Author: Italia Travel & Life
The Forgotten Garden, Florence

Beyond the palazzo… now, rising elegantly up the slope was a series of manicured terraces, and a grand stairway climbing with them Oltrarno means ‘beyond the Arno’, and refers to the part of Florence south of the river. Although you can find many famous sights there – the Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, and Piazzale Michelangelo […]
Island of Traditions – Part 1

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… The glitzy atmosphere of the North Sardinia coast could not be further away. That coastline may be what the island is most famous for, but it’s not the real Sardinia […]
Parmesan, pea and asparagus risotto

The king of Italian cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano’s heritage dates back 900 years! Parmesan, pea and asparagus risotto Serves 4 – Preparation 10 minutes – Cooking 30 minutes Ingredients 70g butter 1 onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 stick celery, chopped 150g asparagus, chopped 300g risotto rice 200ml white wine 700ml vegetable stock 150g […]
Touring Italy’s Ceramics Workshops with Emma Hart

Artist Emma Hart is not a fan of the perfected visions of life offered by social media… Though she has a background in photography, Hart has hold-ups about the intention to make subjects look “good and smooth,” and much prefers to make things look grubby and real. Her artworks draw on the vexations of modern life […]
Top Italian Food and Wine Festivals

How do you choose from the thousands of gastronomic festivals throughout Italy? We’ve made it easy for you with five of the best to tickle your tastebuds… International White Truffle Fair Alba, Piedmont Do you love ’em or hate ’em? Well, if you’ve got a smidgen of Italian joie de vivre coursing though your veins, the […]
Top Ten Cities for Apartments in Italy

Embrace the urban whirl! Italian cities are small, beautiful and eminently liveable. A city apartment has strong rental potential, and offers many advantages for your own holidaymaking. Here are the top ten cities for apartments in Italy… #1 – Rome (Population 2,850,000) Italy’s brash, loud, vibrant capital is a confident, thick-skinned place, secure in its achievements […]
Bolognese is best in Britain

What’s the verdict? Italian or British bundle of bolognese? This story first appeared on The Telegraph and was written by XANTHE CLAY. I was brought up on spaghetti bolognese. Slippery tendrils of pasta wreathed in a great mound of meat and tomato sauce, which we didn’t know was called a ragu, was a regular supper. For us […]
An event every chocoholic will want to attend!

Never mind Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory – it’s this ten-day carnival of confectionery that you’ll really want to get a golden ticket for. Perugia’s historic squares provide a picture-postcard setting for chocolate tastings, sculptures, demonstrations and other activities designed to tease your senses – and the best part is that bikini season is over, so […]
Italy’s digital car sharing revolution

There is in Italy a new initiative to encourage people to share cars. Tom Alberto Bull wonders how long it will be before we see something along the same lines introduced in the UK? On a recent trip to Italy I was made aware of a mobile app taking parts of the country by storm. […]