With a building history that spans 450 years, this large Carthusian monastery is home to an array of architectural delights that are sure to intrigue any visitor… This flight of stairs, crafted from white marble, is part of the Certosa di Padula ? the second largest charterhouse in Italy. Founded in 1306 by Tommasso di […]
We put a question to an Italian teacher of the language about whether having experience of Spanish will help… SPEAKING THE LINGO I currently speak good Spanish but would like to learn Italian properly. Firstly, I?d like to know if my knowledge of Spanish will help at all, and secondly what can I expect from […]
Located in Emilia-Romagna, the town of Comacchio is home to a number of architectural gems ? including the five-way Trepponti bridge… ? The town of Comacchio has origins stretching back to the Middle Ages, with many battles in the interim over borders and territory. It’s easy to see why, as Comacchio boasts unique, intact architectural […]
Donatello is often referred to as the first Renaissance sculptor. He is the artistic grandfather of Michelangelo, who probably learnt more by studying Donatello?s work from the century earlier than any contemporary masters of his time… Donatello was the first sculptor since antiquity to make paramount, in his artistic production, the aim of communicating the […]
The idyllic island of Sicily is renowned the world over for sand, sun and food ? but you may not have heard of its salt? On first glance you may think wheelbarrows seem rather out of place on a Sicilian beach ? however this is salt, not sand, and it really is collected in the […]
Sebastian Cresswell-Turner explores the differences between cultures, and most importantly how la bella figura features strongly as the Italian sense of pride and presentation in everyday life? La bella figura Per gli inglesi che abitano in Italia, ? quasi impossibile, dopo un po?, non affrontare la questione di identit? nazionale, per stabilire se veramente […]
This month we review a revamped book on Herculaneum ahead of a new exhibition at the British Museum, plunge into a Venetian mystery and indulge in sweet delights in our latest round up of Italian books? Sugar & Spice by Gaitri Pagrach-Chandra, Pavilion, ?25 (hardback) For those with a sweet tooth, books like this are […]
If there’s one element of Italian cooking that Brits have really taken to their hearts, it’s pizza. We put seven shop-bought versions of the classic margherita pizza to the test. It was humble baker Raffaele Esposito, or rather Queen Margherita of Savoy, who gave this dish its distinctive name. On paying a visit to Naples […]
Sebastian Cresswell-Turner explains how to embrace the more direct approach when ordering a cappuccino or eating at a restaurant… Il cappuccino che tradisce Verso la fine degli anni durante i quali fui residente a Roma, vedevo sempre pi? spesso la vita dal punto di vista italiano; ed era quindi abbastanza naturale, suppongo, che rimanessi sorpreso […]
A lesser-known gem of northern Italy, often shrouded in mist, Marina Spironetti shows us what Cremona has to offer ? a city known as the capital of the violin industry… The diligent lady at the tourist information office has equipped me with everything I could possibly need for my short stay in Cremona: maps, leaflets […]