With a tangible history dating back to Etruscan times, Perugia, the capital city of Umbria, had more than enough to keep Lorenza Bacino busy for a long weekend… Sitting on the marble steps of the centrally located San Lorenzo Cathedral, soaking up the sun and the atmosphere while enjoying a traditional piadina with prosciutto, was […]
Italian cities get it just about right. They’re usually not too big, they’re always full of beautiful buildings, and they tend to favour pedestrians over motorised traffic. They’re also excellent places in which to buy a property, says Fleur Kinson… Italy’s famously glorious countryside is rivalled in appeal only by its opposite: the nation’s […]
Young, fruity wines, healthy lake fish, mineral mountain waters and a boom in wellness hotels. Charlotte Lyon finds everything you need to relax and rejuvenate at the serene town of Bardolino on Lake Garda… Looking into the bathroom mirror as I step off the three-hour flight from Gatwick to Verona, I do a double-take. Is that really me? The pallid skin, […]
Though it can be reached by train from Venice in 25 minutes, Padua is often overlooked by visitors to the northeast of Italy. Sara Scarpa seeks to redress the balance… When you arrive in Padua from Venice, the one thing that jumps out at you is the energetic buzz of the city. With nearly 60,000 […]
Sheryl Miccoli, by email “The attached photo is a view of the Euganean Hills taken from Montegrotto Terme, where I’ve been living part-time for the past four years. It’s a lovely area, with all the facilities you would expect in a spa resort and also within easy reach of Padova, Venice, Verona, Lake Garda and […]
It is, sadly, a dying industry, with cheap imports threatening to change this landscape forever. But Kevin Pilley finds that in Italy there is still devotion to the humble grain of rice, and, of course, to the risotto it makes… Italy’s first, and so far only, official rice ambassador looked solemnly down at my plate, […]
Amanda Robinson takes a pitstop in a city with an outstanding heritage, great shopping and a relaxed ambience – a rich mix of old and new, just an hour from Milan… One of the delights about il bel paese is the abundance of beautiful vistas and outstanding locations waiting to be discovered off the beaten […]
Mantua was once considered an island with power to rival that of Venice. Adrian Mourby experiences the mystery and elegance of the city today… Through the early morning mist, as my boat crossed the still waters of Lago Inferiore, Mantua’s towers and domes rose like a fairytale kingdom. In the days when the Gonzaga family controlled […]
Getting to know Venice is that much easier when your guide is a Venetian. Sara Scarpa takes us on a tour of the city she calls home… Most of my friends have already been to Venice at least once so when they come to visit me I show them the side of town that I […]
Chris Allsop attends the Sound of the Dolomites festival for world-class music in a breath-taking natural setting, and then discovers the unspoiled gem known as ‘Little Venice’… The hills are alive with the sound of music. Except this is northeast Italy, not Austria, and it might be a tad rude – if not inaccurate – […]