Published on Wednesday, January 22, 2020 by Kathy McCabe A researcher at Scotland’s University of St. Andrews has found the oldest known city drawing of Venice, a sketch from the 14th century. The scholar, Dr. Sandra Toffolo, specializes in Venetian Renaissance history and was conducting research at the National Central Library of Florence when she stumbled upon the drawing in May 2019. The drawing is by Niccolò da Po...

Published on Saturday, January 18, 2020 by Kathy McCabe Pejo 3000, a ski resort in the Dolomites, is taking steps to become the first plastic-free ski resort in Europe by discontinuing items that produce large amounts of microplastics. From the start of this season in December, the resort has banned plastic bags, bottles, utensils, straws, cups, dishes and condiment packets. Pejo 3000 hosted 137,000 skiers last year on ...

Published on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 by Kathy McCabe Many of Rome’s cobblestoned streets will soon be revamped and paved with asphalt to make the roads more friendly to drivers. On 68 streets in the historic center, cobblestones will be removed and relocated to 113 pedestrian streets. Work to remove the sampietrini, as the basalt cobblestones are called, will begin this month with Via IV Novembre, followed b...

Published on Saturday, January 4, 2020 by Kathy McCabe Piobbico, a beautiful medieval village in central Italy, has celebrated an unusual trait for 140 years: It is the home of the Club dei Brutti (The Ugly Club), known for the ugliness of its residents. The club’s motto is “A person is what he is and not what he looks like.” Piobbico, population 2,000, lies in a valley between the Adriatic Sea and the Apenni...

Published on Monday, December 30, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Newly excavated thermal baths have opened to the public in Pompeii, allowing visitors to see the ruins of what was supposed to be a main attraction in the city. Construction began on the Pompeii Central Baths before the fateful Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 A.D., but was never completed. The baths were being built to replace the city’s old bathhouse, whose rooms ...

Published on Thursday, December 26, 2019 by Kathy McCabe For now, the gardens at Milan’s Villa Belgiojoso Bonaparte are open only to adults accompanied by children – but that may change, as the city mulls whether to make the gardens accessible to all. Since July, Milan City Councilor Filippo Del Corno has been pushing to allow adults without children into the gardens as well. Tucked away behind a secret door at the 1...

Published on Friday, December 20, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Two Italian medical history museums – the Museo delle Arti Sanitarie in Naples (39-081-440647; Via Luciano Armanni 1; www.museoartisanitarie.it) and the Museo Storico Nazionale dell’Arte Sanitaria in Rome (39-06-6833262; Lungotevere in Sassia 4, Ospedale Santo Spirito) – are collaborating to enhance their respective collections and educate the public about Italy...

Published on Monday, December 16, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Michelangelo’s Pietà dell’Opera del Duomo is undergoing restoration at the Opera del Duomo museum in Florence. The sculpture is also known as The Deposition, the Bandini Pietà or The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, and is known for an incident in which Michelangelo became frustrated with the piece and tried to destroy it. The restoration began in Novembe...

Published on Thursday, December 12, 2019 by Kathy McCabe The city of Turin is upgrading its transportation both now and in the future, with two significant projects in development at the airport and in the city’s railways. First, Turin Airport has renovated its upper-level departures area, adding a new food court, digital signage and edutainment exhibits in a space measuring 2,100 square meters (about 22,600 square fee...

Published on Wednesday, December 4, 2019 by Kathy McCabe On Tuesday, Italy encouraged its parliament to nominate espresso for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status. The bid was put forth by the Consortium for the Safeguarding of Traditional Italian Espresso Coffee. The tiny cups of undiluted black coffee topped with tan foam are the country’s lifeblood, traditionally drank standing up at bars and cafés throughout...