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When I was in my early 20s, I tried to keep a diary of my experiences as a student and teacher in Bologna. There was much to write about: I was teaching in one of the city’s largest secondary schools, attending lectures delivered by professors who seemed as ancient as the faculty’s medieval buildings and I was learning, painfully, that a certain Br...

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After a two-year, pandemic imposed, hiatus, the Board of Directors of the National Italian American Foundation recently resumed its annual mission to Italy in grand fashion. During the course of a nine-day trip between June 12th and June 21st the board visited both Abruzzo and Toscana, meeting the regions' political and civic leaders in order to fo...

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Anyone who has visited Tuscany during the summer has surely already heard of the Palio di Siena. It is indeed the most famous historical horse race in Italy. Although it is not an event organised to attract tourists, if you are on holiday nearby, you absolutely cannot miss it! Find out everything you need to know about the Palio with us. As its ver...

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One of the landmarks of Florence's artistic life is returning to its former glory. Set in the jewel of the Convent of the Santissima Annunziata, the Chapel of St. Luca or Cappella dei Pittori (Painters’ chapel) finally regains its original colors and forms thanks to a two-year restoration project. The imposing frescos by Giorgio Vasari, Santi di Ti...

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Farro, or emmer, is a grain that has been cultivated for thousands of years in the Mediterranean basin and is the progenitor of all wheats known today, including soft wheat and durum wheat. Its cultivation dates back at least 7,000 years BC. It was the staple food of the Assyrians, the Egyptians and all the ancient peoples of the Middle East and No...

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Capraia, in the province of Livorno, is an island of volcanic origin, still particularly wild and uncontaminated, which owes its name to the historic presence of wild goats on its territory, which is just over 50 kilometers from Piombino, and it is also the furthest from the mainland of the Tuscan Archipelago islands. Much of its territory falls wi...

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It is late afternoon on Bagno Carducci beach and all around, bronzed Italian families are beginning to pack up their raffia bags. Tuscany may be loved by the Brits for its cypress-topped hills and glorious sunflower fields, but for the Italians it is Versilia Riviera, just a short drive from Pisa and Lucca, that is the star attraction. And taking p...

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Early summer is peak lavender blooming season in many places. While France, and Provence in particular, is the most popular “lavender destination” in Europe, Italophiles with a passion for lavender should know that there are several locations in Italy where you can admire the magnificent blooms. Lavender usually blooms in mid-June and will produce...

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Milan is known as the shopping capital of Italy due to it being host to many of the most infamous design houses in the fashion world. Fashion is not all Milan has going for it. Spending time in Milan means that you can get lost in the streets taking in the great mix of historical architecture and the modern high-rise skyscrapers entwined with the l...

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Wine is an integral part of a Catholic mass, a physical representation of the blood of Christ present at the Last Supper. It’s not clear if that connection is the origin of Vin Santo, Tuscany’s “holy” wine. What is known is that the good friars of Europe planted vineyards to have a ready supply of highly alcoholic, mildly sweet wine for liturgical...

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