Published on Friday, March 9, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Giotto’s painting Madonna di San Giorgio alla Costa hasn’t been on public display in 25 years, until now, as it has moved to the Opera del Duomo Museum in the Duomo Cathedral complex in Florence. The tempera and gold painting depicts the Madonna as a queen, holding the Christ Child, with two angels and is considered one of the most representative paintings of the...

Published on Saturday, February 17, 2018 by Kathy McCabe The short film Destination Florence is now playing at the Cinema La Compagnia (Via Cavour 50/r) every day at 6 p.m. The 25-minute movie, set at nightfall in Florence, shows a different and intimate side of Florence with stunning imagery. Churches, towers, piazzas, streets, paintings and sculptures are featured – including lesser-known landmarks – inspiring view...

Published on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Venice is gearing up to celebrate Tintoretto’s 500th birthday all year, with the main event on Sept. 7. The painter, whose real name was Jacopo Robusti, was born in Venice in 1518, though his exact birthdate is unknown. The months-long celebration will include special events around the city in honor of the artist and his paintings, which can be seen in several Venet...

Published on Monday, January 29, 2018 by Kathy McCabe Gucci recently opened Gucci Garden, an experiential retail space in Florence dedicated to promoting the brand and its history. The concept is located in a 14th-century palazzo and comprises three floors. On the ground floor is a boutique with items exclusive to Gucci Garden – including clothes and their tags and packaging – alongside books, magazines, souvenirs...

Published on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 by Kathy McCabe After 71 years of retaining unofficial status, the Italian senate has legally adopted the Italian national anthem as the national song. Officially called Il Canto degli Italiani, the song is colloquially known as L’Inno di Mameli (Mameli’s Hymn) after its writer, or Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy) after its opening line. Italy’s government provision...

Published on Monday, December 11, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Rome’s popular 13th emperor is getting a new exhibit detailing his life and legacy, in time for the 1900th anniversary of his death. Trajan, who ruled the Roman Empire from 98 to 117 A.D., was referred to as the optimus princeps (the best ruler) by the senate at the time. He is most known for his military victories in the expansion of the Roman Empire to its largest...

Published on Wednesday, November 15, 2017 by Kathy McCabe The next time you toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain in Rome, you could be unwittingly making a donation to the Roman government. Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi has announced that the coins, which can add up to more than 100 million euros!! per year, will now be used to fund city projects, which will be decided upon by a city hall working group. Since 2006, the money has ...

Published on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 by Kathy McCabe The oldest known evidence of a wine production center, now confirmed to be 6,000 years old, has been found in a cave in Sicily by a group of researchers from the University of South Florida. The cave contained large terracotta jugs thought to be used as wine vessels. It proves that wine making existed in Italy three millennia before 1200 BC, which was previously belie...

Published on Friday, September 29, 2017 by Kathy McCabe The best gelato flavor in the world is pistachio made by Gelateria Crispini in Spoleto, Umbria, according to a panel of judges in the Gelato World Tour. Gelato maker Alessandro Crispini concocted the winning flavor, made from three kinds of Sicilian pistachios roasted for 24 hours. Judges from the Gelato World Tour spent three years searching the globe for the bes...

Published on Monday, September 11, 2017 by Kathy McCabe This weekend, the abandoned Italian town of Consonno hosted the eighth annual Nascondino World Championship, a hide-and-seek event of epic proportions and the world’s only event of its kind. Eighty teams of five players each from around the world gathered to compete for the title, camp in the valley, and listen to live music. The hide-and-seek event is played ove...