Piazza Barberini ). Dolce and Gabbana, Ferragamo, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino-and an AutoGrill for lunch! Definitely worth a trip.

You may be familiar with The Sartorialist -the street-fashion photographer (also known as Scott Schuman) on Style.com who is known for his great sense of style and ability to capture the world's beautiful people at their best-outside fashion shows in Paris, New York, London and Milan. Well, he has his own blog and loves to share photos of the fashionable in Italy, especially Florence. Who knows-maybe you could end up on his blog someday!