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CDV Italy Cooking Vacations Blog
  • Home
  • Culture
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  • Culinary
  • Cooking
  • Let Me Vent
Search
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  • Let Me Vent
Michael Kovnick
Author @TravelCDV

Michael Kovnick


Co-Founder of Culture Discovery Vacations. I am a native American from Los Angeles that has been living with one foot in Italy and the other in the US for more than 30 years. I usually write about oddities I see in Italian culture from an American perspective, and the humor I find in it. However, after decades of living in both countries, I often see the reverse as well. That is, where the Italians got it right, and we can certainy learn from them!

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Tours
Tours

Recession-proof your vacation with Culture Discovery Vacations


With so much uncertainty ahead with the economy, skyrocketing fuel prices, and the drastic drop of the Dollar against the Euro over the past couple years; many people have been concerned about planning travel.  In fact,...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • October 7, 2008
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Let Me Vent
Let Me Vent

Italian… So lost in translation


“My daughter speaks perfect English. After all, she spent a month in England with a native family”. That was the quote that caused me to simply give up, and it speaks volumes about Italian culture and the denial so many of them...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • February 29, 2008
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Cooking
Cooking

A little more Olive Gardening Laughter…


Face it, I’m back in the states for a few months, so I just don’t have much material for the blog these days.  I mean, when I am in Italy, I could write several posts a day, but I am sitting here in Florida, what...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • December 3, 2007
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Culture
Culture

You can travel to Italy without worrying about the weak Dollar


In the past year, the value of the dollar has fallen 10% against the Euro.  That means if the price of something in Europe has not changed, it costs you 10% more if you earn your money in US Dollars.  In other words, a...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • September 26, 2007
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Culture
Culture

Would you have a second home in Italy?


It used to be that when I would come to Italy, for the first few days, people would see me and give me a huge ‘welcome back’.  That was then.  I would come here once a year in the summer and spend a month to six weeks...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • September 22, 2007
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Tours
Tours

Slow down and let your vacation happen


Have you ever been on a vacation and come home having the feeling that you need a vacation from your vacation?  Have you ever phoned home and said something to the effect of ‘We’re exhausted, but we’ve seen this, and that,...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • September 10, 2007
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Tours
Tours

Your second trip to Italy may be your first


We’ve been renting homes to travelers for over a  year now, and I’ve noticed two distinct groups of people: ‘Italy first-timers’ and ‘Italian culture chasers’.  In all honesty, some, albeit very few, of the first-timers...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • September 9, 2007
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Let Me Vent
Let Me Vent

Finding Italy through London Fog this XMas


On Tuesday, December 19th at around 4:30 PM we sat at the departure gate in Los Angeles waiting to board our flight.  It had already been a very long day for us, and we were looking forward to a 10 hour flight to London with...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • December 28, 2006
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Cooking
Cooking

How do they get the flavor out of the food in the states?


I’ve been back in Los Angeles for a week now, and last night we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner for the first time since I got back.  This may not seem like a big deal, but for us, it is always a tragedy. The...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • November 5, 2006
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Culture
Culture

Cattle Call in Rome versus an Italian country sunrise


I’ve been here for 5 days now and have had no time to write as I have been so busy working on our apartments.  However, yesterday I took my cousin to see Rome.  After all, she has never been to Italy and it is less than...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • October 20, 2006
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Michael Kovnick / April 30, 2010
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In Search of the Perfect Espresso

Michael Kovnick / February 28, 2010
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Michael Kovnick / October 3, 2006

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Culture
My Life in Italy, Part 12: “Bury The Mice In The G...
Posted by Michael Kovnick on August 5, 2020

12th part in a series of the story of an American moving to small town Italy in the 1980's, learning the culture and finding a...

Culture
My Life in Italy, Part 11: “Winter is Coming...
Posted by Michael Kovnick on July 17, 2020

If you are just jumping in here, please start with Part 1. It is January 1985 now, and the weather has been in the mid 70’s...

Personal
My Life in Italy, Part 10: “Paola Meets The Megalo...
Posted by Michael Kovnick on June 30, 2020

In Part 10 of the My Life in City series, we are back in Los Angeles. But this time, it is Paola's first time in the United...

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