Palermo is the Italian Capital of Culture for 2018: Founded by the Phoenicians, once belonging to the Roman and Byzantine Empires, ruled by the Arabs, the Normans and the Spanish, capital of the Kingdom of Sicily and the Holy Roman Empire for a short time, Palermo has a real mosaic of history. Today the city […]
About Sarah Humphreys
Carnival Time in Viareggio!
A thought-provoking spectacle of colour, irreverence, satire and entertainment: “Rifiuti da Incubo” which roughly translates as “Nightmare Waste” is supposed to be a comment on the laws that force restaurants to throw away excess food and the taxes and bureaucracy which prevent chefs from being truly creative (photo: Fondazione Carnevale Viareggio) The theatrical splendour of […]
A Night at the Opera – Italian style!
Flamboyant, emotional, dramatic – Italian opera is so unapologetically…Italian! It is surely no coincidence that opera, with its flamboyant, emotional and dramatic style, was born in Italy. Opera is the perfect medium for appreciating the beauty and musicality of the Italian language and there is no shortage of stunning venues where you can take in […]
Liquid Gold – La Raccolta (Olive Harvest) in Tuscany.
It’s Autumn in Tuscany, and time to harvest the olives! It’s autumn in Tuscany and, once again, time to get the nets out and prepare for La Raccolta – the olive harvest. La Raccolta in Tuscany normally takes place between October and December, before the olives fall from the trees, but it is vital to […]
Food, Glorious Food. A quick guide to eating in Italy.
Food, Glorious Food. A quick guide to eating in Italy. Italian food is an institution: read this and don’t let its unwritten rules catch you out!
Siena – The Soul of Tuscany
No trip to Tuscany is complete without seeing Siena, Florence’s historical rival According to legend, the city was founded by Senius and Aschius, the sons of Remus and nephews of Romulus, boys saved from the Tiber river by a she-wolf, who were the main characters of Rome’s foundation myth. Senius and Aschius fled from Rome […]
Piecing together Ravenna’s mosaic of attractions
Is Ravenna the best place to live in Italy? Despite being recently voted “Best Place to Live in Italy” by a leading newspaper Il Sole 24 ore, proud possessor of 8 UNESCO sites, burial place of Dante and home to Byron for a couple of years, Ravenna is strangely neglected by tourists. Distinctive leaning towers, […]
Hidden Tuscany: Pistoia – An Insider’s Perspective.
Local resident Sarah Humphreys gives you the inside story on this Tuscan gem: In the words of Cristina Taddei, local archaeologist and historian, “ Pistoia is one of the few towns in Tuscany that still belongs to the past.” Largely overlooked by tourists, Pistoia is a well-preserved medieval city brimming with artistic treasures, emitting a […]
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