It is, sadly, a dying industry, with cheap imports threatening to change this landscape forever. But Kevin Pilley finds that in Italy there is still devotion to the humble grain of rice, and, of course, to the risotto it makes… Italy’s first, and so far only, official rice ambassador looked solemnly down at my plate, […]
Mark Nicholls visits the Dolomites and discovers an oft-forgotten aspect of World War One history… The peaks are sharp and jagged, forming a ruggedly stunning backdrop across the Dolomites. This is a landscape considered so impressive that it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With 18 peaks rising to above 3,000 metres and […]
Any visit to Naples is enhanced by a trip to the islands. Robin Crews finds that it’s easy to hop over the water to Ischia… We all know that passion runs through the veins of Italians right throughout the peninsula, but in the Mezzogiorno there is something else coursing through the locals’ bodies. As you […]
Getting to know Venice is that much easier when your guide is a Venetian. Sara Scarpa takes us on a tour of the city she calls home… Most of my friends have already been to Venice at least once so when they come to visit me I show them the side of town that I […]
“And suddenly there is Cagliari,“ wrote DH Lawrence. “A naked town rising steep, steep, golden-looking, piled naked to the sky.” Adrian Mourby explores this ancient Sardinian city… You have to choose your angle these days to see the Sardinian capital as Lawrence did in 1921, but the Aragonese fortress (known as Castello) still towers over […]
Jane Keightly discovers the wonderful world of truffles at perhaps the most famous truffle fair in all of Italy: The Alba White Truffle Fair… One of Italy’s most interesting seasonal events is the truffle season in Piedmont, when food lovers from all over the world descend upon the town of Alba for the International White […]
Cocoa and chocolate have influenced the culture and of Piedmont for over 300 years and café society flourished here around the time of Italy’s unification. Catherine Sidwell explains why Turin is known as the chocolate capital of Italy. She shares her experiences of some of the historic cafés, chocolate shops, gelaterie and the festival ‘CioccolaTO’… The […]
Following our article on Turin for Chocolate lovers, here’s a list of must-visit cafés to experience the very best chocolates in Turin! INFORMATION ➤ Turin Tourist Office For information on and opening times of cafés and shops, seasonal city walking tours and chocolate factory visits. www.turismotorino.org ➤ Palazzo Madama www.palazzomadamatorino.it (Closed on Mondays.) ➤ CioccolaTO www.cioccola-to.it TURIN’S […]
WHAT TO SEE AND DO ➤ Palazzo Ducale & Galleria Nazionale delle Marche Entrance on Piazza Duca Federico +39 0722 32262 www.palazzoducaleurbino.it Hours: Mon, 8:30am-2:00pm; Tue-Sun, 8:30am-7:30pm ➤ Casa Natale di Raffaello< Via Raffaello, 57 +39 0722 320105 www.accademiaraffaello.it Hours: Sun, 10:00am-1:00pm, Mon-Sat, 9:00am-1:00pm and 3:00pm-7:00pm ➤ Oratorio San Giovanni< Via Barocci, 31 +39 0722 910259 >Hours: […]
Chris Allsop attends the Sound of the Dolomites festival for world-class music in a breath-taking natural setting, and then discovers the unspoiled gem known as ‘Little Venice’… The hills are alive with the sound of music. Except this is northeast Italy, not Austria, and it might be a tad rude – if not inaccurate – […]