Earlier this year I spent a month studying Italian in Rome, taking two weeks of lessons at an Italian language school. I made some great progress there and in Sicily afterwards, gabbing away in my patchy Italian whenever I had an excuse. Whether you prefer to learn the language before you visit a place or you don’t mind jumping into the deep end, here’s why I think you should learn Italian in Italy, and Rome in particular.…

A busy week in Berlin. There was a buzz around the city for ITB. Tens of thousands of travel industry types were in town for the super sized trade show. Accommodation had been soaked up, no room left at the inns. The week started out bright. The sun fought the chill and it felt like winter might be abating. Not so much.…