Category: Culture
The Forgotten Garden, Florence
Beyond the palazzo… now, rising elegantly up the slope was a series of manicured terraces, and a grand stairway climbing with them Oltrarno means ‘beyond the Arno’, and refers to the part of Florence south of the river. Although you can find many famous sights there – the Pitti Palace, Boboli Gardens, and Piazzale Michelangelo […]
Island of Traditions – Part 1
Photojournalist Marina Spironetti travelled to inland Sardinia and the remote region of Barbagia to document the most fascinating and ancient carnival traditions of the island… The glitzy atmosphere of the Costa Smeralda could not be further away. That coastline may be what the island is most famous for, but it’s not the real Sardinia – […]
Touring Italy’s Ceramics Workshops with Emma Hart
Artist Emma Hart is not a fan of the perfected visions of life offered by social media… Though she has a background in photography, Hart has hold-ups about the intention to make subjects look “good and smooth,” and much prefers to make things look grubby and real. Her artworks draw on the vexations of modern life […]
Italy’s digital car sharing revolution
There is in Italy a new initiative to encourage people to share cars. Tom Alberto Bull wonders how long it will be before we see something along the same lines introduced in the UK? On a recent trip to Italy I was made aware of a mobile app taking parts of the country by storm. […]
Ara Pacis Augustas – the altar of absolute peace
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 […]
Artistic devotion – discover Italia!
When it comes to works of religious art, the Medici chapel in Florence has plenty to offer. Take a closer look at the history behind the paintings with Marina Belozerskaya Classical stories and portraits graced the homes of rich and self-consciously enlightened Florentines, but by far the most common household images were the Madonna and […]
The Carnival of Ivrea aka The Battle of the Oranges
The Carnival of Ivrea in Piedmont boasts a unique and intriguing element that sets it apart from other Italian festivals… the Battle of the Oranges Like all Italian carnivals, that of Ivrea is a feast of colour and spectacle. However, people come from far and wide to enjoy a particularly unusual element as nine competing […]
Events this weekend – Milano Moda Donna
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 […]
Maddalena Archipelago
With crystal clear blue waters and a rugged granite coastline, the picturesque area of the Maddalena Archipelago has to be the perfect summer retreat… The Maddalena Archipelago consists of a group of seven large islands and several smaller islets that litter the stretch of the Strait of Bonifacio between northeast Sardinia and Corsica. The main […]