Drink Italia! the best Tuscan red wines

From Chianti Classico to Rosso di Montalcino, we explore some well-priced Tuscan red wines from prestigious smaller producers that punch well above their weight  Tuscany is the heartland of the Sangiovese grape, the name of which derives from Sanguis Jovis, ‘the blood of Jupiter’. Thought to be an indigenous vine cultivated by the Etruscans, it […]

Drink Italia! red wines from Puglia

Rich and intense, thanks to the hot summer climate, red wines from Puglia continue to consolidate their reputation for finely crafted wine at fair prices Puglia’s largely flat, fertile lands have supported vines – and grains – since at least as far back as the 3rd century BC. There are very few mountains in the […]

Puff pastry spin-wheels

Sun-dried tomato and fennel seed pâté provides a delicious, distinctive flavour for these puff pastry ‘girelle’ by Mario Matassa – ideal snacks for entertaining Serves 6 Preparation time 15 minutes, plus chilling Cooking time 25 minutes Ingredients: • 1 small jar of sun-dried tomatoes in oil • 2 anchovy fillets • 1 garlic clove, peeled • 1 tsp fennel […]

Italia! photos of the month: February 2019

Sit back and enjoy this gallery of glorious photos of Italy, all taken by Italia! readers – and read on to find out how to enter our monthly photo competition… This month’s winner:  “Val d’Orcia, Tuscany.” by Nick Board   More of our favourites this month… “This was taken in Sicily at the Valley of the […]

Vero Italiano: agriturismi

Mario Matassa heads out into the countryside to stay on an agriturismo, and discovers why these farm-stays can provide the perfect holidays for foodie travellers…  Photos by Mario Matassa There are more than 18,000 agriturismi in Italy, half of which have sprung up recently – particularly in Tuscany and Alto Adige. The idea of coupling […]