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 […]

Drive Italia: Alfa Romeo Montreal

Alfa Romeo Montreal

More exclusive than a Jag E-Type or Porsche 911 at the time, the Alfa Romeo Montreal remains an enigma even today… Photo by Getty Images The Alfa Romeo Montreal was introduced at the Montreal Expo ’67 without an official model name. The public and motoring press took to calling the car the ‘Montreal’ and the […]

Drive Italia: Lamborghini Countach

Lamborghini Countach

Epic engine, scissor doors, limited visibility, and wider than a Range Rover – the Lamborghini Countach was the quintessential supercar! Photo by Martyn Lucy/Getty Images Breaking with the tradition of naming cars after famous bulls and bull fighters, word has it that ‘countach’, an exclamation of astonishment in the Piedmontese dialect, was frequently used by […]

Drive Italia: Lancia Stratos

Lancia Stratos

Short, low and wide, Ferrari-powered and beautiful from any angle – the Stratos was a winner from the start!  Photo by Getty Images The broadcaster Jeremy Clarkson once said that the Lancia Stratos was the only supercar built not just to parade around the streets of Monaco looking wonderful, but to get there cross-country ‘rally-style’.  […]

Viewpoint: Miracle of Summer Snow

summer snow

People gather outside the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore on Rome’s Esquiline Hill to witness a soap foam re-creation of the Miracle of Summer Snow… Photo by Getty Images Legend has it… that on the night of 4th August, a long, long time ago, it snowed in Rome. Not everywhere, and not a lot, but […]

Five best Italian piazzas

Piazza del Campo, Siena

The piazza is at the heart of Italian life and each one boasts its own unique history and atmosphere – here we pay homage to a few of our favourites Photos by iStock 1 Dubbed by Napoleon “Europe’s finest drawing room”, Venice’s Piazza San Marco is simply breathtaking. Even during the height of the season, when […]

Meet Paolo Arrigo

Paolo Arrigo

Christine Smallwood meets up with Paolo Arrigo and finds out about his deep-rooted connection with the soil Photos courtesy of Paolo Arrigo   Last spring I rediscovered a book that has been on my shelf for a decade. As I planted some veg seeds in my garden for the first time, From Seed to Plate […]