48 hours in: Ferrara

Ferrara was Europe’s first modern city, and plans laid here have been copied across the continent. Sara Scarpa visits the often overlooked city of the Este family… One evening earlier this year, I watched a television programme about the Signorie, the governing bodies of old Italy, and was fascinated by the stories of these famous […]

Italia! Christmas gift guide 2017

Bring some Italian style to the festive season with our fantastic Italia! Christmas gift guide. Featuring gift ideas for the whole family! Marche Leather Goods Beautiful leather goods including handbags, manbags and purses. All lovingly designed and totally handmade from the very finest Italian leather by local artisan producers, specially sourced for you by From […]

The Art of Glass

Venice celebrated its world-famous Murano glassmaking heritage in an exciting programme of citywide events this September. Sitting in its own sea of glass, the city of Venice and its islands has long held a tradition of glassmaking. Thanks to its strategic geographical location, the Republic of Venice was a cultural and political hub for travellers […]

Lights, camera, art!

We talk to David Bickerstaff, filmmaker for Exhibition on Screen about the genius of Michelangelo and the challenges of telling his life story on film. The mission of Exhibition on Screen is to bring exhibition-based art to our cinema screens, working with notable galleries and museums like the National Gallery, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh […]

The Brownings: poets abroad in Florence

Joe Gartman pays a visit to the home of the Brownings and reminds us of their path to love and fame…  The courtship of Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning may be the most thoroughly documented in history, because it was conducted almost entirely by letter. And Robert was certainly a very impetuous wooer; in his very […]

In season: August

Early summer vegetables such as beans and courgettes are joined this month by a variety of fruits and fish as the year’s main harvest really begins come in… Apricots – albicocche In the peak of its season during the summer, the apricot, with its peach-like tang and pale orange skin, is a flavoursome, colourful ingredient to add […]