All Around Italy

Italy is known for many wonderful things: art, architecture, opera, hand gestures, and an enviable approach to coffee. But tucked among these cultural icons, there is something just as incredible: its delightfully peculiar laws. Some are old, some still enforced, …

Trepalle is a small alpine hamlet in the municipality of Livigno, in the province of Sondrio, known for a very special characteristic: it’s the highest inhabited place in Europe.  Well, to be truthful, it is the second, but there is …

In the eastern part of Sicily, south of Catania and north of Ragusa, lies Syracuse — the capital of its namesake province and a city steeped in centuries of history and culture. It’s also the birthplace of Archimedes, the famed …

Welcome to Umbria, the “green center” of Italy — home to St. Francis’ stunning Assisi, the university (and chocolate capital) town of Perugia, swaths of alluring forests where wild truffles hide, and the world-famous wines of Montefalco. But there is …

May is a month rich in events, reflections, and remembrance. Traditionally dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, it is also known as the month of roses and the fragrance of spring flowers. It brings with it longer days, as …

Spilimbergo is a small town sitting along the banks of the Tagliamento River, in Friuli Venezia Giulia. Known as Italy’s City of Mosaics, it has recently earned the distinction of being one of the country’s Borghi più Belli d’Italia, an …

The twin cities of Gorizia in Italy and Nova Gorica in Slovenia have been jointly designated as the European Capital of Culture for 2025, in an unprecedented move that created the first cross-border capitale della cultura since the initiative’s establishment …

Just a few hundred meters off the Calabrian coast, opposite the town of Praia a Mare, lies the Isola di Dino, a small island that many Italians have heard of, but few have actually visited. With its sheer limestone cliffs, …

With its beautiful mountains and sunny valleys, Valle d’Aosta is one of Italy’s most dream-like places, at least for those who would rather spend time surrounded by the majesty of the Alps, rather than on a beach  — yes, that’d …

The Catholic Church is preparing for a historic transition following the death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88. His passing has set in motion the historical process of electing a new pope, with the …