La vita italiana

The word cappuccino means, literally, small hood, but of course we think of coffee when we hear it. Or friars, and the link is not haphazard at all. You all know how the story goes: every morning, on the way …

At Campo Verano, Rome’s most exclusive cemetery, the dead keep office hours. Although the grounds are open between 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM, formal mourning is allowed only at set times. Visitors must enter on foot, unless obtaining a permit …

Today, I feel like to write about Rome and Italian heritage, but for once – our regular readers may be aware of my penchant for classical history – I won’t delve into the depths and beauties of the Empire, but …

Even today, the hilltop village of Bisacquino is a place for those in search of a forceful Sicilian character all its own. Deep in majestic Mount Triona, in the province of Palermo after Corleone and on the way to Sciacca, …

Regardless of their age, Italians have one huge preoccupation these days: retiring. With income taxes among the highest in Europe and pensions often just covering the costs of bare necessities, many citizens of the Bel Paese have been jumping on …

The lighthouse, a mysterious and poetic place, cherished by artists and writers: Virginia Woolf set one of her most popular novels, To the Lighthouse, around one of them, and the immense James Joyce once lived and wrote for days on …

It was All Souls’ Day, and Rome had woken up under the rain. It makes you wonder, sometimes, the way Nature manages to read into the heart of the world and chooses to dress in mourning to match the sorrow …

Last month Venice suffered the fourth highest floods in its history. Water seeped up through the drains, over the canal sides and into the houses, businesses and hotels of the city. And few were spared, with around 75% of streets …

As big as a Robin’s egg, mildly tart with a hint of sweetness, and just-perfect chewy only begins to describe an Ascolana olive. Biting into one is a much finer manner of introduction to this enticing little fruit…and I was …

It takes a lot of things to prepare a good cup of coffee: obviously, a good coffee blend and a good machine, to say the least. There’s a brand that is known all over the world for its excellence in …