Top 10 guide to Urbino

The Marche region has a glittering coastline, verdant hills, majestic mountains, and a trove of artistic treasures – Chris Allsop explains why your first cultural stop should be Urbino. Images by Val Nicastro  The typical line trotted out about Le Marche – the fertile region between the Adriatic and the Apennines, between forested Abruzzo and […]

The new issue of Italia! is out now

Welcome to the new issue of Italia! packed with exciting features and stunning photography to get you in the mood for sunnier days ahead. Travel restrictions continue to lift around the world and I’m heartened to see more of your photos in my inbox as you make a return to favourite places in Italy after […]

Il Furioso and the Brothers of San Rocco

Learn how Jacopo Robusti made a name (or two) for himself in Venice in Joe Gartman’s feature. Images by Patricia Gartman A narrow alley, the Salizada San Rocco, squeezes between a gelateria and the apse of the Church of the Frari, and widens into a small campo, at the end of which the Church of […]

Discover Assisi

The birthplace of the Catholic friar St Francis remains a globally important site of Christian pilgrimage Assisi stands atop Mount Asio and is flanked by swathes of Umbria’s undulating green pasture and the forests of Monte Subasio. At times it seems perched heaven-like, on a carpet of clouds. It is Roman in origin, yet a […]

Made in Italy!

Ancient craft traditions are an integral part of Italy’s heritage, but today’s artisans face fierce competition from a world of mass-produced convenience and the preservation of these crafts is more important than ever, says Jenny Oldaker. From exquisite glass creations in Murano to handcrafted Florentine footwear, each part of Italy has its own unique heritage […]

Strozzapreti

In this instalment of our Make It Simple series, resident chef Mario Matassa shows us how to make an iconic Italian pasta. Strozzapreti… literally ‘priest stranglers’, is one of the most antique pastas, with origins most certainly in Italian cucina povera. There are several entertaining legends that explain the name. One has it that it […]

48 hours in Mantua

This is the city to which Romeo was banished, and it is also home to a palace entirely dedicated to love. Little wonder, then, that one English author considered it to be the world’s most romantic city, writes Jane Keightley Images by Jane Keightley unless otherwise stated Aldous Huxley once called Mantua “the most romantic […]

The Baron Corvo’s grave

The final resting place of an English eccentric who made Venice his home, writes Joe Gartman Images by Patricia Gartman  The pale red brick walls and tall cypresses of San Michele Island rise from the lagoon waters less than a quarter mile from Cannaregio’s Fondamente Nove. They form a perpetual memento mori, a reminder of […]