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If you think about it, Verona, one of our most beautiful cities, has been made world-famous by a Briton. And certainly not a random one: William Shakespeare. The Bard – this is what the residents of the land of Albion like to call him – chose this elegant Veneto town with ancient Roman origins as the backdrop for what is, perhaps, his most iconic t...

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Seven works and six Italian street artists are competing for the world's most beautiful murals. They are part of the ranking of 100 works collected by the "Street Art Cities" platform in 92 cities in 30 countries to democratically elect by online app vote the best mural work created in 2022. And among the roller- and spray-painted facades of Buenos...

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The Po Delta Natural Park captured UNESCO's attention in 1999 when its southern portion became part of 'Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Delta'. In 2015, UNESCO recognised Po Delta Natural Park as a Biosphere Reserve (MAB). It is an important recognition for such a great area. It lies on the border of Veneto (Land of Venice) and Emilia Rom...

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Venice, the Italian queen of carnival cities, will host 18 days of Carnevale this year, with events taking place along the city's canals and across its bridges and squares from 4-21 February 2023. Artisans in the lagoon city are busy preparing masks and floats for the annual Carnevale di Venezia, one of the world's best-loved carnivals, whose theme...

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Crabs are a contentious topic in Venice right now. The moeche, or soft-shell crabs - normally harvested from lagoon mudflats to star on local menus for a few short weeks in October and April - have all but vanished this year. It’s blamed on a combination of rising temperatures, overfishing and invasive alien species – chiefly, the far larger Atlant...

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Every year, up to 3 million people descend on Venice to partake in the festivities surrounding Carnival (Carnevale in Italian). And though Carnival, also known as Mardi Gras, is celebrated around the world, it has a unique flavor in Venice, transporting participants back in time to the 1700s. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to sweep...

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Vittore Carpaccio's "St. Augustine in His Study" would make first-rate "Where's Waldo?" fodder. In the large painting, dated around 1502, the saint — per legend — realizes he is penning a letter to a man who has just died: St. Jerome. Carpaccio peppers the scene with books, ecclesiastical paraphernalia, sculptures, an hourglass, and a shell, among...

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When winter rolls around, there’s nothing quite like cozying up to a bold bottle of red. And Italian red wines are particularly delicious picks when it comes to pairing them with your warming winter bowls of polenta, pasta or roasted meats. So, grab your plates of braised short ribs, Risotto alla Milanese or orecchiette with greens and sausage, and...

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Famous in Italy and in the world, the mini-cruise between the Venetian Villas of the Brenta Riviera (that is, from Padua to Venice and vice versa) aboard the Burchiello is romantic, unforgettable, exciting and above all unmissable. In the past, the Burchiello was a typical Venetian boat used for the transport of passengers equipped with a large woo...

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Growing up, I was pretty convinced that my mum had magical attributes. In Italy, that’s quite a common conviction to hold about one’s mamma. In the endless list of her superpowers, her ability to appear behind my back–particularly at times when I would have thankfully avoided her gaze–was quite high up. Her voice, coming unannounced from an indefin...

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