Italy has too many glorious mosaics to mention. Rich in artistry, history and beauty they truly are a labour of love. 1. Emperor Justinian Ravenna Ravenna was once the capital of the Western Roman Empire, and the town where Dante wrote much of the Divine Comedy. This is a town with a vast cultural heritage […]
Artists’ inspiration and magnificent feat of engineering, but the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute on Venice’s Grand Canal was originally built to stave off the plague The year is 1629 and a great plague has hit Venice, turning it into a watery tomb. Prayers and processions to Venetian churches fail to stem the tide […]
A country with a wealth of artistic wealth of artistic treasures picking the best of Italy’s galleries is no easy task. This month, we highlight some of the peninsula’s unmissable art archives. 1. Gli uffizi Florence Had Florence’s biggest and busiest gallery failed to top the list of Italy’s best galleries, it would have looked […]
Whether you want glorious scenery, peaceful walks or adrenalin-packed watersports, Italy’s inland waters boast it all. Here’s Italia!’s pick of the country’s beautiful lakes 1. Lake Garda The largest of Italy’s lakes and ‘the land where the lemon trees grow’, Lake Garda’s elephantine shape drapes itself across Lombardy, the Veneto and Trentino. The lake’s Mediterranean […]
The Italian love for luxury fast cars is well documented, but the manufacturing record for superbikes is pretty impressive, too. Italia! takes a look at the fastest bikes on the track 1. Ducati It’s fairly safe to say that Ducati is a legend in the motorbike industry. Its newest bikes resemble two-wheeled Ferraris, super-slick and […]
If you’re visiting Tuscany for a rest this summer, why not visit the thermal falls of Saturnia, where Italia! recently took to the soothing waters… Of all the many natural wonders that Tuscany boasts – from the impressive conical cypress trees to the vast acres of unspoiled pastures – relaxation has always been paramount to […]
Bears might be particularly well known for loving honey, but so do we. Italia! puts some fine examples of liquid gold to the taste test. It’s time for something sweet… Honey always seemed a quintessentially British ingredient as a child, whether as the adorable Winnie the Pooh’s ‘drug’ of choice, or because of the way […]
Sarah Lane takes a relaxing stroll around the lakeside oasis in Lombardy to find out more about nesting storks, Latin poets and the singularly rampant Gonzaga dynasty Approaching Mantua from the east you’re presented with the captivating sight of the city’s fairy-tale skyline, seemingly afloat on its watery foundations. Mantua is built in the middle […]
When it comes to store cupboard stand ins, they don’t come more handy than a trusty jar of green basil pesto. Italia! put a selection of the classic sauce to the test There are countless classic basil pestos available on our supermarket shelves, but there are many variations on the authentic recipe on offer too. The […]
Look out France, Switzerland and Belgium. A new contender is shaking up the world of luxury chocolates. Italia! looks at the dark gold rivalling Europe’s most established chocolatiers 1. Amedei Since the early 1990s, when Cecilia and Alessio Tessieri (the brother and sister team behind Amedei) set up their Tuscan chocolate factory, they have been […]