Discover the beauty and history of the Scrovegni Chapel

Exterior of the Arena Chapel in Padua

If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer (Exodus 22:25) Photos by Patricia Gartman unless otherwise stated   FAST CULTURE Let us carefully tiptoe with Dante Alighieri, indisputably the Italian language’s greatest poet, as he descends reluctantly yet resolutely into […]

Visiting Venice post lockdown

Exploring Venice

Venetian Sara Scarpa takes a look at the city’s cultural re-emergence after the long Covid-19 lockdown and considers what the future holds… Photos by Sara Scarpa unless otherwise stated   Stopping for a spritz at the foot of Rialto Bridge; Enjoy Respect Venezia is the slogan of the city’s awareness campaign for sustainable tourism; the […]

Ten reasons to visit Vigevano

di Vigevano_castle

Valentina Nicastro introduces us to the highlights of this città ideale of the Renaissance… Photos by Valentina Nicastro unless otherwise stated As a kid growing up in a small town in northern Italy, I couldn’t wait to go out and see the world, and the result was that for a while I totally ignored the […]

Standing at the crossroads in Gorizia

Medieval Borgo Castello

Amy McPherson steps into Gorizia’s multilayered culture to discover a charming fusion city… Photos by Amy McPherson unless otherwise stated   Gorizia is one of those border cities that doesn’t feel quite one or the other. On the one hand, it is characteristically Italian: emotions are thrown around in the wild gestures of hands. Yet […]

Top 5 Castles

italian caste

We take a look at Italy’s Top 5 Castles. Image: iStock 1. Emperor Frederick II built the immaculately planned Castel del Monte near Bari in the 13th century. A masterpiece of architectural achievement, the castle’s octagonal theme is intrinsic to its design. The Italian government bought the castle in the 19th century and began the […]

What News on the Rialto?

With its iconic bridge and elegant architecture, the Rialto district of Venice is steeped in history. Joe Gartman tells the story of Fondaco dei Tedeschi with images by Patricia Gartman Sunset view over the Rialto Bridge to Grand Canal from the roof of Fondaco dei Tedeschi It may be on a spring day, when the […]

Winter in the Valle di Gran San Bernardo

san bernardo carnival

Rachael Martin arrives in Aosta’s ‘cold valley’ just in time for carnival, as well as taking advantage of the snowy weather to explore the region Photos by Rachael Martin unless otherwise stated   It’s carnival time on a cold February morning in the Great St Bernard Valley in northern Italy’s Aosta Valley region. I’m in […]

Avoiding Bernini in Rome

The sculptor and architect created many of Rome’s most iconic sights – you can hardly take a selfie without him bombing you. Words by Joe Gartman, photos by Patricia Gartman   Let us imagine that you are standing in Piazza Barberini, in Rome, gazing at the famous Triton fountain. Triton, the giant son of Poseidon […]

Don’t look now: Venice after dark

Even the most familiar places tend to look a little different as night falls… Sara Scarpa bravely steps into the shadows in search of Venice’s spookiest legends. Photos by Iain Reid The maze of narrow alleys, combined with the tricks of the light reflected in the canals, the decaying palaces and the fog make Venice […]