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Imagine 37 thousand tons above your head, 116 meters towards the sky, your eyes lost in admiration of the 700 figures in the 3.600 square meters of Vasari and Zuccari’s Last Judgement. A lantern brushes up against the sky, while your feet feel as if they were avidly climbing invisible steps, so much is the desire to touch that marvel, which seems t...

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The palio is a form of entertainment dating back to medieval times. Even today, competitions between the districts are celebrated in the folkloristic festivals of the towns of Italy. In addition to the Palio di Siena, the most famous, in our peninsula we find various events that bring us back to the traditional challenges of the past. In Italy the...

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Florence’s Cathedral, or Santa Maria del Fiore, is the world’s third largest church, after St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. It is 153 meters long, 90 meters high, and 90 meters wide.  Designed by Arnolfo di Cambio, it was dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore, the flower (‘fiore’) in question being a reference to the lily, symbol of the c...

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Small towns and villages in Italy have suddenly become more attractive for people looking to escape stressful and crowded city life. With the advent of remote working (dubbed ‘smart working’ in Italy) due to the Covid pandemic, many Italians are no longer necessarily forced to live in the city and are considering relocating to the countryside or to...

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It's Valentine's Day week and we're feeling the love, but, because we're not able to travel right now, save these romantic escape ideas for any time of the year! Head to one of these five lovely villages in Italy, set in idyllic locations, by the sea or a lake, in the mountains or the countryside, the perfect setting for romantic strolls hand in ha...

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“The moment we spotted Pienza from the road, perfectly placed atop the rolling Tuscan hills, I was transfixed. We pulled over to take in the first view of my ancestral town. It was so quiet and the air around me was thick with the smell of burning olive branches. I just knew that was the exact same view that my ancestors saw when riding their horse...

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Probably the first thing people think about when Valentine's Day is mentioned is a loving couple, and Italy has the most famous couple of all, Romeo and Juliet. The city of the 'star crossed lovers', Verona, makes a romantic destination, but this most obvious of romantic places in Italy is actually rather disappointing. 'Juliet's house' (she never...

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“Evviva la Torre di Pisa che pende, che pende ma sempre sta su. Evviva la Torre di Pisa che pende, che pende e mai non vien giù:” this was the famous  refrain of a 1950s song by popular crooner Gino Latilla, dedicated to one of Italy’s symbols, the leaning Tower of Pisa.  Just like the song says, the stunning gothic belfry keeps on leaning, but doe...

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In a small village north of Florence, Tuscany, a family of master craftsmen has been continuing the artisan tradition of knife production for 5 generations (since 1895) without interruption.  It is an incredible testimony of art, culture, tradition, and respect for one’s roots, which I felt compelled to get to know better. It takes one-hour and goo...

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The reputation of Dante Alighieri needs little burnishing: his Divine Comedy, tracing the poet’s journey through Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, is widely regarded as one of the greatest works ever written. But more than 700 years after Dante was accused of corruption and condemned to be burned to death, his descendant is looking to clear his name. S...

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