Heritage

Most Roman emperors liked to get out of Rome every now and then. Julius Caesar, Nero and Caligula favoured Baiae in Campania, enjoying its mild climate, thermal baths, and, in Nero’s case, opportunities for matricide. Fearing assassination, Tiberius left Rome …

Fiat 500 Restoration: You, Me and Sicily 

Fifty years ago rain, mud and sorrow descended on two of Italy’s most loved historic cities, Florence and Venice. At the height of the floods waters rose to 6.7m in parts of Florence and inundated over 75% of Venice, leaving …

We all love – or should love – books. They keep the essence of culture and help passing it on to the next generations. They tell stories: invented, when they’re novels, of how events took place and why, when about …

Almost lost to the annals of time, there’s a particular story of Italian immigration that most of us haven’t heard about in a history class, nor read in book, nor listened to as we squirmed at nonna’s knee. It’s a …

After seeing La Guardia Svizzera, or in English, the Swiss Guard, standing at attention at the gates of the Holy City, donned with their halberds, their chest armor, their blue, yellow and red striped uniforms, and helmets with red fur …

As anyone who has ever been in Florence already knows, the Tuscan city abounds in all kinds of “traces” left by Italian geniuses of the past. One such genius was the great scientist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), who lived here for …

Gian Lorenzo Bernini was a genius and his eye for extracting human, animal and spiritual forms from slabs of marble was nothing short of amazing. His powerful works of art are a gift to everyone who has ever visited Italy …

Endless row upon row of cotton fields, shimmery white as far as the eye can see. A frosty glass of Southern sweet tea offers companionship to a plate of piping hot fried chicken. The wail of an old blues tune …

It may look as though the French have taken over the Seattle Art Museum this fall, as the museum hosts a lavish exhibit on designer Yves Saint Laurent, but persevere and you can still experience a bit of Italy during …