Having recently traveled to Italy with Insight Vacations Luxury Gold, Lori Lange is the second in a series of five travel writers to talk about her experiences. Based in the mountains near Lake Tahoe, where she lives with her husband and son, Lori has made waves in the food world with her Recipe Girl blog, which contains over 3,000 original and adapted recipes. Also a contributor to media outlets such as Parade magazine and an expert-for-hire employed by several of the US’ biggest and best food companies, here Lori talks about her experiences on the Ultimate Italy itinerary and her impressions of the country’s universally adored cuisine.

Everybody has different tastes: some despise celery, others can’t bear the sight of a brussels sprout, and many think zucchini the poor cousins of cucumbers. We all have our predilections too. Some are partial to cake and a few prefer decadent deserts but overall there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the mystery of the palate.

With many destinations enjoying warmer weather, July is traditionally the month associated most with vacations. Yet it’s also undoubtedly a month of two halves. Travelers should seek the period before schools break up if they are chasing peace and quiet (and a good deal), while those after a buzzing, family-friendly atmosphere might do well to travel in the latter part of the month. Taking both preferences into account, we’ve selected some of our favorite destinations for those wondering where to visit in July.