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“La dolce vita” translates into “the sweet life” in Italian, and if you are thinking of retiring soon, you might want to set your sights on the nation that is known for pasta, wine, culture, scenery and so much more. But with all Italy has to offer, perhaps it is out of your price range, especially if you are going to be on a fixed budget once you...

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Many cities and countries have banned texting while driving, but comparatively little’s been done about texting and strolling — and the very real risk of stumbling into oncoming traffic. Padova, however, is rolling out an experiment designed to educate phone-glued pedestrians.  Under the guidance of local company La Semaforica, the city recently in...

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Padua’s gold work tradition originated in the Middle Ages. The first statute of its goldsmiths’ guild dates back to 1454 and consists of a collection of rules governing the fraternity, the organisation of the workshops, hallmarking procedures and product quality standards. The fifteenth century saw a large influx of master goldsmiths to Padua from...

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Aristea Angelakis had the chance to make—and, more important, eat—authentic buffalo milk ricotta cheese this summer on an Italian estate and working farm. After her cheesemonger experience, Angelakis (Sargent’25) and her classmates finished their day with a Prosecco tasting and lunch under the estate’s pergola, which looks out to the mountains of T...

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It would be easier to list what Italy doesn’t have (Domino’s and afternoon cappucinos) than to list everything this iconic country has to offer. Some visitors come for the spectacular food and wine; others for the history, the romance, or the breathtaking coastlines.  It’s no surprise that travelers today are flocking to Italy at 70% higher rates t...

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The masterpieces of Giotto and the pictorial cycles of the fourteenth century.  Walking through the center of Padua you can see some of the greatest Italian masterpieces.   Urbs picta identifies it as a painted city, and in the summer of 2021 Padova Urbs Picta became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. These are eight sites in the Venetian city...

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The first heart transplant from an organ that had ceased all electrical activity for 20 minutes was performed in the Hospital of Padua. It had happened in the past that transplants had been performed with hearts that had been 'stopped' for only a few minutes. But Italian law, in such cases, prescribes that cadaver harvesting can only take place whe...

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Italia has many fascinating regional coffee drinks and traditions. Let’s begin at the top of the boot and explore a few. In the Italian northwest Aosta Valley near France and Switzerland, one can enjoy a Caffè alla Valdostana.  This popular coffee drink includes sugar, lemon peel, cloves, cinnamon and juniper.  Traditionally drank from a wooden cup...

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Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel is, without a doubt, an artistic masterpiece. Built on the dime and ambition of a powerful usurer, Enrico Scrovegni, the Chapel was adorned with the frescoes of Giotto, who dedicated himself to the project for 855 days between the years 1302 and 1305. Purposed as the Scrovegni Family’s personal chapel and to be annexed to i...

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Franco Rubini put his hands over his ears in order to describe his experience at Sunday’s NASCAR event in Richmond. “Very loud!” he said. “Good people watching.” Rubini, a photographer from Este, a northern Italian town that is one of Fredericksburg’s sister cities, is spending most of April in the Fredericksburg area hoping to experience and captu...

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