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There is a place in Tuscany’s Mount Amiata region, where Christmas is synonym with fire. In truth, the connection between the two is quite common across the country, with ritual fire celebrations like those in Nemoli (Basilicata), Agnone (Molise), and Calabatiano (Sicily). Up North, in Liguria, the popular confuoco takes place in many towns and vil...

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With priceless statues, sculptures and architecture to rival the finest Botticelli littering practically every street corner, the Tuscan city is a living museum and its fine institutions make a great day out, anytime of the year. When you fancy a real museo, these are our favorites. Galleria degli Uffizi: best Italian Renaissance art This world-cla...

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Maps depicting Renaissance Tuscany are back on display at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence after being hidden from public view for more than 20 years. The wall paintings were commissioned in the late 1500s by Ferdinando I de’ Medici after the republic of Florence’s conquering of its rival Siena led to the creation the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and dep...

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Visit Florence during the holidays and you will find it at its most magical. Festive lights decorate the streets of the cradle of the Renaissance, while quaint Christmas markets are set up in the piazzas of the historic center. The official starting date for the Christmas celebrations is, like for many Italian cities, December 8, which is a nationa...

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Housed in the monumental wing of an ancient Dominican convent, the National Museum of San Marco, located in Piazza San Marco in Florence, is an architectural masterpiece by Michelozzo and features the world’s largest collection of works by Beato Angelico, one of the greatest painters of the early Renaissance, who lived in the monastery for a period...

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"Wine writers are boring, redundant and pretentious," opined a recent dinner guest. "Au contraire madame," came my retort, "we still have our uses." Critics and journalists are pretty good at sniffing out regions, and wineries, that deserve to be better known. We also excel at proselytizing overhyped – and overpriced – blue chip labels, but that's...

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The most famous Christmas markets in Italy are those located in the northern region of Trentino-Alto Adige. They are usually the ones that get the most visitors, but why not go off the beaten track this year and discover other quaint markets from north to south? Here’s a selection of some great ones. Most of them are already under way and will cont...

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The Uffizi in Florence might be one of the most famous art museums in the world and at the top of the must-hit list for any tourist in town, but, for children, going can be a drag. After all, what kid enjoys looking at hundreds of works of centuries-old art which have little meaning in their tech-dependent lives? Enter UffiziKids, a new initiative...

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It's no secret that the whole of Italy was hit hard by COVID-19. Between March 2020 and May 2021, travelers were kept out of the country while it went into lockdown. Since Americans and other travelers have been returning to the country, rest assured that Italy — and from my experience, especially Tuscany — is still as beautiful and bucolic as it...

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Surrounded by bucolic vineyards and rows of olive trees, my wife and I follow truffle hunter Francesco Veltorni and his partner Mery into the Tuscan forest, their Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, Rigel and John Wick, close at our heels. Francesco, also known as the Tuscany Truffle Hunter, watches his dogs carefully as they investigate the terrain around us,...

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