Well Heeled: Puglia has an old soul, now it’s getting fresh polish

I first encountered Pugliese hospitality years ago while working as a journalist in Milan, where I had the great fortune to befriend a gaggle of twentysomething Apulians. They plied me with pasta, wine and conversation, inviting me to visit their native region on the heel of Italy’s boot. The area was still fairly sleepy in … Read more

Orient Express expands with new Italian route to Amalfi Coast

For US travelers whose most upscale train experience might be the Acela or the Rocky Mountaineer, it’s hard to imagine the elegance of a leisurely ride through the European countryside on Belmond’s Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, which has just launched a new route from Paris to Amalfi. The voyage whisks passengers through the French and Italian Rivieras, … Read more

‘Still in shock’: Tourist appalled at server’s disgusting note on breakfast bill after making a simple request

Not the kind of “secrete” ingredient she was looking for. A Brazilian tourist in Italy was shocked and appalled after waitstaff at a restaurant instructed the chef to “spit” in her food as an alleged goof. “I’m still in shock, I can’t believe this happened to me,” victim Maria Clara told local media. The receipt … Read more

‘Embarrassing’ American tourists break hallowed local custom at Italian hotspot

A U.S. couple made a serious — and fineable — faux pas in the Floating City. NYC-based dietician Julia Latoff and her boyfriend Mike were on vacation in Venice, Italy when they decided to work off some of the pasta they’d been eating with a long jog around town. “Both of us are runners, and … Read more

Viral Italian spritz cocktail — no, not Aperol — makes a summer splash in the US

Sarti Rosa is making a splash with its United States debut. The new spirit in town, previously only available in Europe, is officially hitting liquor stores across the country – and it’s become a viral sensation. The aperitif hails from Italy and was developed by Casa Luigi Sarti & Figli, a historic distillery established in Bologna in … Read more

Inside Italy’s $405M cheese vaults as system that uses Parmesan as loan collateral in danger from environmental threat

Italians have long been able to secure loans with wheels of Parmesan — but the vaults where banks store AUD $572 million (approx. $405 million USD) worth of cheese are under strain. The system dates back to the 1950s and is tailored to the unique cashflow needs of Italian dairy farmers. One Australian economist calls … Read more

Exclusive | NYC is Italian ice country — and these five legends are steamy summer’s frozen chosen

Exclusive | NYC is Italian ice country — and these five legends are steamy summer’s frozen chosen

Ice, ice, baby. Every New Yorker has an Italian ice hill they’re willing to die on — forget pizza, bagels or chopped cheese. When the mercury hits 90 degrees, loyalties turn frozen. The rivalry isn’t just about dessert. It’s about neighborhood pride. Italian ice — inspired by Sicily’s granita and brought to America by Italian immigrants … Read more

DNA cracks centuries-old murder mystery involving one of history’s most famous families

DNA cracks centuries-old murder mystery involving one of history’s most famous families

Researchers at Yale University believe they’ve solved a centuries-old mystery over how a member of one of Italy’s most famous families died. In a study published in the journal iScience, researchers analyzed ancient DNA from Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici, the Renaissance ruler of Tuscany, who died suddenly in 1587. Francesco I de’ Medici and his wife, Bianca … Read more

Dolomites in chaos as long lines of tourists clamor to snap selfies at popular historic site

Dolomites in chaos as long lines of tourists clamor to snap selfies at popular historic site

The breathtaking Italian Dolomites have become the latest victim of overtourism, with hundreds of visitors cramming onto mountain trails and waiting in snaking lines just to snap the same picture. One video shared on Instagram shows a seemingly endless single-file line winding through the mountains as tourists wait for their chance to reach the Tre … Read more

Italian hotspot issues hefty fines for scantily clad tourists with bare chests, swimwear

Italian hotspot issues hefty fines for scantily clad tourists with bare chests, swimwear

Aussies heading to this popular Italian hotspot have been warned not to break this shirtless and bikini rule — or they’ll cop a hefty fine. Varenna, a fishing village by Lake Como, is cracking down on tourists who wander the town wearing only their bikinis, and men flaunting their bare chests, fining them between €50 … Read more

Popular European beaches are now charging visitors for a spot on the sand amid overcrowding

Popular European beaches are now charging visitors for a spot on the sand amid overcrowding

In the wake of record crowds flocking to top European destinations, many sites are implementing fees and visitor limits. Among the countries leading in the use of cash and caps for crowd control is Italy. In Sardinia, several swaths of sand require booking and a small fee. La Pelosa, one of the most photographed beaches … Read more

Eugenie Bouchard has bikini-filled vacation in Italy after new career takes off at Wimbledon

Eugenie Bouchard has bikini-filled vacation in Italy after new career takes off at Wimbledon

Eugenie Bouchard treated herself to some fun in Italy after taking a massive step in her post-tennis career. The former star player posted a pair of bikini-filled Instagram collages after serving as an announcer at Wimbledon less than a year after her final match. Her first post, captioned “never say to como” in reference to … Read more

Groom spends $24K to zipline into wedding like James Bond

Groom spends K to zipline into wedding like James Bond

A groom spent $24,000 to zipline into his wedding ceremony in full James Bond style. Maciej Mazurek, 30, married Ola Novak, 31, in Perugia, Italy on July 2, but not before he entered the ceremony with a daring stunt. Maciej, a big James Bond fan, decided to zipline into the ceremony from the top floor … Read more

Landry Shamet confirms engagement to longtime girlfriend during dreamy Italy vacation

Landry Shamet confirms engagement to longtime girlfriend during dreamy Italy vacation

NBA champion Landry Shamet is having the summer of a lifetime. The Knicks shooting guard and girlfriend Cameron Aimonetti, a real estate agent, announced their engagement with two joint posts on Instagram on Tuesday. Shamet popped the question on a boat trip in Lake Como, Italy. The post revealing the engagement featured a carousel of … Read more

Tourist’s Italy dream vacation takes nightmare turn after she’s kidnapped twice in one day

Tourist’s Italy dream vacation takes nightmare turn after she’s kidnapped twice in one day

An Aussie traveler has revealed how her trip to Italy became a nightmare when she was allegedly kidnapped twice within hours by two different men. Stephanie, an executive from Melbourne, visited Europe with friends last October. When her friends flew out, the 36-year-old stayed behind. She’s known for sharing DIY home renovation videos on social media … Read more

What really happens when a language dies

What really happens when a language dies

Sophia Smith Galer first understood language loss as a sound coming from upstairs. Her 93-year-old nonna was in bed in north London, speaking al dialët, the family’s regional language from northern Italy, with Galer’s mother. Galer could understand much of it, but she couldn’t answer in it. “I remember going home afterwards and feeling real … Read more

Italy puts ancient Etruscan tomb paintings worth millions on display in latest cultural acquisition

Italy puts ancient Etruscan tomb paintings worth millions on display in latest cultural acquisition

Italy on Tuesday put on display one of the best known examples of Etruscan painting, panels from a tomb that it acquired for $17 million in the Culture Ministry’s buying spree of big-ticket pieces of the country’s cultural heritage. The ministry announced in May that it had acquired the fresco panels, dating from the 4th century, from … Read more

Beach brawl ensues as women refuse to leave men’s side of gender-segregated beach: ‘Sexist oafs’

Beach brawl ensues as women refuse to leave men’s side of gender-segregated beach: ‘Sexist oafs’

There’s beef over a beach privacy breach.  A brawl broke loose on Italy’s longstanding gender-segregated beach, Bagno Marino La Lanterna, known locally as Pedocin, this weekend, after a ballsy bombshell broke the abiding rule and joined her boyfriend on the boys-only side of the seashore.  “You’re living in the Middle Ages,” the unnamed lady-rebel reportedly … Read more

Mystery behind Botticelli’s Birth of Venus side-eye solved — and the reason is heartbreaking

Mystery behind Botticelli’s Birth of Venus side-eye solved — and the reason is heartbreaking

For more than 500 years, Venus’ sideways glance has sparked endless debate. Now, scientists believe Sandro Botticelli wasn’t taking artistic license at all in his iconic “Birth of Venus” painting. The legendary artist may have faithfully painted the subtle signs of the devastating illness that killed his muse decades before modern medicine could explain it. … Read more