Magic of Mantua

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 […]

The Sound Of The Dolmites

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 – […]

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 […]