Italians love their saints, but there’s one whose face you’ll see constantly, from street corner shrines to the sides of mac trucks: Padre Pio.

Born on May 25, 1887 in Pietrelcina in Campania, Francesco Forgione, or Padre Pio as he later came to be called, made his home in San Giovanni Rotondo across the boot in Puglia and lived and worshiped there until his death on September 23, 1968.  Padre Pio would preach for hours atSanta Maria delle Grazie church, where he is now buried, and would take care of the sick throughout town and the country.  It can’t go without saying that the saint also bore the marks of the stigmata—for which he is famously known.

These days, over seven million pilgrims make their way to San Giovanni Rotondo to pay homage to the miracle worker—so many that a new church was built by famed Genoa-born architect Renzo Piano in order to house the worshipers.  The modern building, completed in 2004, stands in stark contrast to the age-worn architecture around it, accommodating 6,500 people inside and an additional 30,000 outside.

Every September 23, Padre Pio’s saint day, San Giovanni Rotondo, a town of just over 26,000 people, is overtaken by pilgrims, celebrating the saint with a torchlight procession and religious ceremonies.  Hundreds of stands selling religious souvenirs fill the streets as locals and visitors alike pay tribute to Padre Pio.  In addition to visiting the saint’s tomb, chambers, and the area where he greeted followers, which you can visit throughout the year, special events and services take place on and around the 23^rd.

Tuscany's thousands of vineyards makes it one of Italy's largest wine-producing regions. (photo by rayced via flickr)

Every September, Italy moves from summer mode into wine mode, with la vendemmia, the annual grape harvest, during which time the country’s most beloved crop is gathered and turned into stunning red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines.

With nearly one million vineyards throughout the country with perfectly parallel rows of grapevines everywhere from the flat lands of Tuscany to the staggering cliffs of Cinque Terre, Italy is one of the largest and oldest wine producers in the world.  It may come as no surprise, then, that the country also leads the world in wine consumption.  So when you go, it’s only right to join the locals.

Italian wines are classified under four categories: Vino da Tavola (basic table wine made in Italy), Indicazione Geografica Tipica or IGT (simple wine made from a specific Italian region), Denominazione di Origine Controllata or DOC (wine made under government regulations to preserve a its unique identity), and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita or DOCG (a small number of the highest quality wine produced under government regulations)—the most being produced in Tuscany and Piedmont.

With the grape harvest right around the corner, here is a region-by-region look at some of the most sought-after wines from around Italy.  Keep it handy during your vacation so you’ll know what kind of wine to sip in every city you visit.

Abruzzo DOCG: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane; DOC: Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Controguerra, and Trebbiano d’Abruzzo

Basilicata DOCG: Aglianico del Vulture Superiore; DOC: Matera and Terre dell’Alta Val d’Agri

Calabria DOC: Bivongi, Ciró, Greco di Bianco, Pollino, and Verbicaro

Campania DOCG: Aglianico del Taburno, Fiano di Avellino, Greco di Tufo, Taurasi; DOC: Campi Flegrei, Capri, Cilento, Penisola Sorrentina, and Vesuvio

Emilia–Romagna DOCG: Albana di Romagna and Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto; DOC: Lambrusco, Sangiovese di Romagna, and Bosco Eliceo

Friuli–Venezia Giulia DOCG: Ramandolo, Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit, and Rosazzo; DOC: Friuli Aquileia, Collio, and Lison Pramaggiore

Lazio DOCG: Cesanese del Piglio and Frascati Superiore; DOC: Castelli Romani, Colli Albani, Montecompatri-Colonna, Est! Est! Est! di Montefiascone, Velletri among others.

Le Marche DOCG: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi; DOC: Bianchello del Metauro, Rosso Cònero, Lacrima di Morro d’Alba, and Falerio dei Colli Ascolani

Liguria DOC: Cinque Terre Schiacchetrà, Colli di Luni, Colline di Levanto, Golfo del Tigullio, Riviera Ligure di Ponente, Rossese di Dolceacqua, Val Polcevera, and Pornassio

Lombardy DOCG: Franciacorta, Moscato di Scanzo, and Valtellina Superiore; DOC: Garda Classico, Cellatica, and Botticino

Molise DOC: Biferno, Molise, and Pentro di Isernia

Piedmont DOCG: Asti, Barbaresco, Barbera d’Asti, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore, Barolo, Brachetto d’Acqui, Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba, Erbaluce di Caluso, Gavi, Gattinara, Ghemme, and Roero; DOC: Barbera d’Alba, Freisa d’Asti, and Freisa di Chieri

Puglia DOCG: Primitivo di Manduria; DOC: Aleatico di Puglia, Cacc’e Mmitte di Lucera, Salice Salentino, and Rosso di Cerignola

Sardinia DOCG: Vermentino di Gallura; DOC: Malvasia di Bosa, Moscato di Sorso-Sennori, Moscato di Cagliari, Vernaccia di Oristano, Cannonau di Sardegna, Nuragus di Cagliari, Carignano del Sulcis, and Mandrolisai

Sicily DOCG: Cerasuolo di Vittoria; DOC: Moscato di Noto Naturale, Moscato di Pantelleria, Moscato di Siracusa, Marsala, Malvasia delle Lipari, and Sambuca di Sicilia

Trentino-Alto Adige DOC: Alto Adige/Südtirol which has six subzones, Valdadige, Teroldego Rotaliano, Casteller, and Lago di Caldaro/Caldaro

Tuscany DOCG: Chianti, Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Carmignano, Vernaccia di San Gimignano and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano; DOC: Bolgheri, Vin Santo del Chianti, Bianco della Valdinievole, and Ansonica Costa dell’Argentario

Umbria DOCG: Sagrantino di Montefalco and Torgiano Rosso Riserva; DOC: Rosso Orvietano, Colli del Trasimeno, Assisi, and Colli Altotiberini

Val d’Aosta Blanc de Mordex et de la Salle, Petit Rouge de Enfer d’Arvier et Torrette, Petite Arvine; DOC: Val d’Aosta

Veneto DOCG: Amarone di Valpolicella, Recioto di Soave, Prosecco, and Bardolino;  DOC: Valpolicella, Lessini Durello, and Bianco di Custoza

While the tarentella is one of Italy's most recognized dances, Tango World in Venice is about to take over the City of Water. (photo by Peter Hummers via flickr)

From June 1 to 5, Venice’s passenger terminal 103 will be transformed into an Argentine milonga, transporting you across the Atlantic for the fourth installment of Tango World in Venice.  While Italians are more known for their fast-paced tarantella than their sultry tango, Italian immigrants to Buenos Aires put their stamp on the national dance, influencing controversial changes in the lyrics, the music, and even the dance itself.  During Tango World in Venice locals, visitors, and cruise passengers alike can mix it up with professional dancers at nightly milongas, tango-ing the night away to live music.

While Italians may have put their stamp on the tango, here are some of the dances that they are really known for:

The Furlana, popular in Friuli and in particular Venice, is an old-fashioned dance that has a waltz feel to it, often featuring a couple flirting, courting, fighting, and making up.  Fast-paced and dramatic, the woman’s handkerchief is passed back and forth between the couple.

Liscio is a fluid, polka-like folk dance from northern Italy’s Romagna region that involves a couple circling the dance floor.  Both the dance and its music gained popularity across the country.

The Monferrina is a lively dance from the Piedmont region danced in two phases: the promenade and a couple dance.  The female dancers playfully move their skirts along with the accordion music.

By far the most well-known of Italian folk dances, the Tarantella, varies across Southern Italy and Sicily in name and performance (for example, the Puglia region calls it pizzica)—all of them fast-paced with jumpy movements and lots of tambourine playing.  Originally known as the cure to a deadly tarantula wolf spider bite, the frenzied dance known as the tarantella snuck its way into Italian and global culture.

Italy struck gold, silver, and bronze at this year's Sol d'Oro international olive oil competition. (photo by Meredith Quinn)

It’s official—Italian olive oil is the best in the world.  Having just swept the gold, silver, and bronze medals in every category of the 9^th annual Sol d’Oro international olive oil competition, Italy’s olive oil producers have something to brag about.  Beating out over 200 entries from Spain, Portugal, Chile, Slovenia, and Croatia, Italy’s liquid gold has been a regional staple since BC times.

As Italy is the second-largest olive oil producer in the world, you’ll likely see olive groves wherever you look—from the hills of Fiesole to the Greek ruins of Agrigento.  Particular to the Mediterranean climate, olive trees thrive near the sea, absorbing the salt that few other plants can withstand, needing minimal watering and cultivation during their hundreds-of-years lifespan.

In order to make oil, olives are harvested in late fall and winter and then ground into a paste which is then pressed.  The liquid extracted is then put into a centrifuge, which separates the liquid into water and oil.  The process is repeated.  If no other production means are taken, the oil is considered extra virgin.  As the oil becomes more refined through physical and chemical means, its classification changes: virgin, pure, olive oil, and pomace oil.

So where is the best of the best of Italy’s olive oil?  The prize-winning entries from the Sol d’Oro competition were from the regions of Puglia, Lazio, Sicily, and Calabria.  So an easy day trip from Rome will put you in the land of award-winning olives!