Though they are named for the Emperor Caracalla, it was probably his father, Severus, who laid the plans for these huge baths… Most tourists come here by public transport, though the walk from the Forum takes you past a number of sites. Or, if you really liked walking, you could combine the trip with a […]
Category: Culture
Viewpoint: Mount Etna
At well over 3,000 metres tall, despite its southerly location, and subcutaneous magma, Mount Etna is perfectly capable of holding a little snow Last month, in our Winter in Italy issue, just after our features on Cervinia and Alta Badia, we showed you a Viewpoint of Urbino in the snow, pointing out that some skiers […]
Lords of Lucca and Princes of Pesaro: opera and art in Le Marche and Tuscany
Two towns, two coastlines, two composers and both with rich, magnificent histories. Who are we talking about? Along the sandy beach of the Adriatic sits the town of Pesaro while near the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea, encased by its fortified walls, lies Lucca. Every summer both towns come alive to the sound of opera. […]
Insider’s Rome: the Villa Borghese
Cardinal Scipione Borghese (1577-1633) was a patron of Bernini and Caravaggio. The Baroque legacy at his Villa is a wonder to behold… People are often surprised to learn that, at least as far as major European cities go, Rome actually has a very good green space to concrete ratio. It certainly doesn’t feel like that […]
Homes in: Le Marche
This serenely beautiful region burst onto the foreign-buyer scene less than twenty years ago and swiftly became a favourite. It’s still one of the most coveted rural property spots in the country, says Fleur Kinson On the map, Le Marche forms the shapely calf muscle of the Italian leg. So it seems rather fitting that […]
The Worried Warhorse of Fénis Castle
When St George slayed the dragon and rescued the princess, he acted with fearlessness – but his brave horse was never quite so sure that the fight would be won. High in the Alps, in the far northwest of Italy, is the Valle d’Aosta, the smallest of Italy’s official regions, and the most lightly populated. […]
48 hours in: Cervinia
For guaranteed snow in Italy, this is the place to come. Penny Wainwright samples the delights of the Matterhorn from the Italian side… Breuil-Cervinia, a ski resort in the Valle d’Aosta, is two hours by coach from Turin. The road through the Valtournenche goes between mountains of bare rock with ancient monasteries seeming to grow […]
Gazetta Italia: the Royal Family
Italy has been a republic since the Second World War, yet interest in the British Royal Family shows no sign of waning. Tom Alberto Bull considers the nation’s obsession with the Windsors… La famiglia reale Il recente annuncio che il Duca e la Duchessa di Cambridge aspettano il terzo figlio è stato accolto positivamente in […]
Norcia: back from the brink
Last autumn the town of Norcia in Umbria suffered a devastating blow after an earthquake hit. Hannah Frances went back to see how the town fought back. Autumn is a great time to see Norcia, says Hannah Frances. Fractured by last October’s earthquake, the determined and resilient town in the heart of Umbria is coming […]
48 hours in: Ferrara
Ferrara was Europe’s first modern city, and plans laid here have been copied across the continent. Sara Scarpa visits the often overlooked city of the Este family… One evening earlier this year, I watched a television programme about the Signorie, the governing bodies of old Italy, and was fascinated by the stories of these famous […]