What comes to mind when you think of the top Rome attractions? Ancient empires and Renaissance art? Sticky sweet gelato and carbs galore? Cobblestone streets packed to the brim with tourists? Rome definitely has all of these things. But it also has so much more. Though Rome is probably one of the most famous and touristy cities on the planet, it ha...
THE THOUSAND-YEAR HISTORY OF CONZA della Campania, a town in the southern Apennines of Italy, was interrupted by the earthquake of November 23, 1980. A magnitude 6.9 tremblor, it killed 2,914 people, including 184 in Conza alone. If one travels to “Conza della Campania” today, they will be in a different place, a new town of modern villas, with lar...
Rome children's hospital Bambino Gesù has developed what could be a breakthrough in treating aggressive and currently inoperable brain tumours in children. The treatment involves a combination of gene and drug therapy which in laboratory trials inhibited the growth of gliomas, cancerous tumours that form when glial cells grow out of control, usuall...
Easter wouldn’t be Easter in Italy without chocolate eggs: yes, I know they are quite popular in other parts of the world, like Ireland and the UK, for instance, but we think that in Italy the art of chocolate egg making and exchanging reaches its peak! Gifting eggs – real ones – was a common propitiatory gesture in ancient times, when the egg was...
With its checkered history dating back more than 2,700 years, Palermo is a melting pot of history, architecture and food. For many, this is a jumping-off point en route to Cefalù, Ragusa or Taormina, but fascinating Palermo has plenty more to offer. Strategically located where East meets West, Sicily has been invaded by everyone from the Phoenician...
In the deep south of Italy, surrounded by crystal-clear waters and 500 miles of Adriatic and Ionian coastline, is the enclave of Puglia that sits on the sun-baked heel of the Boot. I first visited years ago and fell in love with its sleepy whitewashed villages, colorful folk traditions, its unique trulli set amongst olive trees, endless plates of m...
In an hidden place on the slopes of the Western Carnic Pre-Alps, a few kilometres away from Pordenone in Friuli Venezia Giulia, it is located the small village of Polcenigo. A hidden gem that shines of its own light. Considered Friuli's green jewel box, the enchanting village is surrounded by lush nature and surrounded by lots of water. Besides, th...
Few nations are as interesting as Italy for international students looking for a world-class education at an affordable price. Along with education, the country has a diverse selection of social and recreational activities. The country's cultural significance dates back to ancient times, and it's heaven for history and archaeology students. The Uni...
In Italy there are many wonderful seaside resorts such as Forte dei Marmi, a famous seaside resort located in Tuscany. This city of the Versilia has always been an exclusive place particularly appreciated by famous people. Here you can find out where Forte dei Marmi is located you will also discover which are its most beautiful beaches and the mos...
It can’t be denied—the late Italian film director Federico Fellini certainly enjoyed the finer things in life, and he loved to make movies about those finer things. There was the operatic, tearjerker La Strada (1954), which follows the life of a young girl sold to a circus by her mother, and 8 ½, which blended the line between fantasy and reality w...
The best recent advert for the bella vita is surely actor Stanley Tucci sampling regional cuisines in CNN’s Searching for Italy exclaiming ‘oh my god’ at least four times an episode as he swoons over risotto Milanese or Sicilian pasta alla Norma. It's these sun-soaked visions of a foodie paradise that persuade scores of Northern Europeans and Ameri...
Italy is an old civilization, but a young state. Italy was unified in 1870 as the result of military campaigns that culminated in Rome becoming the capital in 1871. For centuries the territory was fractured into a variety of political entities. Yet the ideal of one Italia was the dream of countless intellectuals after the collapse of the Roman Empi...