Artisan Florence: The Beautiful Stones

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 […]

My Italia! – Dawn Cavanagh-Hobbs

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, […]

Appassionata Boutique

Some women will argue that you can never have enough handbags, but maybe they’d change their mind if they owned one of Appassionata Boutique’s beautiful pieces, handmade using leather sourced from Florence. Appassionata Boutique combines the creative vision of owner and interior designer Dawn Cavanagh- Hobbs with the exquisite workmanship of the Ribichini family, who’ve been […]

Camelot In Le Marche Top Tips

WHAT TO SEE AND DO ➤ Palazzo Ducale & Galleria Nazionale delle Marche Entrance on Piazza Duca Federico +39 0722 32262 www.palazzoducaleurbino.it Hours: Mon, 8:30am-2:00pm; Tue-Sun, 8:30am-7:30pm ➤ Casa Natale di Raffaello< Via Raffaello, 57 +39 0722 320105 www.accademiaraffaello.it Hours: Sun, 10:00am-1:00pm, Mon-Sat, 9:00am-1:00pm and 3:00pm-7:00pm ➤ Oratorio San Giovanni< Via Barocci, 31 +39 0722 910259 >Hours: […]

Camelot In Le Marche

The busy university town of Urbino is often called ‘the perfect Renaissance city’ – and indeed the birthplace of Raphael rivalled Florence and Siena in its day. Joe Gartman returns to find out if they have got any of their loaned out paintings back yet… Standing at the Punto Panoramico, near the walls of the forbidding […]

The Province Of Puccini

With his old homes turned into museums and an annual festival to celebrate his work, Lucca is the perfect place to delve deeper the history of the great Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, as Charlie Lyon discovers… Tonight, the usual tranquility of the banks of Lake Massaciuccoli is broken. On the open-air stage of the Gran Teatro all’Aperto, which […]

Passport to Seborga

Marina Spironetti visits the intriguing city state of Seborga in western Liguria. Fiercely independent, it still boasts its own currency, its own passport and, yes, its own prince… Small countries have always fascinated me. From Andorra to Liechtenstein, from Monaco to San Marino – tiny states with their own history, proud to be different. I […]

Italian Language Guide Review

Whether you’re a complete beginner or want to brush up your existing Italian skills there’s a course out there to suit you. Here’s our Italian Language Guide Review… There has never been a better time to learn a language. Gone are the days when you’d have to rely on a fusty old phrasebook to teach […]

Ten best things about Italy

After more than ten years of creating a magazine about Italy we thought we’d ask you what you think are the ten best things about Italy. Here’s what you said… Rome! The Eternal City… It’s not surprising that, of all places in Italy, Rome is the most visited. As long as you can avoid the […]

People Watching in Bologna

Martin Yarnit shares his favourite spots for enjoying a light aperitivo in Bologna – from top-end cafés to the humble bars that garner the most attention from locals in the know… Italians everywhere enjoy a drink and a snack before dinner, maybe as a break during the early evening passeggiata. But the Bolognese are particularly […]