Sound of the Dolomites festival Top Tips

INFORMATION ➤ www.visittrentino.it General Trentino tourism website that covers the entire region: from the Alps to the Mediterranean; from the crisp mountain air of the Dolomites to the mild, balmy climate of Lake Garda. ➤ www.visitrovereto.it More location-specific tourism website that concentrates on the town of Rovereto and the surrounding district of Vallagarina (known in German […]

Italian word for the week: farfalla

Farfalla (n.f) Butterfly. Farfalla is a strange word because, although it does derive directly from Latin, the way that it has morphed into modern Italian is unusual. The Latin, ‘papilio’, has become ‘papillon’ in French, and the word retains its ‘p’ form in Old Florentine (the basis of modern Italian), in the Bolognese, Milanese and […]

Italian Life: Drinking Culture

Sebastian Cresswell-Turner looks British drinking habits compared to the Italians, and why the Brit pub culture can never quite translate across the water…   Alcohol As a general rule, the Italians disapprove of British drinking habits. “I just couldn’t believe how much they all drank,” said an Italian friend of mine who was at Cambridge […]

Hotel Highlights in Veneto

Continuing to showcase some of the hotel highlights across Italy, this month we look at the elegant Veneto region and where to stay for luxury or local life? GIARDINO DI MEZZAVILLA (BED & BREAKFAST) In a town with a history ? it was the site of the Italian victory over the Austro-Hungarian forces, the end […]

Italian Events Calendar: February

February is carnival time across Italy, which means an array of celebrations to suit all tastes and ages. You can get messy in Ivrea, get romantic in Verona or get singing in Sanremo ? plus religious days and food festivals galore? Venice Carnival 26 January-12 February Venice, Veneto Embrace the elaborate masks of this dramatic […]