A shining light

Emylia Hall is the author of The Thousand Lights Hotel, with the island of Elba as its dramatic backdrop. We talked to her about inspiration and Italian food… Tell us a little about yourself  I grew up in the wilds of Devon. After university I lived in London for five years, working in an advertising […]

The Painting Medium

We talk a lot about what a painting is of, and what it means, but not so much about what is made of, and how it was painted. Often when we are talking about paintings, the materials used to actually make the painting rarely get a mention. However, just like the ingredients of a great […]

Looking for Lodi

Rachael Martin descends from Milan into the Po Valley to discover the home town of her mother-in-law. Lodi, one of those quiet Lombardy towns so easily reached from Milan by car or by train, is often quoted in the Milan newspapers as the perfect day trip for the Milanese. It’s south of Milan in the […]

Viewpoint: Villa Rufolo

The beautiful Villa Rufolo looks over the resort of Ravello – offering one Italy’s very finest coastal views (as you can see!) In the Middle Ages, the Villa Rufolo was one of the grandest houses on the Amalfi coast. Kings stayed here; great poets wrote of it. Today it is famed for its gardens, the […]

Gazetta Italia: Winds of change

An Italian court has ruled that some managerial appointments involving foreign directors should never have occurred. Tom Alberto Bull on the new controversy facing Italian museums… Venti di cambiamento Nonostante il fatto che i musei italiani possiedano alcuni reperti tra i più preziosi del mondo, spesso non sono all’altezza delle aspettative a causa della cattiva […]

Santa Teresa Gallura

We take a look at the beautiful home of Gallura Buskers Festival, the International Festival of Street Artists and Contemporary Circus which featured amazing entertainment and fantasy in the magical nights of Santa Teresa Gallura. The 5th edition of the Gallura Buskers Festival was held from 17th to 23rd July and was a long anticipated event of […]

Southern Belle: the Donna Coraly Resort

There’s a new spot to visit on your next trip to Sicily – perfectly placed near Syracuse, elegant Donna Coraly Resort is a peaceful bolthole for the weary traveller Echoing the white-topped slopes of Sicily’s majestic Etna, glimpsed as we sped away from the bustle of Catania, drifts of snowy white roses fringe the approach […]

The Lakes regional property guide

The renowned lakes in the north represent an unwaveringly popular region to buy a home. As a result, property here doesn’t come cheap, but you can still find value for money, and holiday rental potential is strong. But Italy has more places to consider for lakeside living. Look to the central lakes, and to Sardinia, […]

Giotto: the Arena Chapel

Giotto shows the representation of human emotion, injects individuality once again in the people depicted and is interested in conveying a sense of realism. Back in the very early 1300s Padua was a very wealthy merchant city and the Scrovegni family was one of the most wealthy families in the city. Reginaldo Scrovegni had made […]

The Princess Brides

In Ravenna, a Queen gives birth to a daughter whose actions precipitate the founding of Venice. By the early 5th century AD, the Roman Empire was in two parts, ruled by two different emperors in two different capital cities. The eastern half was administered from Constantinople, in Thrace. The western capital was in Ravenna, in […]