Kate McCluer

Kate got bit by the Italy bug when she was a Junior Year Abroad student in Florence, many years ago. She got her Masters Degree in art history in Florence; did dissertation research in Genoa and Rome; and taught for the Syracuse University and New York University study abroad programs in Florence, where she still lives.

Slovenia Travel

4 Fairy-tale Castles in Slovenia You Simply Must See!

Visiting Slovenia is like stepping into a fairy tale. This pint-size nation at the crossroads of Europe is a wonderland that will take your breath away. Snowy mountains with caves, enchanting forests, and deep blue glacier lakes. Not to mention picture-perfect villages and lively Old Towns. And what self-respecting fairy tale doesn’t boast at least

Croatia Travel

The Distinct Pleasures of Off-Season Italy & Croatia

The long, hot summer is coming to a close and, frankly, it can’t happen soon enough for me! This isn’t the hottest Italian summer in recent memory—that record is held by 2003, with summer 2017 in second place—but the mercury hit 102 degrees Fahrenheit in Florence on the 31st of July so the cooler temperatures