What News on the Rialto?
With its iconic bridge and elegant architecture, the Rialto district of Venice is steeped in history. Joe Gartman tells the story of Fondaco dei Tedeschi with images by Patricia Gartman Sunset view over the Rialto More...
Avoiding Bernini in Rome
The sculptor and architect created many of Rome’s most iconic sights – you can hardly take a selfie without him bombing you. Words by Joe Gartman, photos by Patricia Gartman La Fontana del Tritone in Piazza More...
Piano and the Port
Renzo Piano was born in Genoa, and the famous Italian architect has been instrumental the regeneration of the city’s Old Port… Photos courtesy of Genoa Tourism and Sarah Rodrigues Porto Antico – Genoa’s More...
Insider’s Rome: the Villa Borghese
Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1577-1633) was a patron of Bernini and Caravaggio. The Baroque legacy at his Villa is a wonder to behold… People are often surprised to learn that, at least as far as major European More...
Past Italia: Brisighella
An unusual clock tower overlooks the land surrounding a small town in the province of Ravenna… What is now the Torre dell’Orologio of Brisighella was originally built in 1290 under the orders of the condottiero More...
The Laocoön group
This statue in the Vatican‘s Pio Clementino Museum may be the most influential of them all… Michelangelo admired it, as did Donatello before him, and Pliny the Elder long before them; this latter attributed More...
Insider’s Rome: The Colosseum
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you won’t see it all in a lifetime, but our new series will guide you through what you mustn’t miss… Perhaps the most iconic of all the tourist destinations in Rome, the Colosseum More...
How to turn a ruin into your dream Italian home
The thought of renovating a property can be daunting, Gary from D&G Design is on hand to put your minds at ease. Ever dreamed of that rustic farmhouse surrounded by olive groves and orange trees? Or a medieval More...
Italy giving away 100 historic buildings for free
Italy is giving away more than 100 historic buildings in a bid to boost slow tourism. The kind of buildings up for grabs include castles, houses and towers. The idea is to tempt visitors away from crowded city centres More...
Grotesque Style
The term Grotesque derives from the caves, or grotte, where Renaissance builders unearthed this ancient form The Grotesque style was all the rage during the 1500s for both interiors and exteriors all over Italy. More...