Enjoy a homestay language vacation in Bergamo and Lake Como

What could be more enjoyable than a week combining an Italian Language Course in the morning and visits to Bergamo in the afternoon? The Homestay Language Course gives you an ideal opportunity to experience life as a ‘local’ as well as the chance to practice conversational Italian in a friendly environment. Not only will you […]

Homes in: Veneto

It’s famous for Venice and other captivating cities, but this prosperous northern region has rural delights aplenty. Buyers seeking good investment or great value for money should take a closer look, says Fleur Kinson. Sophisticated, romantic and beautiful – these words might or might not describe your partner, but they certainly describe Veneto, a lovely, […]

Looking for Lodi

Rachael Martin descends from Milan into the Po Valley to discover the home town of her mother-in-law. Lodi, one of those quiet Lombardy towns so easily reached from Milan by car or by train, is often quoted in the Milan newspapers as the perfect day trip for the Milanese. It’s south of Milan in the […]

Our life on Lake Garda

Shropshire-based David and Leila Church bought a two-bedroom apartment on the southern side of Lake Garda twelve years ago. They stay there for a month every summer and make several week-long visits throughout the rest of the year. At other times they offer the apartment for holiday rentals through a local agency. What drew them to […]

Gazetta Italia! – Life expectancy in Italy

We have recently learned that life expectancy in Italy is considerably higher than it is in the UK. Tom Alberto Bull wonders why this interesting claim might be true… Qual è il segreto? Le ultime statistiche rivelano che gli italiani vivono mediamente diciotto mesi più a lungo rispetto a noi britannici. E allora qual è […]

48 hours in: Parma

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 […]

Love in Venice

For some people, there has only ever been one ‘City of Romance’ Many towns are called the ‘City of Love’ – Rome, Verona and Paris, to name but three. For Sara Scarpa, however, none can match the claims of her native Venice, home to Casanova, Byron, Carnival, and countless secret little places where lovers have […]