Surrounded by sapphire seas and fringed with golden sand, Italy’s small islands make perfect holiday destinations – here are five of our favourites Photos by Getty Images and iStock 1 With the Tyrrhenian Sea lapping its shores and a mountainous inland terrain, Elba in Tuscany offers both the pleasures of lazy beach life and the challenges of […]
Wild, unspoilt and uncrowded, Abruzzo holds huge appeal for lovers of the outdoors. As well as mountains and beaches, it offers astonishingly affordable properties, says Fleur Kinson Photos by Getty Images Abruzzo entices visitors with the call of the wild, or at least the call of the great outdoors. Dominated by leafy highlands and […]
These peppers can be eaten on their own as an appetiser or, more commonly, as part of a classic antipasto. Recipe & image by Mario Matassa Makes 4 x 250g jars Preparation time 20 minutes, plus resting time Cooking time 5 minutes Ingredients: • about 20 small round smooth-skinned spicy red peppers • 250ml white wine • […]
Learn how to turn a glut of fresh fruit and vegetables into wonderful preserves to see you through till next summer. Words and photos by Mario Matassa Italians love to preserve. It seems that every day of the summer just takes them one step closer to the day when the whole family will gather in […]
Chris Allsop flies to Emilia Romagna to tour a Parmigiano Reggiano dairy and discover how this world-famous cheese is created… “When I have French groups, they have many excellent cheeses, but they do not have Parmigiano Reggiano.” Our guide, Helena, puts her fingers together and gestures aggressively. “They have to accept.” Only five minutes into […]
Rome steals all the attention, but the rest of this region deserves far more fame, with lyrical hills, sleepy lakesides, friendly little towns and historic treasures all around, says Fleur Kinson Photos by Getty Images All roads lead to Rome. But they can also lead out of it, and exploration pays off. Italy’s capital city […]
Explore Pavia and Oltrepò Pavese – one of Italy’s best-kept secrets and not far from Milan. Words and photos by Valentina Nicastro There’s a stretch of land just 40 kilometres south of Milan that is still fairly unknown to tourists and offers the unique opportunity to live a truly authentic Italian experience. This is Oltrepò […]
Mario Matassa shares his technique for cooking squid (calamari) on the barbecue – a real showstopper for seafood lovers Serves 4 Preparation time 15 minutes Barbecuing time 3 minutes Ingredients: • 1-2 fresh hot red chillies (depending on how hot you like it) • 1 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • juice […]
Mario Matassa shares a recipe for grilled vegetables with couscous (couscous con verdure grigliate) – a perfect complement to any barbecue Serves 4-6 Preparation time 10 minutes Barbecuing time 10 minutes Ingredients: • 2 courgettes, sliced lengthways • 1 red pepper, core and seeds removed, sliced • 1 yellow pepper, core and seeds removed, sliced • […]
Adrian Mourby takes a tour of Apulia – Puglia – to explore its culinary traditions and the land that produces its varied, and often vegetarian, foods… Photos by Kate Tadman-Mourby unless otherwise stated When I wake up, the view outside our room is fields of lavender, then a meadow peppered with bright crimson poppies and, […]