Joe and Patricia Gartman have spent the Christmas seasons from 2017 to 2019 in Italy. Here are photos from their time in Turin in 2017. We arrived in Turin early in December. There was a huge advent calendar set up in Piazza Castello. Every night the fire brigade arrived with a truck-mounted cherry picker to […]
Category: Culture
Glimpses of Christmas Past: Photos from Rome 2017
Joe and Patricia Gartman have spent the Christmas seasons from 2017 to 2019 in Italy. Here are photos from their time in Rome in 2017. When the City of Rome’s official Christmas tree – a72-foot Norway spruce from Trentino – was erected in Piazza Venezia on the 8th of November, it was shockingly bare of […]
Gazzetta Italia: A tale of two women
In this edition of our bilingual feature, Tom Alberto Bull reports on the two women who now face each other in the Italian parliament KEY WORDS Useful Italian words and phrases to add to your vocabulary. Anni di turbolenza Years of turbulence Una fase nuova A new era Una vittoria travolgente A landslide victory Già […]
Life and property in Puglia
Great weather, endless seaside and fabulous food make property in Puglia a perennial favourite for buyers in Italy. Fleur Kinson guides you through this wonderful, affordable southern region Puglia at a glance The region Puglia is the ‘heel’ of Italy’s ‘boot’, and uncluttered region known for its whitewashed towns, its ‘trulli’, its food (especially its […]
Speak Italia: Foreign athletes living ‘the good life’
In this edition of our bilingual feature, Tom Alberto Bull looks at the current crop of foreign sports stars enjoying their new lives in Italy… KEY WORDS Useful Italian words and phrases to add to your vocabulary Cibo meraviglioso Wonderful food Clima caldo Warm climate Gente simpatica Friendly people Imparare la lingua To learn the […]
Discover Campobasso’s Festival of the Mysteries
Every June, locals stage a mesmerising event that’s become a cultural staple for the town of Campobasso in Molise, writes Val Nicastro… Here I am sitting at a table with complete strangers I only met five minutes ago while looking out of the window of my B&B. They gestured for me to join their little […]
Italia! Women: Matilda of Canossa
Matilda of Canossa, Countess of Tuscany, left a legacy of church-building that has lasted a thousand years… Italia! Women #1: Matilda of Canossa (1046-1115) Revered as La Gran Contessa, Matilda of Canossa was one of the most powerful nobles in Italy and her legacy is built in stone – quite literally. But under normal circumstances […]
Speak Italia! The boom of Burraco in Italy
In this edition of our bilingual feature, Tom Alberto Bull invites you to a hand of Burraco, the card game that’s become all the rage in Italy KEY WORDS Useful Italian words and phrases to add to your vocabulary Fare il quarto/la quarta To make up a foursome Un gioco di carte A card game […]
Live and learn Italian in Agnone
Karen Jensen-Jones jumps into life in Agnone in the heart of Molise to brush up on her Italian language skills and experience a slice of authentic Italian life. In Maria and Giuseppe’s rustic garden in the ancient hilltop town of Agnone, homemade digestivo di clementino and delicious sour cherry torta were generously offered to our […]
The A-Z of Florence
The capital of Italy’s Tuscany region is home to many interesting secrets… Florence has so much history and culture to offer. Here’s our A-Z of all things Florence. ARNO The river that flows through central Florence begins at Monte Falterona in the Apennines and flows 241km from there to the Ligurian Sea. BOTTICELLI The prolific […]