Mussels with chickpeas

Mussels

These cozze e ceci make a delicious starter dish to share with the whole family. Serve with crusty bread to get every bit of flavour from the juices! Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 small red onion, peeled, finely sliced 1 garlic clove, peeled, crushed 150ml dry white wine 1kg mussels in their shells 450g cooked chickpeas 1 tbsp chopped […]

Semolina cake with orange syrup 

Semolina Cake

This torta di semolino all’arancia is a delicious, moist cake just waiting to be eaten!  Make this as a sweet treat over the weekend – perfect with a cup of tea. Semolina cake with orange syrup Ingredients: 2 large free-range eggs 220g caster sugar 80ml light olive oil zest of 1 orange 250ml orange juice […]

Italia! issue 159 on sale now

Explore the much-loved region of Tuscany and discover its many quiet corners in the new issue of Italia! Also in this issue we take a look at the historic hotels of Rome that have been part of 600 years of hospitality in Rome and our writer Sara Scarpa fills us in on the do’s and dont’s […]

The Business of Fabulous: Fractional Ownership

Fractional Ownership is a growing, successful concept, but few people really understand exactly what it means, or the benefits it can give, says Michael Hobbs from Appassionata. It is frequently confused with timeshare, conjuring up a negative view of being chased down the street in Marbella by an over-enthusiastic salesman inviting you to enjoy a […]

Q&A: from leftover panettone to income tax

Our experts are here to help with all your questions about Italy. This month, art holidays, what to do with leftover panettone, driving around romantic Puglia, and income tax… Painting landscapes Q: It’s my ambition one day to paint some Italian landscapes for my friends and family. Would you have any particular places you would recommend […]

A room with a view

Sally FitzGerald discovers Castello del Nero, the perfect Tuscan hideaway just off the road between Florence and Siena. When a hotel is voted as having ‘The Most Beautiful Bathroom in The World’ by Harper’s Bazaar, you head along with a certain level of expectation. The bathroom in question belongs to Castello del Nero, a 12th-century castello […]

The ‘Real World Guide’ to buying property in Italy

Le Marche property veteran Kevin Gibney of PropertyForSaleMarche.com offers Italia! readers eight practical steps for buying property in Italy. You can definitely find the right property in Italy if you take a reality-based, businesslike approach to the search process,” says Kevin Gibney, an officially licensed estate agent in Italy’s Le Marche region. Here are his […]

Insider’s Rome: the Villa Borghese

Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1577-1633) was a patron of Bernini and Caravaggio. The Baroque legacy at his Villa is a wonder to behold… People are often surprised to learn that, at least as far as major European cities go, Rome actually has a very good green space to concrete ratio. It certainly doesn’t feel like that […]