The Laocoön group

This statue in the Vatican‘s Pio Clementino Museum may be the most influential of them all… Michelangelo admired it, as did Donatello before him, and Pliny the Elder long before them; this latter attributed it to three sculptors from Rhodes, but we don’t know who commissioned it, nor when it was sculpted, nor whether there […]

Viewpoint: Cinque Torri

The Cinque Torri (the Five Towers) stand in the eastern Dolomites, reaching an elevation of 2,361 metres above sea level, with a prominence of 140 metres… In the winter, this is skiing country – the resorts of San Vito di Cadore and Cortina d’Ampezzo are within striking distance of here – but in the summer, […]

Gazetta Italia: a tale of two sports

Italian football legend Paolo Maldini recently joined an exclusive group of athletes who have competed in more than one sport. Tom Alberto Bull reflects on these multidisciplinary heroes… Una storia di due sport Essendo cresciuto con una madre italiana e un padre fanatico di calcio, era inevitabile che avrei seguito la squadra azzurra sin da […]

Le Marche Living

Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs, founder and director of fractional ownership company Appassionata, is in love with interior design. We asked her about Italian home décor trends, and how to get the look in your own home… My husband, Michael, and I first visited the region of Le Marche about thirteen years ago and instantly fell in love […]

New issue of Italia! OUT NOW

Discover Tuscany with the new issue of Italia! magazine, on sale now!  Explore Tuscany’s cities, coast and countryside and then a trip to Elba with our top tips for an island getaway with this issue of Italia! In this issue we look at the story behind Baccalà, a dried and salted cod that has been cooked and enjoyed […]

Appassionata: Letters to Le Marche, chapter two

Chapter Two – Florence.. I gazed around the Piazza and sipped my cappuccino elegantly, copying the glamorous Italians on the next table. Trying not to get the milky froth all around my mouth. I love to people watch.  The tourists racing to keep up with their flag bearing tour guides. The Nonna’s dressed in black, […]

Q+A’s: Ask the experts

Our experts are here to help with all your questions about Italy. This month, alternative Sorrento, travelling around the south, fractional ownership in Le Marche, and EU driving licences… Alternative sorrento  Q: I’d love to visit Sorrento, but still want to have that ‘authentic Italy’ feel. Are there any smaller hotels that might fit the bill? […]