Maria Lisella
Writer and Editor
I’m a seaoned pro in travel/ food/culture/health for trade and consumer editorial and custom sites.
PROJECTS
Travel Market Report
The Love of Greece is Stronger than Ever
Greece has enjoyed record runs of tourism for eight years and tourism professionals expect the country will welcome just as many, if not more, visitors this year.
Despite the wildfires that recently raged east of Athens in Mati and spread to other areas such as Penteli, Viotza, Rafina, and Agios Andreas, the country is on a course for another record-busting year, with 2017 bringing in 10.3 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of €194.6 billion, which is $20.22 billion.
Accord...
Travel Market Report
Why Rome's Bettoja Properties' Multi-Million Dollar Renovation Will Bring More of the Same
The more things change, the more they stay the same, goes an old epigram and sometimes that’s just what you want: the same thing only better.
And that includes adding a restaurant and an 11th floor to the Hotel Mediterraneo that already boasts being the tallest hotel in the Eternal City.
Built originally for the 1942 World’s Fair on Esquilino Hill, the Mediterraneo’s 10th floor rooftop bar has up to now been an enviable draw. The hotel is frequently featured in fashion shoots and most recentl...
Travel Market Report
Why New York State May Be the Hottest Ticket This Summer
Make no mistake, New York State’s recent record-breaking visitor counts have raised the bar, as have this year’s crop of new resorts, hotels and inns.
New York State Executive Director of Tourism Ross D. Levi said, “We’re making substantial and targeted investments in tourism because it’s New York State’s fourth largest industry and the historic levels of visitation we’re experiencing are creating a record-high economic impact of $105 billion.”
In 2016, New York State welcomed a record 239 mi...
Travel Market Report
How to Get an Inside Look at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Royal Wedding
To celebrate not one, but two weddings of the Queen's grandchildren this year, hotels are selling money-can't-buy "Royal Kensington Wedding Packages,” while hotels near the site are tempting Royal fans and followers with locations and deals.
Both Prince Harry, who will wed American actress Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, and Princess Eugenie, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York (Prince Andrew and "Fergie"), who is marrying wine merchant, Jack Brooksbank, reside at Kensington Palace, so it...
lavocedinewyork.com
New York: A Fresh Take On the Ancients and A Gathering of the Tribes
"Scenes from the Collection" allows viewers to understand what, why, and how the Museum has chosen the objects it displays and what those choices say about the evolving identity of the institution within the context of world events. At the same time, The Frick Collection has Francisco de Zurbarán’s thirteen canvases representing the Old Testament patriarch Jacob and his sons.
As the world commemorates International Holocaust Remembrance Day this season, two New York art institutions – The Jew...
VIA: Voices in Italian Americana
The Hunger Saint: The secret life of Sicily's "carusi"
Olivia Kate Cerrone’s prose takes a decidedly backseat to the riveting story she tells in The Hunger Saint, focused on the controversial sulfur mining industry in Sicily in 1948. For the uninitiated, this chapter of Italian history may shock and may be hard to read, as Cerrone does not give us a break — we are witnesses to the sulfur-laden air, we are trapped not only in the mine but in a life few could negotiate, yet the story is so compelling that one can read it in a single day.
Travel Market Report
The Baltics: A Saucy Romp and Fully Wired for Tourism
Two of them were listed in the New York Times’ 52 Places to Go in 2018. One of them is associated with the birth of Skype, while the third is one you don’t hear much about, but certainly will in 2018.
Just above Russia, and side by side with Scandinavia, the Baltics have often been add-ons to itineraries to Russia, Germany, Poland and Finland, but this year the region is showing up as a centerpiece.
Operator Busabout’s brochure describes the region as “scandalously sexy,” as Estonia, Latvia a...
10best.com
Discover Newark's Nightlife Rebirth: from Ironbound to University Heights
When you are planning a trip, likely you deal with the main details: the flight and the hotel. If you have any time left over, you may be able to scope out restaurants. The nightlife may be the last part of your research, and therefore, the most left up to chance. This is how we end up in a dive bar with no character, just because it is around the corner from our hotel.
We don't expect you to plan your trip down to the letter, but articles like this can help to make your nights feel as bright...
10best.com
10 Old-School Steakhouses in NYC that Never Disappoint
New York City is home to legendary steakhouses dating back to the 1800s as well as former speakeasies that stand shoulder to shoulder or chop to chop alongside newcomers with more eclectic approaches. Some of the new arrivals don't even try to break the mold, yet others are investing in extravagant decors in a nod to the finer sex with expense accounts.
When choosing which restaurants to include on our list of the top ten steakhouses in New York City, we looked for delectable, mouth-watering ...
bridgepugliausa.it
Grace Cavalieri, Queen of Poetry in FM
A writer, poet, and journalist she considers herself first Italian and then American.
To bring poetry to people is her mission: for 36 years she has successfully hosted the radio program The Poet and the Poem
When the blood of the U.S. ran hot with Black nationalism, gay rights, and the cultural revolution, in 1977, an Italian-American named Grace Cavalieri, suburban housewife, mother of four, living on a Naval base, was one of the founders of an “all jazz radio station” WPFW-FM, the first Bl...
10best.com
Keeping Time with the 10 Best Live Music Haunts in the City
The power of live music to make folks feel good is on full display at a host of New York nightclubs, cabaret spaces, and rooftop bars with spectacular views of the Hudson or East River. If listening to bands and vocalists show off their skills is how you like to spend an evening, you'll find that New York does things right. Multiple options let you tap into the venues that 10Best readers favor, like Amateur Night at the fabled Apollo in Harlem, or B.B. King's Blues Club & Grille steps away fr...
Travel Market Report
Steady as She Goes: What River Cruise Lines Have Planned for 2018
Interest in river cruises and traveling onboard ships with a smaller passenger capacity is on the rise among travelers, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
“The small ship sector is a vital and constantly evolving part of the overall cruise industry that excels at creating unmatched travel experiences, making it more popular than ever,” said Cindy D’Aoust, president and CEO, CLIA.
The newest trends showcase itineraries for active travelers, food and wine aficionado...
Travel Market Report
One Trend Leads to Another on Portugal's Douro River
it started when Manorhouses in the northern part of the country flung their doors open to host the public as overnight guests. Soon river cruise companies, looking to add new ships and new itineraries, began to ply the Douro River. Add in a few glasses of local wine, and a new focus on wellness, and you have a confluence of trends on the Douro River.
Travel Market Report
Did you say Fjord? Norway Still Reaping "Frozen" Benefits
For sure, Norway is perceived as a safe destination, no small matter in volatile times, but that is not its main selling point: the real attraction here is nature – the fjords are unique, new cruises traverse the coastal and inland waterways, the culture is accessible, rail travel is fast, efficient and scenic and now Norway is a new star on the culinary tourism map with Michelin-starred restaurants in Oslo and Bergen.
lavocedinewyork.com
The Muppets Bring Family Values to Queens: Jim Henson’s Fantastic World of Puppets, Kindness and Wisdom at MoMi
Who doesn’t love at least one Muppet character even if you did not grow up with them? And who wouldn’t want the Muppets as next-door neighbors?