Top Picks: August Edit

Discover home décor, luxury Rome and Capri trips and exciting new album releases as well as a fascinating dive into Sicily’s past in our round-up this August…  Alessi is More This summer sees the launch of new ranges from the always innovative Alessi Design. If you’re looking to update your bathroom, a simple change of accessories can give […]

Top Italian Art Deco Posters

Of course we’d love to see the sights of Italy all day, every day! Remind yourself of your time abroad with one of these art deco inspired posters. If you were whisked away on a vesper or maybe you’re honeymoon was in Rome. Don’t forget that moment! Anderson Design Group are offering this series of romantic travel art […]

Top 3 Ideas for Strawberries

They are the true taste of summer, and also a design motif for all sorts of things. Think strawberries this month with these fruity gift ideas… Top 3 Ideas for Strawberries Strawberry writing set You’ve heard the phrase ‘say it with flowers’ – well, how about saying it with strawberries? Now you can, thanks to […]

The Angel of the Uffizi

Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici knew her family’s vast artistic collection was of immeasurable value to Florence Consider Mantua. Ruled by the powerful Gonzaga family for nearly four centuries, it became a famous centre of culture and art, particularly while Isabella d’Este was Marchesa there. She was a patron of the greatest artists of her […]

The Mysteries of Giorgione

As an exhibition of some of his surviving works is shown in London, Carolyn Lyons explains why this Venetian artist was so influential, and how little we know about what he actually painted… Giorgione – ‘Big George’, he was born Giorgio Barbarelli – lived in Venice at the turn of the 16th century and is […]

Frescoes of Tolentino – Past Italia

Although its origins are the subject of perpetual debate, the remarkable cycle of frescoes that adorns Tolentino’s Basilica di San Nicola holds enduring appeal for visitors to Le Marche Who painted the 14th-century masterpiece that dominates the chapel of Basilica di San Nicola? The artist’s identity remains shrouded in mystery, though the scenes are widely […]

Exploring modern art in Turin

Jane Keightley exposes herself to new experiences in the city that has become known as a centre for the avant-garde… Turin has always been well known for being the home of The Shroud and, more recently, the place where the car manufacturing company FIAT was based. FIAT became the biggest company in Italy and one […]

Viewpoint – Casole d’Elsa, Arte All’Arte

Once upon a time, deep in the heart of Tuscany, the ancient hilltop town of Casole d’Elsa was filled with plastic objects in the name of art… The small 12th century town of Casole d’Elsa near Siena saw its main street completely transformed by this unusual work of art in 2001. The quirky and colourful […]

Spirit of Siena

Like the city itself, Siena’s top hotel is steeped in history. Sarah Lane enjoys a stay in sumptuous surroundings Siena is indisputably one of Italy’s most alluring cities. With its fabulous art and architecture, strong traditions, delicious food and seductive air, it’s an unforgettable place. Delightful medieval streets dotted with shops and trattorie twist around […]

Sculpture: Piazza Camerlata

Italia! investigates a very different view of this renowned Italian lakeside town, with a visit to a dizzying sculpture in Piazza Camerlata, in Como What do you envisage when you think of the Italian Lakes? It probably isn’t a design movement called Italian Rationalism, but the town of Como, on the lake of the same […]