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...

Once again, Venice’s acqua alta is all over the news. Rising water levels in Piazza San Marco disrupt daily life for locals – and throw a wrench in visitors’ carefully planned itineraries. So what can you do when flooding inundates the Floating City First, it helps to have a solid understanding of why Venice floods – and how the impact of flooding...

The gloomy landscape of the Venetian lagoon has often surprised those who associate it with Venice and nothing else. “This damp expanse, speckled with islets, clogged with mud-banks and half-drowned fields…a place of beautiful desolation,” wrote Jan Morris. Perhaps that was an incentive of sorts to make the houses so colorful, the palaces so grand...

Europe is flush with tourists and tourism, so finding a great destination without crowds is difficult. To minimize the overflow problem, this shoulder season is the best time to visit one of my favorite Italian cities, one that offers heart-stirring architecture, swish accommodations, and the real Romeo & Juliet house (sorry, Verona). Vicenza, in t...

Venice will trial a ticketing system from spring next year, with day visitors charged €5 to enter the Italian city’s historic centre in an attempt to reduce tourist numbers. The city’s council executive backed the move on Tuesday, just weeks after Unesco recommended Venice be added to its list of world heritage sites in danger, in part due to the i...

In Italy there are several Literary Parks dedicated to famous authors and literary works known all over the world, itineraries that start from literature and skillfully intertwine with history, music and traditions of a territory. Literary parks are a good opportunity to experience cultural tourism, giving places a rich and different added value. L...

Surely you've heard of Venice — gondolas swimming about narrow canals, jaw-dropping Renaissance palaces, and unforgettable beauty literally everywhere you turn your head. Venice is a place to behold. But have you heard of Murano? Once a humble fishing port, Murano is a chain of seven islands linked by bridges with about 5,000 residents, just a mile...

Imagine a place where beauty is not just a concept, but a thriving industry where innovation and entrepreneurial spirit lead the way. Welcome to the Beauty Valley, a lesser-known powerhouse of Made in Italy, nestled between the regions of Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, and Veneto. This vibrant hub is the pulsating heart of Italy’s cosmetics industry, ac...

Three years ago, in August 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic in Europe, as we were all getting used to words like "social distancing" or the "R" reproduction rate, the Venice Film Festival defied the odds and held an in-person celebration of cinema. It was an odd affair — temperature checks outside hotels, masking in the screening rooms — b...

Did you know that one of the most haunted spots in Italy is located in Venice? Poveglia Island, consisting of three small islands, is exactly that. When it comes to this island, it’s a little hard to tell what is true and what is made up, as many suspicions and tales surround the island (mainly due to its previous uses). Poveglia comprises a set of...