Past Italia! Cività di Bagnoregio

Marooned like a tiny island on an outcrop of crumbling volcanic rock, the once-thriving settlement of Cività di Bagnoregio in Lazio clings to a perilous existence When you catch sight of its precarious position today, it is hard to imagine that Cività di Bagnoregio was once a large, thriving Etruscan city situated on a wide […]

Masters of Disegno

Time to revisit Fra Angelico to Leonardo’ awe-inspiring exhibition from 2010 featuring Italian Renaissance drawings, but as Amanda Robinson finds out, there’s more to it than meets the eye…   With 100 works from the collections of both the British Museum and the Gabinetto Disengi e Stampi Uffizi in Florence, ‘Fra Angelico to Leonardo’ is the most […]

Viewpoint: Culatello DOP, Tuscany

Mauro Staccioli is an artist who likes to connect himself to the landscape – a trip to Volterra in Tuscany will introduce you to some of his remarkable works By Royal Appointment. Question: What links a world renowned fashion designer (Armani) with a Prince (Charles)? Answer: A little bum or, put another way, Culatello DOP.  […]

Viewpoint: The River Arno

Looking upstream into a Florence sunrise almost the colour of the city’s beloved football club’s shirt, we are, in one very real sense, looking towards the source of the Renaissance itself… The River Arno divides Florence between the north side, where most of the famous bits are, and the Oltrarno, the ‘other side’, where most […]

Puglia regional property guide

The slender region of Puglia dips its heel into both the Adriatic and Ionian seas, as it is located at the bottom of the peninsula’s east coast, with Molise as its neighbour in the north, Campania to the northwest and Basilicata to the west. The climate is reliably sunny, and hot and dry in the […]

Bruschetta with smashed peas and crispy pancetta

We love this little bites of heaven! Peas bring a lovely lightness to these mini bruschetta Bruschetta with smashed peas and crispy pancetta or Bruschetta con purè di piselli e pancetta croccante Makes 10 – Preparation 10 minutes – Cooking 20 minutes Ingredients 1 ciabatta loaf extra-virgin olive oil 500g frozen peas 10 slices of pancetta 1 lemon, zested and […]

Warm green pea and bean salad

Fresh or frozen, peas bring a refreshing lightness to any dish and are therefore often used to lift the spirits of what might otherwise be overly-hearty winter warmers… Warm green pea and bean salad with herb-roasted tomatoes or Insalata tiepida di piselli verdi e fave con pomodori arrostiti all’erbe Serves 4 – Preparation 10 minutes –  Cooking 25 […]

Saffron-braised chicken with peas, almonds and garlic

Fresh or frozen, peas bring a refreshing lightness to any dish and are therefore often used to lift the spirits of what might otherwise be overly-hearty winter warmers… Saffron-braised chicken with peas, almonds and garlic Serves 4 – Preparation 15 minutes – Cooking 45 minutes Ingredients 4 free-range chicken legs,  cut in half 3 tbsp olive oil 4 shallots, […]

Christmas Gift Guide – for Him and Her

Bring a dash of Italian style to the festive season with our gift ideas for the whole family Prosecco Soap For a truly indulgent cleanse, this prosecco soap is enriched with linden flower extract and infused with the sparkling aroma of Italian bubbly. £4.99, Oak Room Shop Lime Di Sicilia Handbag Travel Set Take your […]

Viewpoint: Markets in Pomposa

A solitary market stall in Pomposa, near Ferrara, selling pumpkins of all shapes and sizes in late October of last year. It doesn’t get more Italian – and yet, of course, it’s not Italian at all… Like maize – another crop that is grown very extensively here in the Po Valley – and tomatoes – […]