One of Italy’s favourite vegetables, the artichoke is a delicious addition to an antipasto platter, or a tasty treat all by itself. Italia! samples a selection of the best on offer… Perfect for sprucing up pasta and transforming lettuce leaves into a delicious salad, jarred artichokes are undoubtedly the fanciest of all standbys, and no […]
With such a vast coastline Italy has plenty of beautiful, small islands dotted around its shores. Italia! selects five of the best diminutive destinations. Isola D’elba, Tuscany Tuscany’s Elba was once home to Napoleon during his period of exile in 1814. It’s now hard to imagine how such an imposition could be deemed a punishment, […]
Historically a trailblazer in garden design, Italy still wows with its gorgeous giardini. Fleur Kinson finds variety in all its splendour on the shores of the northern lakes. Italy, like England, is one of the great gardening nations of Europe and was hugely influential in the evolution of ideas about green spaces arranged for pleasure […]
Florence is the perfect venue for a weekend away if you simply want to be a tourist: there’s so much to see, read about and photograph, and it’s one of those rare places where there’s really no point in trying to blend in with the natives – try to and you’ll be spotted a mile […]
Chris Allsop last visited Tuscany as a young boy. Thirty years later he decided to go back… The last time I was in Tuscany, I mostly chased pigeons. I was six, on a family holiday, and the astounding art heritage of Florence was no match for the challenge of putting the wind up every pigeon […]
Which one will you vote for? Italia! invites its readership to vote for the very best Reader’s Photograph of 2015… One of our most popular sections, the Readers’ Photo Competition draws in dozens of entries every month, many of them absolutely superb. The Italia! team selects the best for publication each issue, and then we […]
Everyone knows the stereotypes about Italians and driving – fast, impatient, aggressive, appearing to consider red lights as advisory… But there are more specific quirks that may take you by surprise. So, to make your driving experience in Italy a bit more predictable, here’s Gordon Craigie’s Top 10 Italian Driving Habits… Illustrations by iStock 1 Wavering […]
James Miller travels the east coast of Sicily to discover two cities rich in ancient history and vibrant with modern life… The Roman statesman and scholar Cicero described Siracusa as “The greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of them all.” In ancient times Sicily was once part of Magna Graecia, or Greater Greece, and […]
This picture perfect scene in the region of South Tyrol has been at the heart of territorial disputes between Italy and Austria – and who wouldn’t want to claim ownership over such beautiful land? This spectacular vista in the northeastern tip of Italy has been appreciated by residents of Tyrol Castle and the surrounding […]
With its illustrious history and array of natural wonders, Alghero is certainly a place with plenty to explore. Marina Spironetti unlocks the secrets that belong to this sun-kissed Sardinian city. The light. The most special thing about Alghero, in my opinon, is the light. Especially in the evening, when the sea-facing walls seem to catch […]