Gazetta Italia: Thou shalt not steal

Modena Cathedral, Emilia-Romagna Italy

Tom Alberto Bull reports on the recent wave of thefts from the nation’s churches… Settimo: Non rubare! Le 60,000 chiese che costituiscono il patrimonio culturale dell’Italia comprendono una vasta raccolta di oggetti religiosi con un valore altissimo, sia dal punto di vista del valore monetario sia da quello sentimentale. Ora una nuova ondata criminale sta […]

Seducing my husband without salt: part 2

Rachael Martin continues her story of what living in Italy has taught her about food, moving on from pasta and risotto to polenta… The days get colder, wild mushrooms are picked and chestnuts roasted. Pumpkins have made their way into shops and risottos. Then autumn is about to give way to winter and Christmas is […]

48 hours in: Ravenna

If you ever find yourself in Emilia-Romagna, Ravenna is an absolute must. It really is a treasure trove of art and culture, writes Sara Scarpa. Above me is depicted a dark blue sky full of golden stars.The many thousands of tiny mosaic tiles set in various inclinations seem to capture and cascade light onto anyone […]

Insider’s Rome: le Terme di Caracalla

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 […]

Viewpoint: Mount Etna

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 […]

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 […]