The real San Marco

Adrian Mourby ventures deep into San Marco, Venice’s oldest sestiere, which is known the world over for its piazza and yet is otherwise relatively rarely explored. Images by Kate Tadman-Mourby unless otherwise stated Of course we all know San Marco. This area of Venice has the best of the Grand Canal, the Rialto and Accademia […]

Pilgrimage to Possagno

You could travel the world’s museums to see the works of Antonio Canova, or you could go to Possagno, Joe Gartman writes… Images by Patricia Gartman There’s an elegantly mirrored and frescoed room in Venice’s Correr Museum, just off Piazza San Marco. I suppose you’d call the décor neoclassical: the mirrors are square, the frescoes […]

WIN! free virtual tours of Italy!

  We have one Friends’ subscription (worth £149) and eight virtual experiences (worth at least £80) to give away, thanks to our friends at Art History in Focus! Art History in Focus’s pioneering Cultural Travels from Home allow you to travel virtually and enjoy live, interactive guided tours of museums and heritage sites around the world, while members of Art History in […]

Rod Dudley: insights into the famous sculptor’s studio and life

Internationally renowned sculptor Rod Dudley is Australian, but the heart of his art is in Besozzo on Lake Maggiore. Lifelong friend Rosalind Milani Gallieni pays him a visit… Photos by Rosalind Milani Gallieni unless otherwise stated   In fondo! In fondo, giù a sinistra…” I take the turning as instructed by the local Besozzo messo, […]

Standing at the crossroads in Gorizia

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 […]

Northern Lights: Cannaregio

Adrian Mourby uncovers the rich history of Cannaregio, the most northerly of Venice’s six districts Image: Bottega Tintoretto It’s a misty winter’s morning outside Tintoretto’s house in Cannaregio. Here at the tall, pink house on Rio della Sensa the great painter would kiss his wife goodbye and promise to account for the money she had […]

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 […]

Homes in Emilia-Romagna

The sophisticated region of Emilia-Romagna offers every geographical delight as well as some of the best food in Italy. Rural homes in its hills offer exceptional value for money too, says Fleur Kinson. Photos by Getty Images   If you’ve never heard of Emilia-Romagna, that’s only because this happy, prosperous place feels no need to […]

Italia! Photos of the month: January 2020

Start the new year right with our gallery of photos from January’s reader photo competition. Which one do you like best? This month’s winner:  “I took this on a foggy morning in February. It’s just by the Rialto market in Venice, just as the city was waking up and before the tourist hordes arrived.” by […]

Private island paradise: Isola Santa Cristina

In the heart of the Venetian lagoon lies a private island that has long been a mystery, but after years of renovation Isola Santa Caterina is now an eco-friendly luxury retreat Photos courtesy of Isola Santa Caterina   Settled in the fifth century as part of a group of garden islands known as Ammiana, Santa […]