Italy rarely needs an introduction. Great wine? Check. Fresh, vibrant food? Practically the country’s calling card. Fabulous places to stay? Of course. However, combining all three in one property, filtered for responsible farming and winemaking practices and a general ethos of sustainable hospitality, proves a bit harder. Fortunately, we’ve done t...
READ MOREThe Fermo-Macerata Shoemaking District is based in Sant’Elpidio a Mare, in the heart of the Marche region, the home of famous brands that represent Italian style throughout the world. The district has its origins in the 15th century with the workshops of shoemakers that produced footwear for town markets. The municipal statutes and those of the tra...
READ MOREWhile the likes of Matera and Taormina might draw the largest crowds, you shouldn’t overlook Italy’s lesser-known hill towns, ranging from higgledy-piggledy Calcata to savagely beautiful Pietrapertosa. Whether you’re keen to explore lofty castles or verdant Piedmont vineyards, there’s a clifftop enclave to suit every taste — here are some of the be...
READ MORESituated on the eastern slopes of the Apennine Mountains and along the Adriatic coast, the region of Le Marche is known for its beautiful hilly landscape. Despite its rich cultural and scenic beauty, Le Marche remains below the Italian average in terms of population, area, and density, with about 1.48 million inhabitants in 3,743 square miles and a...
READ MOREA technique characteristic of the Marche region, “liccetti” weaving required a traditional loom arranged according to the ancient textile-making process that, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, made it possible to create stylised, patterned borders on fabric. The existence of this procedure in Italian textiles is widely documented in the p...
READ MOREA short wandering outside the historic center of Ascoli Piceno stands the Forte Malatesta, which defended the Castellano river. Right to the west of it is the Cecco Bridge, a Roman work completed during the last period of the Republic. The bridge was bombed by Germans during WWII, and was reconstructed using original materials in 1971. The bridge w...
READ MOREIf Ascoli Piceno is one of Italy’s top hidden treasures (and it is), then little Offida, population just over 5000, has to be one of Italy’s top villages. It is a town of lace makers. It has one of Italy’s finest churches, its interior awash in frescoes dating from the 13th century. Some of Italy’s best and lesser known white wines are grown just o...
READ MORETod’s is an iconic Italian brand synonymous with luxury leather goods, known primarily for its exquisite shoes and handbags. The brand’s origins date back to the early 20th century when Filippo Della Valle, a skilled cobbler, founded a small shoe workshop in the Marche region of Italy. The true transformation of Tod’s into a global luxury brand oc...
READ MOREAs the name says, a "house museum" is a habitation or palazzo that has been transformed into a museum. It could have been the abode of illustrious gentlemen, or of common citizens, site of familiar intimacy or a center of power: that which renders a house museum exceptional is its capacity to re-enact or represent the life that was, the traditions...
READ MORE"I have cried three times in my life: when they booed my first opera, when I heard Paganini play, and when a turkey stuffed with truffles fell into the water during a boat trip." It is said that it was Gioacchino Rossini who uttered this phrase, which has entered history. The celebrated composer, to whom some of Italy's most popular operas, from Il...
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