Travel

The road into the Hyblaean Mountains snakes left and right, hugging the hillsides as the flora turns from spartan scrubland to holm-oak forest. It’s hard to not notice, after the 40 km drive up from the gem city of Siracusa, …

Springtime is on the way in Zafferana Etnea, the pearl of Etna. Buds on the cherry trees are plumping up and soon the first will burst, starting a spectacular floral extravaganza of fields speckled with wild flowers: The Mount Etna …

Although the city of Bologna is located almost a hundred kilometers from the nearest sea, one of its most recognizable symbols, namely Neptune with its trident, is clearly related to water: so much so that, as far back as the …

Nevermind how long you have lived in Rome, you’ll always find something new to discover, or so do its lucky residents say. Of course, Rome is art, history and good food. It’s tradition and the very heart of Italian identity. …

Montalcino may be best known for its splendid Brunello but buzzing across its rolling hills are amazing honeybees silently working their magic amongst the vines. From the deep dark chestnut honey, to the gentle sunflower honey, each  exquisitely assumes the …

Easter is a very important moment for the people of Italy: for those still actively practicing, it is a time of meditation and prayer, steeped in profound spiritual meaning; for everybody else, it remains deeply tied to memories of traditions, …

Living on an island presents a number of challenges. The first priorities are food, shelter and a reliable source of drinking water. The earliest settlers of the Venetian saltwater lagoon, however,  only had two out of three as freshwater was …

For some reason, I like to compare cities to beautiful female figures: Turin, which I know very well, is an elegant and haughty princess with a knack for the occult. Venice is coquette, colorful and well aware of her unequalled …

Early one morning in 1959 a ceramic artist from Turin known simply as Clizia arrived in Bussana Vecchia, a medieval hilltop village about five miles northeast of Sanremo that had been a complete ghost town for 72 years. On Feb. …

Part of the intrigue of Tuscany is the abundance of small hamlets and villages. Scattered across the rural landscape like precious gems awaiting discovery, the charms and beauties of these ancient borghi are many. Off the SR2 thoroughfare from Siena …