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 city of Bologna – la Grassa – is just as famous for its food and culture as it is for its ancient university. Heather Crombie samples its delights… Bologna is different things to different people, a city of many names reflecting the many facets of its personality. To the academics it is the ‘learned […]
Did Heather Crombie’s 48 Hours in Bologna inspire you to book your next trip? Here’s our top tips on where to stay, where to eat and what to see and do. WHAT TO SEE AND DO ➤ The Two Towers For fantastic views of the city, climb to the top of the Asinelli and see how many […]
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 […]
Restoration work has begun on the plaster casts of 86 Pompeii victims. The poignant relics were created in the mid 19th century around the preserved remains of men, women and children killed during the 79AD disaster when Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying the Roman city. They offer a fascinating and deeply moving insight into how quickly the tragedy occurred, with some […]
With the help of trusted local residents, Sebastian Cresswell-Turner discovers that there’s more to Sardinia than the North Sardinia coast… Whether it is laziness, the passing of the years, or perhaps the late onset of common sense, I don’t know, but whenever I go somewhere new, I like, nowadays, to place myself firmly in the […]
Some ceramic pots await the kiln outside an artisan pottery in Puglia… This is a scene that an inhabitant from 2,000 years ago would readily recognise as a symbol of her homeland… The region of Puglia has been famed for its ceramics since the days of the Ancient Greeks – ie, some time before the […]
Jane Keightly discovers the wonderful world of truffles at perhaps the most famous truffle fair in all of Italy: The Alba White Truffle Fair… One of Italy’s most interesting seasonal events is the truffle season in Piedmont, when food lovers from all over the world descend upon the town of Alba for the International White […]
The use of stone as a medium for Western art dates back at least as far as Imperial Rome, yet it has not always found favour. Joe Gartman discovers, however, that it is alive and well in Florence… You might be tempted to pass by. It’s just a bright little storefront in the grey façades […]
Living in Italy, restoring houses, rescuing horses and selling handbags, Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs considers herself to be very lucky… WHERE IN ITALY IS YOUR HOME? I live in Le Marche with my husband and two of my four children, experiencing things I never thought I would. I have always loved life, adventures, challenge and hard work, […]