10 most beautiful beaches of Tropea: where to swim and relax in the pearl of the Tyrrhenian Sea
Do you know the most beautiful beaches in Tropea? You can find them on the Costa degli Dei in Calabria. The coast is a good 55 kilometres long with white beaches, scattered rocks and crystal clear water. Have you ever seen them? The stretch of coastline between Pizzo and Ricadi rises above the sea, forming a promontory that gives rise to an extraor...
Italian F&B sets new export record in early 2024
The dawn of 2024 heralds a fresh pinnacle for Italian food and beverage exports, boasting a robust +14% surge in January compared to the corresponding period last year, despite prevailing international strains. This revelation stems from Coldiretti, an Italian farmers association, parsing Istat data. Notably, this trajectory stands in stark contras...
Exploring Versilia: A Stunning Coastal Gem of Italy
When you think of travel to Italy, Versilia, in the region of Tuscany, might not be the first destination that comes to mind. Located in the shadow of the well-renowned areas of Chianti and the Val d’Orcia, Versilia is definitely off the beaten path. But Versilia has it all, including the rolling hills and lovely vineyards that have made Tuscany so...
Rome's plan to make EUR lake suitable for swimming
The artificial lake in Rome's EUR district, known to Romans as the laghetto, could open to bathers within five years thanks to a plan to make its waters suitable for swimming. Rome's water management company ACEA has begun carrying out studies commissioned by the company that owns the lake, EUR Spa, which in turn is 90 per cent owned by Italy's fin...
Only accessible by boat: Italy’s Aeolian islands are truly off the beaten track
With new airports and improved transport links popping up Europe-wide to make travelling ever easier, it’s rare to find destinations truly off the beaten track. Enter: the Aeolian islands. Off the north east coast of Sicily, the group is made up of Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Stromboli, Filicudi, Alicudi and Panarea, alongside a set of minor islands a...
Students experience Italian culture and more during study abroad trip
Thanksgiving Day 2023 is one that Penn State York students Olivia Miles and Abby Snyder will not forget. They spent 10 days, including Thanksgiving, in Florence, Italy, as part of a human development and family studies course, Understanding the Italian Family: Historical and Cultural Context (HDFS 499). Studies in Florence, as the course is common...
How Lemon Ricotta Cake Became An Italian Breakfast Staple
Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, and at least 38% of Americans say their go-to breakfast involves some form of eggs. But Italians like to keep things sweet for this morning meal. Bombolone (which are filled donuts), ciambelle (which are cake-like donuts covered in sugar), and the cornetto (which is similar to a croissant) ar...
Watch rare pink volcanic vortex bubbles spew out of Italy's Mount Etna
A rare event was caught on camera over the weekend at Italy's Mount Etna, the most active stratovolcano in the world. The Sicilian volcano was seen spewing rare and nearly perfectly circular volcanic vortex bubbles – at some points, appearing pink in color against the sky. Giuseppe Barbagallo, a member of the South Etna Alpine Guides Group, told R...
My Secret Neighbors to the North: A Miracle at the Ferramonti Concentration Camp of Tarsia
Growing up in Southern Italy during World War II, all of us children were kept in the dark about the horrors taking place near and far. Constant hunger, pestilent diseases and bombing raids were enough hardships for us to endure. It was June 10, 1940, when it all began. A huge crowd of somber townspeople gathered next door to our home. A wealthy la...
A weekend in Bologna: itinerary amid good food, art and misteries
La rossa, la grassa, la dotta (the red, the thick, the learned one): that's how an old saying describes Bologna - for the peculiar color of its buldings, the richness of its food and the presence of the most ancient university in the world. For decades, it has been among the most beloved cities in Italy by tourists for its vitality, unmistakable ar...
Giovanni Michelucci’s dramatic concrete church in the Italian Dolomites
Arriving at Longarone on a slow train from Venice, zigzagging up the Piave Valley into the jagged heights of the Dolomites, the visitor is faced by a gruff modern road and, on the other side, the unresponsive façades of indifferent 1960s buildings. It seems so very disappointing. Why would anyone build like this in such an eagle’s nest setting? A t...
The Biggest Difference Between Italian And American Cannoli
There are countless Italian dishes, but few that have been the subject of an iconic movie line. "Leave the gun; take the cannoli" from "The Godfather" is one of the more memorable bits of dialogue in film history. It's also indicative of the importance and universality of cannoli in Italian and Italian-American cuisine. There might not be a more re...