Culture

Italy is famous for its saints: don’t they say we are a people of saints, sailors and poets? When you think of it, medieval pilgrims were the first tourists, you could almost say they inaugurated the long, successful era of Italian tourism …

Italy is a country where cheese is king. So much so, we kind of fight with our cousins, the French, to decide who loves cheese more. Truth is, both countries do. Cheese is more than something you use to add flavor to …

In truth, it isn’t really their birthday we celebrate this August, but the 50th anniversary of their discovery. Since that day – it was the 16th of August 1972 – the Bronzi di Riace, perhaps the most famous classical statues in Italy, …

There’s a plethora of articles out there on what not to do to avoid self-proclamation of “I’m a tourist!” when visiting Italy. Much of it is worthy advice…unless you prefer sticking out. However, many of these eye-openers for the stranieri …

We don’t want to be controversial with that title, we are just stating the results of the annual survey carried out by Italian magazine Italia Oggi, in collaboration with the Università La Sapienza, in Rome. Parma was selected as the city with the best …

When we think about the quintessential Renaissance artist, thoughts – quite rightly – go almost immediately to Leonardo or Michelangelo, and only those with a passion for and some knowledge of art history would mention Benvenuto Cellini. But the Florentine goldsmith is …

Of course, we love being lazy and soaking up the sun by the sea. Of course, there is nothing more refreshing and “zen” than a walk up our incredible Alps. And I am not even going to get started with …

Love it or hate it Milan is, with Rome, the most important city in the country. For many, it is the real capital of Italy, because it is its main economic and commercial center. Milan is also, needless to say, the trendiest city …

Don’t ask an Italian to read subtitles at the movies: we just don’t do that! Lazy cinema-goers could not be bothered to do it through a foreign film as everyone else in the world does, and in fact, they don’t even need …

The Etruscans are widely considered the first great cultural and military power in the peninsula. They had a developed society, good technological knowledge, a complex language, and a complex spiritual system. Their refined aesthetics were powerful enough to influence their most famous …