Our life in Umbria

Lorelei and Jacob Wells have made Umbria a second home that they can make available to family and friends. Leicestershire-based Lorelei and Jacob Wells (in pink and centre, pictured with friends) own a three-bedroom rural house situated between Todi and Orvieto in southwest Umbria. They enjoy long visits there several times a year, make the […]

48 hours in: Ferrara

Ferrara was Europe’s first modern city, and plans laid here have been copied across the continent. Sara Scarpa visits the often overlooked city of the Este family… One evening earlier this year, I watched a television programme about the Signorie, the governing bodies of old Italy, and was fascinated by the stories of these famous […]

Italia! Christmas gift guide 2017

Bring some Italian style to the festive season with our fantastic Italia! Christmas gift guide. Featuring gift ideas for the whole family! Marche Leather Goods Beautiful leather goods including handbags, manbags and purses. All lovingly designed and totally handmade from the very finest Italian leather by local artisan producers, specially sourced for you by From […]

Unmasking the comedians

The influence Carlo Goldoni had on Italian theatre is immeasurable, and his museum is not to be missed. The palazzo is hard to find. The land entrance is in an alley so narrow that you must consider the width of your umbrella before venturing there in the rain. The water entrance is easier to locate, […]

Past Italia: Brisighella

Brisighella

An unusual clock tower overlooks the land surrounding a small town in the province of Ravenna… What is now the Torre dell’Orologio of Brisighella was originally built in 1290 under the orders of the condottiero Maghinardo Pagani as part of the town’s (nominally) defensive fortifications. Damaged and reconstructed several times, the tower we see today […]

Gazetta Italia: rain dance

Val D'Orcia, Tuscany

We endured another terrible summer in the UK, and they did in Italy too, but for quite the opposite reasons. Tom Alberto Bull on the drought and heat that affected the peninsula… Rain dance So another British summer has passed, and not without the usual complaints about the inconsistent (and often miserable) weather. During these […]

Appassionata for American Owners

This week Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs tells us all about Appassionata for American Owner and how to protect your assets and experience the magic of Le Marche. Appassionata is a boutique, family run, fractional ownership business set in the heart of Italy. We are finding more and more US based owners are seeing the benefits of buying into […]

Viewpoint: the intervention

An art installation by Lorenzo Quinn on Venice’s Grand Canal symbolises the threat to the city from rising waters caused by climate change… Opposite the Rialto fish market, two giant hands emerge from the waters and touch against the Ca’ Sagredo. Are they bracing the hotel, or reaching up to destroy it? The intervention is […]