The marble sculptures on Rome’s altar of absolute peace attract visitors because of their beauty, but their origins lie in celebrating the victories of Emperor Augustus… The Ara Pacis Augustae, or altar to the absolute peace, was commissioned by the Roman Senate in 13BC, and in 9BC was dedicated to the peace established by Emperor […]
Speaking Italian isn’t all about cramming verbs and vocabulary as Amanda Robinson discovers when she takes a language course with a difference in the heart of Le Marche. The fragrant aroma of our morning caffè rises up from the iron lattice table, strewn with notebooks and dictionaries as we wrestle with the basics of Italian. A […]
Piedmont lies in the far northwest of Italy and gets its name from its location at the ‘foot of the mountains’ It is bordered by Alpine ranges offering plenty of winter sports, making it a popular and long-established mecca for ski enthusiasts. The flat plains below the mountain ranges are an important centre for industry […]
If you’re the type of person who goes gaga for Gucci and crazy for Cavalli, you’ll want to pencil this prestigious twice-yearly fashion show into your diary Okay, so many of the events are invite only, but it’s worth going along just to catch a glimpse of the glamorous guests on the red carpet. And […]
As the United Kingdom votes to leave the European Union, Tom Alberto Bull asks how this has news been received by Italians and what it might mean for the future of Italy… Read in English… As the political turmoil in the UK unfolds in the aftermath of the EU referendum, it is easy to forget […]
Diana’s shining face was not all that dwellers in the hills could see in the lake – there were dark and shadowy forms visible below the placid surface of the water In the Alban hills, 20 miles south of Rome, the little town of Nemi sits on a clifftop above a small, nearly circular, volcanic […]
Dive in to Sicily’s historic and picturesque Ionian Coast, today we visit Syracuse, an area featuring some fantastic ruins and beautiful lanes My final stop involved travelling south once again, to Sicily’s third city, Syracuse. Founded on the island of Ortigia in 734 BC by the Greeks, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is a shining Baroque […]
Click HERE to order the new issue of Italia! In the last few days of creating the October Issue, we were struck by the terrible news of the Italian earthquake. We do know that there is a difficult time ahead and our hearts go out to everyone affected, and all our dear friends and family in […]
Not only does Italy boast a fantastically distinguished and high-profile operatic heritage, the nation also has some stunning open air venues to match… Verona Arena, Verona, Veneto Built in 30AD, this incredible Roman amphitheatre is the third largest in existence and provides an out-of-this-world setting for the city’s three-month opera season, from June to August. Blessed […]
One of Europe’s most remarkable buildings, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is an icon not just of a nation, but of an entire continent… Along with the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Big Ben in London and the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, this is one of Europe’s most readily recognisable buildings. You might include the Colosseum […]