A steady plume of smoke and ash continues to spew from Mount Etna- Europe’s highest active volcano. But can we expect another major eruption? Although it’s the tallest volcanco in Europe, it’s pretty difficult to say just how high Mount Etna actually is. With each eruption its height changes – and it erupts often. Currently […]
Among the most striking views in Sicily are the glittering saltpans between Trapani and Marsala. Dating way, way back to the time of the Phoenicians (who were sailing the Mediterranean from 1200BC), the saltpans on the western coast of Sicily are still active today, desalinating vast quantities of sea water and shipping the recovered salt […]
Famed for its white sand beaches and dramatic sea views, the Ligurian resort of Finale Ligure is popular with sun-seekers – and also with cyclists, of both the on-road and off-road variety… In stark contrast to the lazy days and white linen lifestyle of the French Riviera just a few miles down the road from […]
This image arrives with us via a travel photography contest on Photocrowd in association with Alamy. It is by “Lucas” and it is called “Feeding the Soil”… Lucas explains: “Cultivating the land to get ready for winter and spring on a beautiful Tuscan vineyard in San Minato, Italy, between Pisa and Firenze. I volunteered on […]
The Castello sul Mare was built in 1551 as a defensive fort against pirates who had conducted raids, including the kidnappings of local civilians, in 1549… Standing by the water at Rapallo, on the Ligurian coast, the Castello sul Mare – also known as the Castello di Rapallo – connects by a small bridge to […]
The Sassi di Matera are a series of ancient cave dwellings in the comune of Matera, in Basilicata. In fact there are two series of caves: the Sasso Caveoso and the later Sasso Barisano. And yes, they are still inhabited… Cave dwelling is nothing unusual. It has been estimated that in China there are some […]
Italy is a major player in the EU dairy industry. It is not the biggest producer, Germany is, but in terms of exports to France – arguably a telling statistic – Italy is Number 1 in Europe… As you will be aware, the French and the Italians have a friendly little argument going on between […]
The region of Trentino is famed for its winter sports rather than it wines, but what can you expect to drink to accompany dinner après ski? Italia! investigates the grapes that grow on the slopes in the summer… The northern region of Trentino, which lies between Lombardy to the west and the Veneto to the […]
Viewed here from the hills above, San Remo is the endpoint of the world’s longest professional one-day cycle race. Starting at Milan, competitors will have covered 298 kilometres by the time they reach their destination… The course of the Milan-San Remo endurance bike race is largely flat, though the hills at the end have caught […]
Some ceramic pots await the kiln outside an artisan pottery in Puglia… This is a scene that an inhabitant from 2,000 years ago would readily recognise as a symbol of her homeland… The region of Puglia has been famed for its ceramics since the days of the Ancient Greeks – ie, some time before the […]