The Good Life

Deep in the heart of Le Marche, ex-pats Ashley and Jason Bartner are celebrating a very special anniversary this year at La Tavola Marche… Long-time readers will remember your regular columns in Italia! over the years, but for newer readers, can you tell us what you do at La Tavola Marche?  We connect our guests to […]

The history of Isabella d’Este

Isabella d’Este was the Marchesa of Mantua and the first lady of the Renaissance. Jane Keightley goes to Mantua to find out more about Isabella d’Este and the Gonzaga family she married into, to explore the Palazzo Ducale where she lived, and see the city she knew. The letter quoted below fair representation of Isabella’s character, […]

In Season: June 2017

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 […]

48 hours in: Parma

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 […]

Liguria regional guide

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 […]

48 Hours in Tuscia – Part 1

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 […]

Top Picks – Easter Treats

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 […]

La dolce vita in Sicily

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 […]