Italy at your fingertips

Dreaming of Italy? Rachael Martin looks at how you can bring the country closer to you with online experiences, from live-streamed art history and cookery classes, wine tastings and more. There’s no doubt that the past two years have clipped our wings somewhat – and while travel appears to be opening up again, for many, […]

48 hours in Majella

Officially listed in the UNESCO Geopark network, Majella in Abruzzo is a dream for nature lovers, as Val Nicastro discovers. Images by Val Nicastro About an hour’s drive inland from Pescara and the beaches of the Adriatic coast, the Majella National Park is one of those hidden gems of Italy that impress with their simplicity […]

Strozzapreti

In this instalment of our Make It Simple series, resident chef Mario Matassa shows us how to make an iconic Italian pasta. Strozzapreti… literally ‘priest stranglers’, is one of the most antique pastas, with origins most certainly in Italian cucina povera. There are several entertaining legends that explain the name. One has it that it […]

48 hours in Mantua

This is the city to which Romeo was banished, and it is also home to a palace entirely dedicated to love. Little wonder, then, that one English author considered it to be the world’s most romantic city, writes Jane Keightley Images by Jane Keightley unless otherwise stated Aldous Huxley once called Mantua “the most romantic […]

The Baron Corvo’s grave

The final resting place of an English eccentric who made Venice his home, writes Joe Gartman Images by Patricia Gartman  The pale red brick walls and tall cypresses of San Michele Island rise from the lagoon waters less than a quarter mile from Cannaregio’s Fondamente Nove. They form a perpetual memento mori, a reminder of […]

Top 10 guide to Liguria

Rachael Martin is spoilt for choice as she picks out ten good reasons why Liguria is a favourite destination for all the family Images by Foto Archivio Agenzia In Liguria unless otherwise stated Home to the ancient Liguri and later the maritime Republic of Genoa, Liguria’s spectacular coastline, pastel-coloured villages, well-equipped beaches and mild climate […]

The Marble Faun

Discover more about the Roman inspirations for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 19th-century Gothic novel with Joe Gartman. Long ago in Rome, wealthy families often embellished their palazzi with tall, fortified towers. This allowed them to impress rival clans or perhaps dump noxious liquids on their heads when the situation required it. The owners of one such tower […]

10 best places to visit in Italy

Italy has it all – incredible landscapes, evocative history, stunning architecture, amazing weather and fabulous food. If you’re planning a holiday to Italy, then check out our suggestions below of some of the top sights you should see in this stunning country. 10. The Dolomites One of the best natural attractions in Italy are the […]

The Top 10 guide of what to see in Lomellina

Val Nicastro explores this quiet corner of Lombardy known as ‘the Little Loire’ for its picturesque castles in a rural landscape and its traditional village life – and its great local produce Images by Val Nicastro  The Lomellina region is an unspoiled little pocket of rural southwestern Lombardy, between Milan and Alessandria, stretching towards the […]