Bolognese is best in Britain

What’s the verdict? Italian or British bundle of bolognese? This story first appeared on The Telegraph and was written by XANTHE CLAY.   I was brought up on spaghetti bolognese. Slippery tendrils of pasta wreathed in a great mound of meat and tomato sauce, which we didn’t know was called a ragu, was a regular supper. For us […]

This month’s top picks: from stylish tiles to the ultimate spaghetti

This month’s round-up includes our top fashion picks, homeware products and adventurous breaks   Visit this See Italy from a different perspective when you swap four wheels for two on a Freedom Trek break. With over 30 trips to choose from, you’ll experience rich renaissance art, baroque architecture and age-old family traditions as you tour through distinctive regions […]

Fashion conscience – is sartorial elegance just everyday life in Italy?

Francesca Unsworth heads to Italy’s capital of fashion to discover whether sartorial elegance is just a pastime for Milan’s residents or if it has become part of everyday life In Milan’s city centre you can’t swing a Prada bag without hitting a passer-by toting top-to-tail designer clobber. In the same way that LA is a […]

The Carnival of Ivrea aka The Battle of the Oranges

The Carnival of Ivrea in Piedmont boasts a unique and intriguing element that sets it apart from other Italian festivals… the Battle of the Oranges Like all Italian carnivals, that of Ivrea is a feast of colour and spectacle. However, people come from far and wide to enjoy a particularly unusual element as nine competing […]

Tomato and Ricotta Tart recipe

Tomatoes are a most versatile fruit – though they have only been in Europe for some 500 years, hundreds of Italian recipes use them. Here are just four ways of using them as a base for a tasty meal… Tomato and ricotta tart – Sfogliatina al pomodoro e ricotta Makes 1  – 28cm tart – Preparation 20 minutes – Cooking 25 minutes Ingredients […]

Brexit and Italy

As the United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union, Tom Alberto Bull asks how this has news been received by Italians and what it might mean for the future of Italy… Read in English… As the political turmoil in the UK unfolds in the aftermath of the EU referendum, it is easy to forget […]

48 hours in… Verona 2016

Penny Wainwright combines a trip to see an Adele concert with a tour of the Verona of Romeo and Juliet, and a day out in the vineyards of Valpolicella… Verona, La Città dell’Amore, the City of Love, is known – to English-speaking visitors at least – first and foremost, for Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare’s ill-fated […]

A tale of three cities, we visit Syracuse

Dive in to Sicily’s historic and picturesque Ionian Coast, today we visit Syracuse, an area featuring some fantastic ruins and beautiful lanes My final stop involved travelling south once again, to Sicily’s third city, Syracuse. Founded on the island of Ortigia in 734 BC by the Greeks, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a shining Baroque […]

48 Hours in Alba and Asti

With truffles, Barolo and hazelnuts on the menu, Francesca Unsworth is very happy to indulge herself at the gastronomic centre of Italy on an autumnal trip to Alba and Asti The Italians have elevated numerous foodstuffs to iconic gastronomic status, but no single region can boast quite the same gourmet cachet as Piedmont. Home to both […]

Jamie Oliver raises funds for the Amatrice earthquake

If you didn’t love Jamie Oliver already, you will now, his plan to help victims of the earthquake in Amatrice is brilliant This article was originally written by Daily Mail The UK’s favourite chef Jamie Oliver is encouraging the nation to follow him in making donations from the sales of his classic pasta dish which comes […]