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 […]
Sara Scarpa spends a weekend in Parma, a city famous the world over for its ham and cheese, but one that also has much more to offer visitors. We are all, of course, already very familiar with Parma: you must have had Parma ham, Parmesan cheese – and perhaps even a glass of the local Lambrusco before. These […]
Situated in Italy’s northwest, Liguria is the third smallest Italian region, after Molise and Valle d’Aosta. It has borders France to the west, Piedmont to the north and Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany along its eastern edge. In the hinterland you’ll find the Ligurian Alps in the west and the Ligurian Apennines to the east. Liguria lies […]
Fifty-three years ago, the first jar of what we now call Nutella was sold from a bakery in Alba, Piedmont Soon after, the chocolate-hazelnut spread conquered the entire world. However you might not be aware of these facts about the world-famous spread it might surprise even its most dedicated fans. Here are some of the most […]
This historical region of Italy, which today coincides with the province of Viterbo, was once a mighty kingdom. Heather Crombie ventures into the Land of the Etruscans… “Here be dragons” might be written across the map of Tuscia, undiscovered as it seems to be. Strange and beautiful, with sights straight out of mythology, you may […]
Not just for Easter, the humble egg provides nourishment and inspiration in equal measure – but this is not a chocolate-free zone Eggs-travaganza! The Antico Castello Milk Chocolate Easter Egg is made of delicious thick milk chocolate and inside each egg is a small toy or gift! Visit Something Italian and if you buy one get the second […]
Join us for a tour around the Donna Coraly Resort: a glorious Sicilian country escape… Drifts of snowy white roses fringe the approach to Donna Coraly Resort, where the sleek lines of the wide verandah offer shelter from the glorious Sicilian sun. And there’s an even warmer welcome from charismatic Lucia Pascarelli, owner of this […]
Our love affair with Italian gelato Whether you believe that Marco Polo brought back the idea of ice cream to Italy from his travels in China (along with pasta, but that’s a different story), there’s no doubt that gelato is close to every Italian’s heart, and we’re in love with it too. Italian gelato is different from the […]
Jon Bickley makes his way to the slopes of mid-Italy, where he discovers the area offers a surprisingly satisfying ski break to rival its northern counterparts As we entered the final few miles of our transfer from Rome Ciampino to Roccaraso in the L’Aquila province of Abruzzo, my slight concern turned to mild panic. We […]
Mario Matassa reveals the inside story on the gondola as he visits the workshops and discovers a tale of tradition, craftsmanship and politics… It’s as Italian as spaghetti al pomodoro. It’s an icon of our times. It’s a 10.87m long symbol of a city, a country and a people. It’s 900 years of history and […]