Hailing from Emilia-Romagna, the clue is in the name: Parmigiano Reggiano is the ‘king’ of Italian cheeses. We tried seven savoury samples to find our favourite. Parmesan enjoys Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, meaning that similar hard cheeses from other regions – and of varying quality – cannot use its name. As a rule, […]
“Go and catch a falling star, get with child a mandrake root…”. This begins John Donne’s poem, and another writer created another literary work a century before, that dealt with a virtuous woman, and with the magical mandrake plant. So begins John Donne’s Song, a poem that was probably written early in the 17th century. The poem lists […]
Traveleyes is a company that offers holidays for visually impaired people. Rachael Martin went with them to join a group of sighted and visually impaired tourists on a trip to Verona and Lake Garda. It’s a Sunday morning in Piazza Bra, in the heart of Verona. The square is full of people taking their morning […]
Acclaimed author Emylia Hall set her novel, The Thousand Lights Hotel, on Elba. She tells us about the favourite places and characteristics of the island that inspired her. Elba, the largest of the islands in the Tuscan Archipelago, is a place that defies expectation. Once a mining centre, it was repurposed in the 1950s as […]
It’s never too early to start planning next year’s holiday to Italy – so from Amalfi and the islands to Lake Garda and Liguria, let Italian holiday specialists Citalia inspire you… With nights drawing in and leaves starting to turn, we think it’s the perfect time to start dreaming of beach-front trattorias, al fresco espressos and daily […]
From shipwrecked sailors in Norway to the tables of Vicenza, Julie Carbonara tells the extraordinary tale of baccalà all vicentina. My mother was a good, plain home cook but fish was not her strong point, which is why Fridays were not my favourite days. You see, in the deeply religious, Catholic Italy of my youth, you were […]
Neapolitans have always lived in the knowledge that the volcano that makes their land so fertile is also capable of untold destruction. Tom Alberto Bull went up to take a closer look… Naples volcanic energy When we think of Naples we immediately think about Vesuvius towering ominously over the city, offering both rich, fertile land […]
Alan Reed and his wife Susan run painting holidays in Italy. This is a beautiful and unique way to explore everything that the country has to offer. Here he tells us all about his journey. It was my wife Susan who first introduced me to Italy. She had lived in Venice for five years and […]
Revisit Umbria and discover Europe’s first modern city in the latest issue of Italia! magazine. Read why you should revisit Umbria in this issue of Italia! and see how the resilient town of Norcia has rebuilt itself as it continues to grow stronger and stronger. Plus ride into Tuscany on a vintage steam train and […]
Dawn from Appassionata talks about the moment they began viewing properties that would lead them to fulfilling their dream…. Our weekend in Florence was over in a flash and we reluctantly flew back to London Stansted airport. Low grey cloud and drizzle welcomed us with open arms. We drove home through the gloom and heavy […]