San Gimignano is a city of towers. Fourteen in total these days (although at one point there were as many as 72!).
Back when companies cared about their workers…
The old Italian company town of Crespi d’Adda reveals a time in history when employees cared about the welfare of their workers and families.
Choc full of it
The Perugina chocolate factory Who knew that making chocolate would be so filthy! It’s only when I look down to see my hands covered, my shoes with drips on them and my apron smeared with brown traces of fingers, that I realise there is no clean way to do this. I’m having a chocolate-making lesson […]
How to spend a day in historic Naples
The historic centre of Naples is a World Heritage Site and you’ll see why if you can avoid the chaos and find the grandeur.
Look beyond the surface
In some ways, Naples was what I expected – dirty and chaotic. But, in this story, I’ll tell you why I still came to love this Italian city.
Where the water turned red from blood
Hannibal’s great victory at Lake Trasimeno On the land I’m standing on in rural Italy, tens of thousands of people were once killed. Of such a scale was the slaughter that the waters of the nearby lake were reportedly turned red for days. Even as the blood was still flowing, the battle here at Lake […]
My Italian Kitchen Rules
The Italian restaurant food challenge Move over Masterchef, Iron Chef and My Kitchen Rules. There’s a new cooking competition in town and it’s happening right in front of my eyes. Two great chefs, pitted against each other, are battling for my stomach. Two appetizers, two entrees, two mains and two desserts. At the end of […]
The queens of cashmere
Brunello Cucinelli cashmere factory Inside an ancient castle, high in the hills of the Italian region of Umbria, a small army of women hold court. The lands around the castle no longer belong to the royalty but these women are queens of their domain. They are the cashmere makers of Brunello Cucinelli and they take […]
The green heart of Italy
Agritourism in Italy For the Italians, it’s no secret. In the past five years they have embraced a new way to see their country. It’s about getting closer to nature, closer to tradition and closer to peace of mind. For foreigners, it’s a mystery. But there’s only one thing stopping them from having the same […]