Close

While visiting family in Loreto Aprutino in Abruzzo, Italy, in May, I heard about Count Sebastiano Capponi’s 500 year celebration of Villa Calcinaia, near Greve in Chianti, nestled in the Tuscan hillside, famous for its award-winning DOCG Chianti Classico in Chianti. The Capponi family purchased Villa Calcinaia in 1524. I journeyed to Villa Calcina...

182

Dreaming of life in the Italian countryside? Check out this spectacular 16-century villa which was once inhabited by Lisa del Gioconda, best known as Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Summer in Italy is always gorgeous, but it’s unbeatable if you happen to spend it in this Florence villa. Boasting 14 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and 66 acres of lush grounds...

258

With the wine market showing few encouraging signals for export and out-of-home consumption, but that certainly doesn’t run at full speed, when considering volumes, with a quite precocious 2024 harvest, that, starting in Sicily, is now beginning in many other territories of Central-Southern Italy (from the Tuscan Maremma to Apulia) with the compani...

190

Certainly leading up to the 2023 biennial tournament, Italian Golf was not the first thought in the minds of many around the world. Architecture? Yes, of course. I dream of visiting Firenze and taking in the remarkable structure of Giotto’s Campanile or the beautiful façade of the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, walking along the streets once used...

210

Fiercely protective and understandably proud of its manifold culinary delights, the sun-splashed Italian region of Tuscany launched an initiative called Vetrina Toscana to promote authentic fare around the world. The group has now designated its first certified Tuscan restaurant in the U.S.: Tre Dita, which just debuted at the towering St. Regis Ch...

369

The road from Siena to Florence has been in use for centuries, passing through charming villages, fields bursting with flowers, and gently rolling countryside. About 20 minutes north of Siena, along one bend of the road, an impressive skyline suddenly springs up: it’s the castle wall and fortified towers of Monteriggioni, a garrison town founded in...

175

Another testimony of the Romans’ love for wine, in addition to the profound competence with which they produced it: in San Gimignano, in the Vernaccia area - already suitable for centuries - a cellar from over 1,800 years ago was discovered during an archaeological excavation campaign. The location is the Roman villa of Aiano, dating back to betwee...

357

Four decades have passed since I graduated from Georgetown University. Those years in Washington, DC, in the 1970s, had a life-long impact on me, yet when it came time for my own kids to pursue their degrees, I sent all three overseas. Back then, Georgetown's green-filled campus lacked the variety of cafs, restaurants, and bars that can be found to...

224

Picture this: you’re driving down the Autostrada del Sole (“Sun Motorway”), weaving through endless queues and stopping for a quick sandwich and coffee at those classic bridge-type Autogrill designed by Angelo Bianchetti. As you roll into town, you stumble upon village bars with their blue Algida tables and Monobloc white plastic chairs, where loca...

154

The University of Pisa is pleased and proud to announce that Professor Walter Grassi (photo), formerly Full Professor of Technical Physics at the Department of Energy, Systems, Territory, and Constructions Engineering (DESTEC), has received the Max Jakob Memorial Award in Los Angeles. This award is one of the highest international recognitions for...

328