Tuscany’s gorgeous countryside Tuscany, named after the Etruscans, the forerunners of the Romans, with its spectacular hill towns and scenery, is one of Italy’s top vacation destinations. Tuscany‘s attractions include historic cities and art, lush…
Roman houses for wealthy people built in the times of the Republic and the Empire. Popular locations included on the lakes of Northern Italy, in the hills to the East of Rome, on the bay…
Su Nuraxi di Barumini located on the island of Sardinia, is one of the world’s most fascinating archaeological sites, a window into an ancient and uniquely advanced Bronze Age civilisation.
Matera, Italy The ancient town of Matera, Basilicata. The ancient city of Matera, in southern Italy, is among the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, a place of primordial beauty, where cave houses are carved directly…
Bari, Italy Aerial view of Bari, Italy. While travel guides and blogs have begun to tout Apulia as Italy’s ‘newest hotspot’ (Vogue Australia), the province’s capital, Bari, has been unfairly neglected. But we think this…
Apulia, Italy The iconic trulli of Alberobello. The heel of Italy’s boot, the region of Apulia (Italian: Puglia) is slowly taking its place among Italy’s major destinations. With a wealth of historic towns, beautiful scenery…
Aeolian Islands, Italy Panarea Expansive blue seas, white sands, and volcanic mudbaths: the Aeolian Islands are among the best of Italy’s beach paradises. But unlike their busier rivals, the Aeolians are an ideal place to…
Messina, Italy Messina cityscape. Only a few kilometres from the Italian mainland, the city of Messina has long been the gateway to Sicily, a fascinating historical centre with a Belle Epoque twist. The city of…
Escorted small group tours for mature and senior travellers to Italy. Designed for couples and solo travellers who like to explore and enjoy learning as they travel to Rome, Florence, Genoa, Venice, Naples, Sicily or Lake Garda and beyond.
Palermo, Sicily Palermo Cathedral mixes Arab and Norman styles, a testament to Sicily’s multicultural history. The capital of Sicily and the island’s chaotic heart, Palermo is where civilisations – Arab, Norman, Italian – collide. Palermo…
Agrigento, Italy Temple of Castor and Pollux, Agrigento. The city of Agrigento (Greek: Akragas) has been a hub of people and trade for over 2, 500 years. As Akragas it was among the greatest cities of…
Noto, Italy Palazzo Ducezio and the Basilica Minore di San Nicolò, Noto. Long off the tourist trail, the city of Noto – capital of Sicilian baroque – is one of the most beautiful cities in…
The House of Medici was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that de facto ruled the city of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance.
Sicily, Italy An autonomous region of Italy, Sicily is a world apart: an ancient and rugged island shaped by successive waves of civilisation. Long the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Sicily is surprisingly untouched by modernity,…
Southern Italy: from Magna Graecia to Italian Unification When you ask people about Italy, more often than not one of the first places they mention is the capital city, Rome, or the submerged streets of…
Florence or Firenze, article provides an overview of the history from inception from the Romans to Mussolini with plenty of the Renaissance covered. Includes a list of Museums and places to see in Tuscany. Background material for a small group package tour to Italy or long stay in Florence.
In this article, we will look at the history of Genoa, and its rivalry with Venice that led to several wars fought between the two city-states in the 12th to 14th centuries.
Venetian Maps and How they Ruled the World ‘Venice was always a frontier,’ Peter Ackroyd (2009) declares in Venice: Pure City. ‘When the empire was divided in the time of Charlemagne, the lagoons of Venice…
Searching for Caravaggio’s Nativity The hunt for Caravaggio’s stolen painting of the nativity scene may just be the most high-profile art crime of the 20th century. One stormy night in October 1969, an altarpiece painted…
Filippo Brunelleschi. We will look at who he was and how he came to win the competition to design the dome for Florence’s cathedral.
The Sicilians and their Kings While popular images of Sicily might focus on the active volcano, Mount Etna, or the poverty that led to the mass migration of Sicilians to America, forming today’s communities of…