Now, nearly a month ago, Britain voted to leave the European Union, and many if not most British expats in Italy are deeply concerned. But we need to look at the positive effects this could have as well… Credit: This article was originally from The Local. It has not been easy, but we’ve had a go at looking on […]
Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici knew her family’s vast artistic collection was of immeasurable value to Florence Consider Mantua. Ruled by the powerful Gonzaga family for nearly four centuries, it became a famous centre of culture and art, particularly while Isabella d’Este was Marchesa there. She was a patron of the greatest artists of her […]
Hundreds of fascinating, historic castles decorate the Italian landscape from the tip to the top of the peninsula. We’ve chosen five of our favourites… Castel del Monte Bari, Puglia Emperor Frederick II built this immaculately planned castle near Bari in the 13th century. A masterpiece of architectural achievement, the castle’s octagonal theme is intrinsic to […]
It is perhaps the most famous statue in the world and a preeminent icon of the Renaissance, and of the city that produced the Renaissance… Michelangelo’s David was first commissioned in 1466, though not to the artist who completed it. (He wasn’t even born until 1475). The commission originally went to one Agostino di Duccio, […]
Conditions for some creatures in Italy are far from ideal, but the Anglo-Italian Society for the Protection of Animals (AISPA) is helping to change things… Domestic and wild animals the length and breadth of Italy have ample reason to be flapping their wings and clapping their paws in thanks to the late Leonard Hawksley. It […]
As an exhibition of some of his surviving works is shown in London, Carolyn Lyons explains why this Venetian artist was so influential, and how little we know about what he actually painted… Giorgione – ‘Big George’, he was born Giorgio Barbarelli – lived in Venice at the turn of the 16th century and is […]
The term Grotesque derives from the caves, or grotte, where Renaissance builders unearthed this ancient form The Grotesque style was all the rage during the 1500s for both interiors and exteriors all over Italy. It continued to be so for the following two centuries. Nowadays, when the word is mentioned, negative images of unfortunate distorted […]
Although its origins are the subject of perpetual debate, the remarkable cycle of frescoes that adorns Tolentino’s Basilica di San Nicola holds enduring appeal for visitors to Le Marche Who painted the 14th-century masterpiece that dominates the chapel of Basilica di San Nicola? The artist’s identity remains shrouded in mystery, though the scenes are widely […]
In the eastern Castello district of Venice lies a huge dockyard where revolutionary building techniques took shipbuilding and military manufacturing into the next level This dockyard has been thought to have existed on this site since the 12th century, and it boasts a significant role in Venice’s historical legacy, being an important example of pre-Industrial […]
Jane Keightley exposes herself to new experiences in the city that has become known as a centre for the avant-garde… Turin has always been well known for being the home of The Shroud and, more recently, the place where the car manufacturing company FIAT was based. FIAT became the biggest company in Italy and one […]