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The origin of the gondola is shrouded in mystery, but historians have traced records back to 1094, when Doge Vitale Faliero mentioned a Gondolum in a letter to the people. To prevent a revolt, he gifted the people gondola-like boats to help ease their travels within the town. The first visual depiction of a gondola was brought to the fore during th...

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In the age of the Baroque, the archbishop of Milan Federico Borromeo (1564-1631) would send burly yet educated men to sea on a hunt for manuscripts.  Cardinal Federico was a younger cousin of the zealous prelate Carlo Borromeo, the eventual guardian saint against the plague who played an important role in the Counter-Reformation. They both belonged...

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A man in uniform, whom the volcano's ferocity had thrown to the ground and killed in a few seconds, his face thrust into the sand, his arms bent forward seeking support. New excavations are set to begin at Herculaneum in the next few weeks, and archaeologists have returned to the ancient beach to complete searches which started 40 years ago, in the...

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It's a sunny February day in Liguria, the region along the Mediterranean between Tuscany and France. Its midpoint is Genoa, the capital city – the section that runs west from there to France is known as the Riveria Ponente, while the part that runs east to Tuscany is known as the Riveria Levante.  Liguria is a spectacular place, known for great eat...

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Italy has just reopened to American tourists who can now visit the country without the need to quarantine on arrival so long as they fly on special ‘COVID-tested’ flights to Rome, Milan, Venice or Naples. The new relaxed travel rules apply to all American’s, regardless of vaccination status. Oh, and American Airlines wants you to know that it’s not...

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The Tarot Garden, or Giardino dei Tarocchi, is a sculpture park containing 22 monumental sculptures based on the esoteric tarot, created by the French artist Niki de Saint Phalle, at Pescia Fiorentina, in the Capalbio area of southern Tuscany. Located about 100 km north-west of Rome near the coast, the garden is sited over Etruscan ruins, its giant...

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Once upon a time, in medieval England, there was a story which told that the one who would have managed to extract the legendary Excalibur would have become king. Actually, someone tried. And we’re not talking about King Arthur, but a normal tourist who, visiting the Hermitage of Montesiepi in Tuscany, attempted the arduous feat (without success an...

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Updated May, 16, 2021: With the EU preparing to let qualified visitors from outside the bloc visit for leisure travel, as reported in The New York Times, and Italy announcing a “green pass” to roll out starting in mid-May (travelers from the U.S. should get the go-ahead in June, according to The Local, although American holiday visitors may enter I...

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Treviso, city of water that rises "where the Sile and the Cagnan meet", as recalled in the famous verse of the Divine Comedy, captivates visitors with its great charm. Despite the fact that this city is one of the less common destinations, we can assure that Treviso is one of the most fascinating places in Veneto. Let's discover together the 10 mus...

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EUR (which is the acronym of Esposizione Universale di Roma, meaning Rome’s Universal Exposition) is a metaphysical district of Rome that dates back to the Fascist era. The original project was inspired by Fascist ideology and by the classical Roman urban planning, adding the elements of Italian Rationalism. The layout of the EUR district includes...

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