National castle days: exploring Italy's fortified heritage
Italy is home to structures that are not just relics of the past but also bridges to the future, showcasing human presence from the Paleolithic era to today. These sites tell stories that span across different periods of history. Castles, once symbols of conflict and defense, are now open to the public, representing spaces of hospitality and knowle...
Pope Leo XIV, the first Italian American pope
Pope Leo XIV also has Italian ancestry, similar to Pope Francis, who came from across the world. Robert Francis Prevost's grandfather was born in Italy on June 24, 1876, the feast day of St. John, the patron saint of Turin. The individual listed as John R. Prevost in a death certificate and a 1950 census could very well have been born in Italy as G...
Massimo Bottura's Food for Soul Is Reinventing the Community Kitchen. Here's How.
Seasonal ingredients, local producers, zero-waste from peels and stems. For years, the storytelling around sustainability in haute cuisine was frozen in the idyllic image of chefs in white jackets sniffing herbs as they wandered through gardens—strictly their own—before heading to the stove. At first, the debate focused on raw ingredients; then, in...
Risi e bisi: Venice's springtime classic with a royal past
Spring is here and it’s time to bring it to our tables! I love comfort food all year round, not only in the colder months, and this week’s recipe is something I like to make when the sun starts shining high and I feel like something fresh, seasonal but as lovely and heartwarming as the hug from a friend… Risi e Bisi — literally “rice and peas” in...
Ambassador Fertitta’s Rome debut signals deeper US-Italy ties
On Wednesday, US Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta presented his diplomatic credentials to Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace. He met with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday. Decoding the news. His appointment is more than ceremonial. It’s a strategic signal from the Trump admini...
Do As The Italians Do And Use This Leafy Green As A New Addition To Your Pizza Toppings
A lot of pizza tips and tricks circulating the internet typically call for simple steps like using a butter brush to improve a frozen pizza's crust, or list just a few ingredients to create a more traditional pizza sauce from scratch. And these are terrific techniques for achieving something closer to a restaurant-quality pizza at home. But there's...
Italy Reaffirms Its Position as World Pasta Champion
In 2024, 58% of Italy’s pasta production was exported, amounting to more than 2.42 million tonnes, a 9.1% increase from the previous year, according to data from Unione Italiana Food, based on Istat figures. The total value of these exports reached €4.02 billion, marking a 4.8% year-on-year rise. In practical terms, this equates to around 80 millio...
Tramezzino festival in Mestre celebrates Italian snack innovation and tradition
In Mestre, Veneto, a three-day festival celebrates an all-Italian snack, a forerunner of street food, the ultimate snack, a symbol of a quick break that combines taste and simplicity: the tramezzino. The origin of the tramezzino is debated between Turin in Piedmont and Mestre. The festival celebrates both the tradition and innovation of this small...
Welcome to Giro d’Italia 2025
Today begins the 2025 edition of the Giro d'Italia, the professional road cycling stage race that started in 1909. The leader of the Giro wears the pink jersey in honor of the color of Italy's most important sports newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race allows you to experience beautiful landscapes across Italy, where athletes are hosted, an...
Greener brewing: An Italian breakthrough could help protect the planet
Beer production has been long associated with clouds of steam and long hours of energy consumption. Could we ever imagine brewing beer without the need for boiling at 100 degrees for hours? A new Italian technology made that possible by offering breweries a way to cut their energy costs, reduce emissions and create a greener future by making the en...
Gladiators Gate: Step into the Colosseum Like a True Gladiator
The roar of 50,000 spectators. The clang of swords. The rush of adrenaline as sunlight pours through the Colosseum’s upper tiers. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Rome’s fiercest warriors entered through a special passage—the Gladiators Gate—to face glory or doom on the arena floor. Today, that gate is closed to most. But what if you could step through it y...
Torino Barbaresco: what to see and where to eat in the gem of Piedmont
The small village of Barbaresco is one of the most picturesque locations to visit in the heart of Langhe, a land part of the Unesco Heritage boasting refined beauty in southern Piedmont famous for its landscape full of hills, vineyards (and wines), hamlets and castles. Despite its modest size, Barbaresco is in fact a place with a magical atmosphere...
