People & Places

At the end of the appian way in Brindisi there's a 17 metre high column which has lost its other half to nearby Lecce.

Palladio bridge over the river Brenta

November 19, 2009

The Paladio bridge in Bassano del Grappa is a monument worth visiting. Just like the famous Paladio villas that have been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage

Lost in Noto in Sicily

November 18, 2009

Noto in Sicily is a delightful place to "lose your way ... twenty times a day, and turn up again, under the most unexpected and surprising difficulties."

Opera arena in Macerata

November 15, 2009

Italy has several very attractive opera arenas like the Sferisterio, an opera arena in Macerata, in the central Marche region near the Adriatic coast.

How to harvest pine nuts

November 14, 2009

Collecting and shelling your own pine nuts entails a lot of hard and dirty work.Here's a guide on how to harvest pine nuts.

Italian artist at work in Guagnano

November 13, 2009

Visit Vincent City in Gaugnano on the road between Taranto and Lecce and see an Italian artist at work in one of the most original art colonies in Puglia.

Italy and the fog metaphor

November 11, 2009

Autumn envelops most of Italy in a thick fog. And quite a few Italian writers seem obsessed with the fog metaphor.

Grow pomegranates – a tree of myth and fairytales

November 10, 2009

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It's a small miracle to grow pomegranates and see the frail, undernourished tree struggle to uphold its branches weighed down by heavyweight fruits.

Parking in Italy

November 5, 2009

Restrictions and limitations on driving have also reached our southern Italian town. But some groups still preserve special traffic rights.

Chickpea harvesting with a twist

October 8, 2009

Nothing tastes better than home grown chickpeas, says my neightbour, who does the twist every year after chickpea harvesting.

Leopardi – the poet of Recanati

October 5, 2009

It is hard to understand how someone can be "Matta e disperatissima" in the beauty of Le Marche. Until you read Leopardi - the poet of Recanati.

Entrance to the museum of a Grappa Distillery

Where to Visit a Grappa Distillery

October 4, 2009

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The Bassano del Grappa museum shows you how grappa is distilled and gives you an opportunity to buy and taste the spirit.

Sasso Marconi: Where radio was invented

October 1, 2009

Sasso Marconi: Where radio was invented. A suburb to Bologna in Italy has been renamed after Guglielmo Marconi who invented the radio.

Beach vendors in Italy

September 29, 2009

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Pampanella fresca is a fresh cheese wrapped in fig leaves and among the things sold by beach vendors in Italy every summer.

Urban legends: Shoe tossing in Catania

September 27, 2009

Urban legends: Shoe tossing seems to be an American habit that has spread to a large parts of the world - including Italy.

Palm trees in San Benedetto del Tronto

September 26, 2009

There are some 8 000 palms in San Benedetto del Tronto on the Italian east coast. Enough to justify the appellation ‘Riviera delle Palme’.

Wine making in Italy

September 23, 2009

Wine making in Italy: Farmers in south Italy still produce their own wine, but small local wineries find it hard to compete with the larger cooperatives.

Italian hostess gifts: Cakes for coffee

September 21, 2009