The innovative clothes and accessories from Shabby Sheep Design are just perfect for anyone who loves Italy… Originally from the UK, Shabby Sheep Design owners Eva and Chris Lock arrived in Lunigiana, northern Tuscany, with three cats and a dog in 2005. A fine artist by profession, Eva now pours her creativity into the online […]
Where Enzo Ferrari first started – Alfa Romeo, the achingly beautiful connoisseurs’ choice… Alfa Romeo of Milan originally launched the Giulietta coupé in 1954. The gorgeous Spider was added to the Giulietta line-up during the following year. The Pininfarina-designed convertible remained fairly similar to Bertone’s coupé, but from the rakish windscreen rearwards the bodywork was […]
Here are a few of the very best places to get your fix of world-class art next time you’re in Italy… Photos by iStock 1. Uffizi Gallery The experience always involves long queues – which are even longer if you go in high summer and haven’t booked in advance – but there are plenty of […]
On a hilltop in Sicily stand the ruins of what was once part of a great city – Joe Gartman explores the Valley of the Temples… Photos by Patricia Gartman It’s called the Valley of the Temples, though it isn’t really a valley at all. It’s a flat ridge on the outskirts of Agrigento, […]
Mario Matassa takes a look at International Women’s Day. He revels in the mystery of the celebrations and presents some of the classic dishes… Photos by Mario Matassa The 8th of March is the day when women across Italy hang up their aprons, put on their best frocks, and walk out of the door – […]
The Mithraic Mysteries was once the predominant religious practice in Rome, and some archeological remains of this pre-Christian religion still survive… Photo by Getty Images Before Constantine converted to Christianity and changed Europe for ever, the most worshipped figure in Rome was Mithra, a divinity of Persian origin about whom little history remains. By the […]
Say hello to this diminutive, mid-engined wedge from the 1970s with pop-up lights and targa roof… Photo by Nick Cornwell-Menzies In the 1970s, the choice for those wanting to dial into frugal two-seater sports car thrills was basically limited to mainstream MGs, some Triumphs, and just a small handful of other eclectic marques. FIAT then cleverly […]
The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius stands centre stage in Rome’s Piazza del Campidoglio… Photo by Getty Images One of the few stipulations that the Pope made when he commissioned Michelangelo to redesign the piazza on the Capitoline Hill was that the famous ancient statue of Marcus Aurelius should be its focal point. The statue […]
Ovid was born in Sulmona, in the province of L’Aquila, but was destined to die far from home. Joe Gartman tells his story… Photos by Patricia Gartman unless otherwise stated In December of the year 8 AD, a Roman citizen named Publius Ovidius Naso left Rome on a long journey. After enduring ferocious storms […]
Defining every retro Italian holiday snap in ultimate style – let us present the Vespa: trendy, practical and iconic… Photo by Amanda Robinson Before the FIAT 500 appeared on the scene, Italy got about almost exclusively by motor scooter. At one point there were more than 100 different motorbike manufacturers in Italy. After the birth […]