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 […]

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 […]

Are You Eligible for Italian Citizenship?

passport

With a possible Brexit looming overhead many Brits and US citizens living in the UK are considering what their options are and looking into how they can continue life as a citizen of the European Union. Many people, without knowing, are already citizens of Italy just simply by the fact that they were born into a […]

The Villa of the Papyri, Herculaneum

Mosaic of Neptune and Amphitrite in Herculaneum

We are still making discoveries at Herculaneum, and computer technology may be about to reveal something very special, says Joe Gartman… Photos by Patricia Gartman   It’s been ten years or more since I saw the little, old-fashioned wooden display cases sitting in a deserted room of the National Archaeological Museum in Naples. When I […]

Meet the makers

Fernando Falcone at his wheel, Puglia, Italy

Penny Wainwright explores the villages at the southern tip of Puglia, in search of traditional artisan crafts, underground tunnels and ancient local festivals… Photos by Penny Wainwright   The sunshine welcomed me as I arrived in Ruffano to join the Fiesta and Fiera di San Marco, to celebrate St Mark the Evangelist’s feast day on […]

Five of Italy’s top art archives

Uffizi, Florence, Italy

Here are a few of the very best places to get your fix of world-class art next time you’re in Italy… Photos by iStock 1. Uffizi Gallery The experience always involves long queues – which are even longer if you go in high summer and haven’t booked in advance – but there are plenty of […]