Living in Trento: life on the doorstep of the Dolomites
Tucked away in the far north of Italy, Trento is a small city with big personality and just the right mix of Alpine air, Italian flair, and a relaxed pace. With a population hovering around 120,000, it’s a place where you’re never far from snow-capped peaks, vineyards, or a lively piazza for your morning caffè. Unlike the chaos of Milan or Rome, he...
This Tranquil Italian Town Is the Perfect Dupe for Venice—With Similar Canals, Footbridges, and Boat Tours but Fewer Visitors
Venice is a bucket list destination for many, but as the city buckles under the crushing weight of overtourism, savvy travelers are beginning to look for alternatives. Enter Comacchio, a small town less than two hours away in Italy’s Emilia Romagna region. Located where the Po River Delta meets the Adriatic Coast, Comacchio is sometimes called the...
Army Pfc. and boot camp boxer Louis Grippo
This is a story about Pfc. Louis Grippo and his travels during World War II. But a little background first. I grew up in my father’s family building on West Taylor Street in one of the Italian enclaves of Chicago. My mom’s family lived on South May Street, two blocks away. In my early years, we went over there almost every day. When I was in gramma...
Protecting Italy's landscape from overtourism is good for tourism itself
On one hand, we celebrate major successes like the widespread promotion of Italy’s beaches through the Blue Flag awards. On the other, we face a pressing issue: overtourism, and the urgent need to protect sites of cultural and environmental value from the kind of overcrowding that not only renders them unsustainable, but risks destroying them entir...
Boggi Milano Opens Columbus Circle Store
Boggi Milano is continuing its U.S. retail rollout with the opening of a third New York City store at The Shops at Columbus Circle. The 4,735-square-foot, two-level store offers street access as well as an entrance from inside the mall. The Columbus Circle store joins a single-level 1,800-square-foot store at 115 Mercer Street in SoHo that opened i...
An Italian builder of racetracks designed the world’s first high-speed toll road
Piero Puricelli was born April 4, 1883, in Milano. He graduated as an engineer at the Zurich Technical Institute. In 1914 during World War I he worked with the Army Corps of Engineers in developing methods to improve the development of tools and road work. He became a charter member of the first Italian Touring Club in 1918 and consequently helped...
Italy's mountain towns defy depopulation trends
Contrary to widespread belief, Italy's mountain communities are not experiencing depopulation—in fact, recent data shows the opposite. Over the past five five-year periods, the 387 designated mountain communities have seen their populations grow by about 100,000 residents. Much of this growth has been driven by immigration, especially during times...
Why this cliffside Italian town is one of the wildest sport venues on Earth
Since 2009, over 500,000 sports fans to date have flooded into the sun-drenched streets for one action-packed summer weekend in Italy’s Polignano a Mare. In what’s become almost an annual tradition, this laid-back town on Italy’s southern coast undergoes a transformation, shifting the pace from relaxed Mediterranean calm to full-blown buzz. Beaches...
From Italy to Wisconsin: Waukesha seamstress Lena Bruni retires after 35 years
For more than three decades, Lena Bruni’s shop at 149 W. Broadway St. was a hidden gem in downtown Waukesha. Now, at the age of 76, the Italian-born seamstress is retiring from her beloved business, Lena’s Tailoring & Alterations, closing a chapter that has made an impact on generations of families and beyond the community of Waukesha. Lena’s story...
These are the celebs who are attending Jeff Bezos’ Venice wedding
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez ‘s Venice wedding bonanza got under way Thursday with the couple sharing a kiss before leading their celebrity guests through the lagoon city to the first bash of the weekend. A string of water taxis cut through the lagoon to bring Bezos, Sanchez and their guests to the Madonna dell’Orto cloister on the...
In Italy, a degree pays off - but only after a long wait
In the best-case scenario, it takes over twelve years in Italy for a university degree to “pay for itself.” For students who study away from home, that timeline stretches beyond fourteen years. There’s no doubt that a college degree holds financial value—it does translate into better pay. A recent report shows that non-graduates earn an average gro...
Ferrara: where music takes over the streets
Ferrara is a magnificent city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, home to extraordinary sites like the stunning Ducal Palace. But once a year, it becomes something truly unique: the world’s largest open-air stage for street musicians. The Ferrara Buskers Festival, taking place this year from August 27 to 31, brings artists from across the globe...