Entrepreneur & philanthropist Gabriel Battista honored with posthumous honorary degree by the American University of Rome
Ex-Chairman of The American University of Rome and the National Italian American Foundation, Gabriel (Gabe) Battista, has been posthumously awarded the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters Honoris Causa. Gabriel Battista was the Chairman of AUR’s trustees from 2012 to 2020 and a Board member since 2006. Gabriel’s son, Stephen Battista, accepted the d...
"The Italian Art of Living": An Inspiring Author
Given the year we’ve gone through, a book like "The Italian Art of Living: Your Passport to Hope, Happiness and Your Personal Renaissance" is just what we need. Taking inspiration from the ‘Italian art of living,’ the book’s author, Dawn Mattera, shows us that “we have the power to create a happy and meaningful life no matter what the circumstances...
Italy bans travel between towns over Christmas
The Italian government has approved a ban on inter-regional travel during the Christmas period as the country registered the highest daily coronavirus death toll of the pandemic. Under a new decree signed by the prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, on Thursday night, people will be barred from travelling beyond their regions between 20 December and 6 Ja...
Luca Giordano: The Triumph of the Neapolitan Painting
In his day, Luca Giordano (1634-1705) was famous, long-lived, and much travelled. Born in Naples, he worked there, in Florence and in Venice, and later in life for the court in Spain, before returning to paint in his native city, which was then under Spanish rule. By the 19th century, however, the baroque, and most especially the Neapolitan Baroque...
How To Learn To Cook Like The Italians Do
There are plenty of opportunities to learn about Italian cuisine both in Italy and abroad, but no foodie should pass up the chance to take a class at Casa Artusi in Emilia Romagna, a region renowned for its culinary prowess. (For many, that would be online now, in-person when travel resumes, although the school is conducting socially-distanced clas...
More property buyers eyeing Tuscan wine country, say agents
Greater demand for rural property has been widely reported in the UK this year, and recent comments from Italy-based estate agencies suggest the trend has also touched the land of Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino. ‘I have seen many more buyers looking for properties, perhaps as many as four times more than the period before the [Covid-19...
This new luxury cruise ship is set to sail around Venice next spring
One of the many nicknames for Venice is The Floating City, and a new luxury cruise ship has sourced the inspiration for the interiors of its ‘floating boutique hotel’ from the City of Water. The completely refurbished S.S. La Venezia has been decked out in traditional Venetian-inspired designs, and its classic appeal makes it look like a modern tak...
Why a plate of arancini means our summer in Sicily has begun – plus the recipe
Every evening at 8pm and 8.15pm, two ferries leave the port of Naples and cut their way across the inky Tyrrhenian Sea to Palermo. The one that leaves second arrives first, at 6.45am, while the other docks at 7.30am, or thereabouts. We are always late booking travel for our annual summer trip to my partner’s hometown in Sicily, so take whatever we...
‘Prisencolinensinainciusol': Here’s what the nonsensical 'English' song actually means in Italy
In 1972, Italian singer Adriano Celentano wrote a song with nonsensical lyrics supposed to sound like American English. It went to number one - and is still being shared online today. 'The song was number one in the Italian charts despite the fact that it wasn’t performed in Italian - or in any language. It went on to become number one in France,...
How Italy accidentally invented the perfect Covid-era hotel
Medieval architects, deserted towns and remote countryside -- what sounds like the ingredients for a horror movie could actually be the recipe for the perfect Covid-era hotel. Since the 1990s, Italy has been pioneering a tourism model known as "albergo diffuso" -- or scattered hotel. These involve installing a full hotel into various buildings of a...
“Tuscany together”, il turismo toscano si rilancia
Erano in oltre duecento i sindaci, assessori e tecnici in rappresentanza dei ventotto ambiti turistici in cui è suddivisa la Toscana alla riunione online del progetto “Tuscany Together”, volto alla discussione delle strategie di promozione turistica della regione nel prossimo futuro. E all’incontro, promosso da Toscana Promozione Turistica e svolto...
Livorno’s Central Market is a Feast For the Senses
A few years ago now a Florentine friend gave me one of the simplest and most useful travel tips I’ve ever received. When moving around Italy, he recommended, the best way to get the sense of an area, be it a town, a village, or a large city, is to head to the nearest market. It’s a wise maxim, and one I’ve held close over the years. From Turin’s P...