Photojournalist Marina Spironetti travelled to inland Sardinia and the remote region of Barbagia to document the most fascinating and ancient carnival traditions of the island… Sos Thurpos, Orotellisos Sos Thurpos from Orotelli represent another centuries-old tradition. Unlike the masks in Mamoiada and Ottana, they don’t wear sheepskins but a simple black coat, handmade chaps (gambali) […]
Bubbling hot springs and soothing mineral waters abound in the perfect climes and geology of the Italian peninsula. We take a look at five of the most therapeutic on offer… Ischia Bay of Naples, Campania This beautiful island nestles in the Bay of Naples in one of the most volcanic regions of Italy – prime […]
Italy’s Cinque Terre is the stuff of postcards, and its colourful coastal railway is as pretty as a picture. Tristan Rutherford takes a train journey of discovery along the Ligurian coast Central Italy is snowbound, so it is a shock to see La Spezia Station in radiant green. Palm trees run alongside the tracks in […]
Today’s the day for the weird, the wonderful and the downright scary, so we thought you’d like to take a look at this wonderfully misshapen curiosity which we came across in an elegant Sicilian vegetable garden this month. A serious contender for Ugliest Fruit of the Year 2016, its knarly, pitted, pock-marked appearance and lumpy […]
In the woods and fields around the Palazzina di Stupinigi, outside Turin, between harvest time and Christmas, no animal big enough to be hunted was safe… The silhouetted figure on top gives a clue as to what this building was designed to be: a hunting lodge, a very grand hunting lodge. There has been a […]
Sweet and natural, honey is a store cupboard staple, perfect for spreading, drizzling and cooking. Here are some Italian varieties – and they’re not just for desserts and cakes Raw honey is said to be packed with health-giving qualities and the cure for many ailments from hangovers to colds. Give your immune system a boost […]
It’s Halloween, so it’s time to delve into ghoulish stories, if you dare… Between Venice and Lido in the Venetian Lagoon lies Poveglia, thought to be the most haunted place in Italy. For centuries this island has been a place of refuge, exile and a dumping ground for the diseased, dying and deceased. In 421, Poveglia took […]
What the Vespa was to private transport in Italy in the lean years following the Second World War, the Ape would be to commercial transport… When the Second World War ended, Italy was in ruins. Not only had she fought on the losing side but, in the process of losing, much of her infrastructure – […]
A spectacular example of 19th-century architecture, this elegant arcade in Milan had a central part to play in the birth of the modern-day malls in which we shop today Gazing up through the central octagonal glass dome of Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II to the blue skies above gives a whole new twist to the […]
To the northeast of Brescia, in the hinterland of the lakes of Garda, Iseo and Idro, there is a celebration of Slow Food gastronomy. Heather Crombie takes a tour… Think of Brescia and the chances are you will picture the lake resorts of Iseo, Idra and Garda. Holidaymakers the world over are drawn to the […]