My Life in Veneto

Venice, the Veneto’s peerless capital, historically acted as a bridge between the Eastern and Western worlds, and it still unites the globe by mingling more than 14 million international visitors on its watery streets each year. Louisa explains why she decided to move to one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Louisa Calder, […]

Veneto Regional Guide: Part 2

The Veneto is tucked in the northeast of Italy, romantic and prosperous in equal measure Home to 4.5 million inhabitants, it stretches up to Austria in the north and to the flats of Italy’s Po Valley in the south, encompassing a variety of terrains along the way. The region’s capital is Venice – obviously. This […]

The Gondola: Part 2

Mario Matassa reveals the inside story on the iconic Venetian gondola as he visits the workshops and discovers a tale of tradition, craftsmanship and politics Changing tides What a life it must be, meandering day after day through the waterways of the world’s most beautiful city, one man, his boat and not a care in […]

The Gondola: Part 1

Mario Matassa reveals the inside story on the gondola as he visits the workshops and discovers a tale of tradition, craftsmanship and politics… It’s as Italian as spaghetti al pomodoro. It’s an icon of our times. It’s a 10.87m long symbol of a city, a country and a people. It’s 900 years of history and […]

Italia! February Issue 147 is on sale now!

The latest issue of Italia! is on sale now, available to buy online and from stores across the UK! You can also download the digital edition for Apple devices or online /Android/ Windows 8 devices. February always feels like a bit of a watershed month to me: the post-Christmas slump has been and gone in the dull days of January, the new year is well and […]

Top Five: Italian Markets

There’s no better way of buying authentic Italian produce than by rubbing shoulders with the locals at one of Italy’s many bustling markets. Here are our favourites… The Rialto Markets/ Pescheria Venice, Veneto Among the multitude of architectural, historical and scenic ‘must-sees’ and ‘must-dos’ in this iconic city, here is a gastronomic imperative  to add […]

Masters of Disegno

Time to revisit Fra Angelico to Leonardo’ awe-inspiring exhibition from 2010 featuring Italian Renaissance drawings, but as Amanda Robinson finds out, there’s more to it than meets the eye…   With 100 works from the collections of both the British Museum and the Gabinetto Disengi e Stampi Uffizi in Florence, ‘Fra Angelico to Leonardo’ is the most […]

Top Five: Old masters

Choosing from Italy’s long list of Renaissance artists is not an easy task. Here are five old masters whose exquisite, timeless works of art continue to amaze… 1 – Michelangelo (1475-1564) Near Arezzo, Caprese, Tuscany Born Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni, the legendary artist’s masterpieces are too numerous to mention, although his Statue of David, […]

Fast Art: The Duke and the Duchess

They are double-sided portraits, painted by Piero della Francesca, who was the court painter at the court of Urbino These portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino are amongst the most famous portraits in 15th century Italian art. Why? Because they are revolutionary in their depiction and fascinating in their symbolism. They are double-sided […]

This month’s top picks: from stylish scents to beautiful getaways

From state-of-the-art Italian design, home accessories and a bubbly Prosecco tour and a sparkling celebration in November’s round-up…  From a grate light These stunning lights really are at the cutting (or should we say grating?) edge of design. Italian artist and designer Oçilunam has been mixing art and design with his home accessories company In-es.artdesign […]