Rick Steves has just returned from two weeks in Italy, and is ready to share practical tips, personal anecdotes, and gorgeous photos from hiking in the Dolomites to soaking in the ethereal beauty of Venice, the Cinque Terre, and Lake Como. Purely a vacation, this was a trip of experiences: hiking with friends for six days high in Italy’s Alps, exploring the Venetian Lagoon, pounding pesto, sipping wine on Italy’s Riviera, and capping it all off on Lake Como, where he was named “Ambassador to the

Marseilles feels like Europe’s gateway to Africa. About a quarter of its population is from North Africa, and two million people ride its ferries across the Mediterranean each year (most shuttling from here to Algeria and Tunisia). Like Los Angeles or Miami, the city has its melting-pot challenges (and some immigrant-related crime). But it is vibrant, it is reality, and no trip to southern France is really complete without a stop here. In this little clip, walk with me for a moment through the N