Italy is blessed with an abundance of stunning lakes – from romantic giants with Alpine backdrops to crystalline volcanic beauties fringed by leafy hills to secret wild ponds in the middle of nowhere. Fleur Kinson helps you choose the right one for your taste and budget. When Italy isn’t busy wowing us with its stupendous […]
The ruggedly beautiful Aspromonte National Park covers much of the bottom third of Calabria, the province that makes up the toe in Italy’s boot. Chris Allsop took a trip to this dramatic and often unfairly overlooked part of the country’s south. “They are like a net,” my guide in the city of Reggio Calabria told […]
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 […]
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, […]
If you’re hitting the Italian roads this summer, here are seven ways to ensure that you have a stress-free motoring experience. Paul Pettengale is your guide… Do hire a car that’s big enough for your party and all your luggage. It sounds obvious, but a family of four plus suitcases for a couple of weeks […]
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 […]
Italy has a bounty of jewel-like cities – small-sized, liveable and packed with beautiful buildings. They make excellent places to buy a home, offering easy holidaymaking and superb rental returns, says Fleur Kinson. As if it weren’t enough to have heart-meltingly lovely countryside, celestial mountains and a glorious coastline, Italy also manages to squeeze in […]
He was one of the genius artists of the 1400s and a spectacular example of the Renaissance man. Andrea Mantegna (1436-1506) is one of the greats in art from the 1400s. Why? Because he was a true master of disegno, both in the literal translation of the word and in the deeper, more complex, definition […]
In the second part of this series, Mark Nicholls journeys across the hilltops of Sicily and discovers more about Europes most active Volcano… Read Part 1 here Olives and vines Journeying across Sicily takes you through a landscape of rolling hillsides lined with olives and vines, distant red patches of poppies with isolated hilltop castles visible in the […]