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, […]
Incase you can’t decide on your ideal Italian city to settle in – we have made a list of the top cities for you to make the choice a bit clearer. 1. Rome – population 2,850,000 Italy’s brash, loud, vibrant capital is a confident, thick-skinned place, secure in its achievements and completely unsurprised to receive […]
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 […]
Marina Schultz divides her time between London and Rome, where she bought atwo-bedroom apartment in 2015. What drew her to the Eternal City, and what keeps her coming back? “I went to Rome on a business trip back in 2007”, Marina explains, “and was dazzled by the place – its energy, style, colour and history. […]
The new issue of Italia! is out now, get a little bit closer to the country you love… Get away this month to Parma, an elegant city with peerless food and art, explore the underground caves of Valchiavenna, meet the American ex-pats celebrating 10 years as B&B owners in Le Marche, and discover the origins of Venice’s […]
There are some important dates in Italy this month, with Easter Sunday falling on the 26th, Liberation Day on the 25th, Rome’s birthday on the 21st, as well as St George’s Day, St Mark’s Day, and not-to-be-missed Fermignano Frog Palio… Easter Sunday 16 April Nationwide Many Italians head out of town for family picnics on […]
Say hello to the late-night tour at the Colosseum Following a major restoration, the Colosseum in Rome more polished than it’s been in 2,000 years and now visitors can be taken through the ancient arena and underground at night! You can wander around the 50,000-seat gladiatorial arena, which dates back to the year 80. This used to be […]
Our experts are here to help with all your questions about Italy. This week, we are looking at buying a property in the Veneto region… Q: My partner and I are frequent visitors to Venice and are looking into the possibility of buying a modest property in the Veneto – somewhere quieter and more rural […]
How do the Italians celebrate la Festa di San Valentino in Italy? Well, only couples celebrate this festival, it doesn’t matter whether they are married or engaged, as long as they are together. They don’t send secret anonymous cards or gifts so our advice is to decide how romantic you want to be and pick a price. We […]
This month, we’ve seen an array of photos but our favourites have captured some stunning experiences This month’s magazine winner Diane Watson, Sheffield “This picture is of Lake Misurina from our hotel bedroom – breathtaking view of the light on the Sorapis mountain group.” Tayfun Atailer “This photo was taken in Venice during a gondola […]