I had one of the most delicious experiences of my life today. With a well known culinary school and a thriving foodie scene, Providence has become one of the new cuisine hotspots on the east coast. Federal Hill, a local neighborhood traditionally occupied by immigrants, is home to 62 great restaurants, many of them Italian.

I took a culinary tour of Federal Hill with chef Cindy Salvato, who operates a company called Savoring Rhode Island. We started at Schialo Brothers Bakery, a traditional Italian bakery where one family has created bread, cakes and cookies in a brick oven for nearly 100 years. Next, we visited Roma, an grocery store with beiautiful meats, fresh pastas and imported olive oils, and then Tony's Colonial Food, where the proprietor offerd us a taste of mouth-melting prosciutto. From there, we visited Constantino's Venda Ravioli, a large Italian market and restaurant, where we sampled delicious cheeses and pickled peppers stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto balls.

As if that weren't enough, Cindy took me to lunch at Zooma, a neighborhood Italian restaurant where we ordered pan-fried fresh calamari, brick-oven pizza, and a trio of pastas. The rich bolognese, pillowy gnocchih and intricate sacchettini (stuffed with cheese and mushrooms) were an overwhelming feast of flavor that may be the next best thing to Italy itself.

Fresh bread at Scialo Brothers Bakery.

Bolognese and horseradish at Zooma.

A lesson in olive oils with chef Cindy.

Prosciutto and mozzarella stuffed peppers at Venda Ravioli.

Venda Ravioli's homemade pizza.

Everyone knows about the mansions in Newport, RI -- perched high on a hill overlooking the Atlantic ocean, these 19th-century estates were the summer homes of rich robber barrons (Vanderbilts, Rockefellers and the like). Less known, perhaps, are the equally impressive Colonial sites throughout this historic city. I spent today touring numerous historic areas, from the Whithorne House to the Redwood Library and Touro Synagogue, which help to illuminate the distinctive architecture, artistic history and religious heritage of this state.

Whitehorne House: This 1811 structure is part historic home, part furniture museum. Visitors learn about the house and its typical New England architecture during a tour. But the highlight of the visit is not the home itself, but its contents -- today, the structure houses a great collection of Newport furniture, a style that sprang from the simplicity of the area's Puritan roots and evolved to be a beautiful example of Colonial Rhode Island craftsmanship.

Newport Art Museum: Paintings, drawings and other works of art on display at this museum range from Colonial times to the modern area. The exhibits highlight Rhode Island artists, as well as other creative minds from New England. One of the chief attractions is the museum's distinctive main building, an 1862 mansion.

Redwood Library: This institution holds the distinction of being the oldest lending library in the country, and visitors can still see some of the books first purchased by the library members in 1747. A visit to this library is a study in art and architecture as well -- the building is one-of-a-kind, and the art collection includes a Gilbert Stewart painting of George Washington, in addition to other significant pieces.

Touro Synagogue: Another Newport first, Touro Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in the United States. The building was dedicated in 1763, and remains a symbol of Rhode Island's heritage as a haven of religious freedom and tolerance. An active congregation still worships here every week, so group tours must be planned around their service times.