Isabella d’Este was the Marchesa of Mantua and the first lady of the Renaissance. Jane Keightley goes to Mantua to find out more about Isabella d’Este and the Gonzaga family she married into, to explore the Palazzo Ducale where she lived, and see the city she knew. The letter quoted below fair representation of Isabella’s character, […]
These days a resident of Bristol, Tom Alberto Bull sees the street art culture of Banksy’s home town with the perspective of someone who has seen similar phenomena in Naples and Bologna… An artist’s playground Since the emergence of world-renowned graffiti artists such as Banksy the street art scene has taken off globally – and […]
If you’re hitting the Italian roads this summer, here are seven ways to ensure that you have a stress-free motoring experience. Paul Pettengale is your guide… Do hire a car that’s big enough for your party and all your luggage. It sounds obvious, but a family of four plus suitcases for a couple of weeks […]
Once the go-to Italian white with mediocre credentials, now is the time to take another look at Pinot Grigio – the fine examples being produced today are worthy of our attention. Grown throughout northern Italy, the Pinot Grigio grape is most widely found in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Veneto, Umbria, Trentino and Emilia-Romagna. Not that long ago, any […]
If you have ever skied at Chiavenna you will be aware of the concept of the crotto, a cave that has been converted into a restaurant. Rachael Martin revisits the haunts of her youth… Walk into Pasticceria Mastai in Chiavenna on a cold winter’s morning and it’s full of skiers having a quick cappuccino and […]
Artichokes, for example, began their season in Italy before Easter, but the British season often lags some way behind. Mario Matassa is your guide to your local market’s fare… Mackerel – Sgombro This silver-bodied fish with dark grey stripes is a close relative of the tuna fish, yet has quite a different flavour. Plentiful in […]
These Costolette d’agnello con crosta di pistacchi are the perfect midweek meal. Serves: 2 Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes Ingredients: 6 lamb cutlets 40g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped 2 tbsp fine breadcrumbs 1 tbsp finely grated mature pecorino cheese 1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1 small free-range egg […]
This month, we put some fine Italian chocolate treats to the test – well, it’s a difficult job but someone has to do it… Over the last few decades, Italy has established itself as one of the leading nations worldwide for the production of fine chocolate, making significant inroads, primarily in the gourmet market. Our […]
It looks serene and peaceful today but at the end of the First World War this was the scene of intense fighting between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces – and that wasn‘t the first time the river had seen conflict… Some would say that the purpose of the First World War (to the extent that it […]
Isola Bella – or Ìsula Bedda, in the Sicilian language – is aptly named… The ‘Beautiful Island’ of Taormina isn’t the only place of this name in Italy. There is a perhaps more famous one on Lake Maggiore, but it is the only one in Sicily. It lies off the coast of Taormina and is […]