A country with a wealth of artistic wealth of artistic treasures picking the best of Italy’s galleries is no easy task. This month, we highlight some of the peninsula’s unmissable art archives. 1. Gli uffizi Florence Had Florence’s biggest and busiest gallery failed to top the list of Italy’s best galleries, it would have looked […]
Sarah Lane takes a relaxing stroll around the lakeside oasis in Lombardy to find out more about nesting storks, Latin poets and the singularly rampant Gonzaga dynasty Approaching Mantua from the east you’re presented with the captivating sight of the city’s fairy-tale skyline, seemingly afloat on its watery foundations. Mantua is built in the middle […]
Under the Tuscan Sun captures the allure of this region, this is what we had to observe about this popular, romantic american comedy… Under the Tuscan Sun (2003, Florence, Cortona & Positano. Directed by Audrey Wells. Starring Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan) Under the Tuscan Sun is the film adaptation of Frances Mayer’s popular autobiographical novel set […]
Welcome all to the inaugural Italia! Travel Awards – our team selects the very best places to visit, museums to view, beaches to relax on and much more. Discover the best of Italy right here… Every month we bring you the experience of Italy, with all the best places to go and all the best things to […]
The Ponte Vecchio was the setting for these locks of love, symbolising an eternal bond. But young couples didn’t reckon with the might of bolt cutters. The Ponte Vecchio in Florence; an emblem of the great city since 1345. But for a brief period in its illustrious reign it also became the site of a […]
Heralded as one of the most romantic countries in the world, Italy has no end of romantic spots to pick from. So move over Venice, Italia! short lists some strong contenders… 1.Florence It sometimes seems as though Florence’s magnificent architecture and piazze were designed to please enamoured couples. Not only does the city house hundreds […]
Luckily, though, unlike some regional neighbours, Lucca has managed to avoid turning into an over-commercialised tourist trap. Lucca has been a thriving community since Roman times and before. It was, in fact, such an important centre for the Romans that in 56BC Caesar, Pompey and Crassius met here for their historic pow-wow, which culminated in […]
Rolling hills, beautiful coastline and gothic architecture, we discover what more Tuscany has to offer… Tuscany was one of the first destinations to attract large numbers of travellers from the UK – and with very good reason: the region offers a rich combination of culture, historic cities, antiquities, agreeable climate and friendly locals; it encapsulates everything that is beautiful about […]
Chris Allsop last visited Tuscany as a young boy. Thirty years later he decided to go back… The last time I was in Tuscany, I mostly chased pigeons. I was six, on a family holiday, and the astounding art heritage of Florence was no match for the challenge of putting the wind up every pigeon […]
It would take Titian the generation following Giovanni Bellini to really exploit the full potential of oil. He digested the expertise of Bellini and then took it to another level. Titian (Tiziano in Italian) was one of the greatest painters Venice ever produced – perhaps the greatest painter Venice ever produced. He was the […]