Published on Friday, July 10, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Italian divers recently reached a sunken cargo ship full of roofing tiles off the coast of Sardinia.  The ship and its cargo are 2,000 years old, a Roman find of “great archaeological value,” says the police statement issued to announce the discovery. Not only can the find provide information about ships and their construction, it sheds light on marine logistics,...

Published on Thursday, July 2, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Looking to bring some Italian inspiration to your summer dining or July 4th BBQ or picnic? Do as the Tuscans do and make panzanella salad. Like all Italian cuisine it is fresh, simple and oh so delicious! Panzanella comes from the tradition of cucina povera - the simple dishes of the poor peasants. They wanted a way to utilize day-old bread and panzanella was born! ...

Published on Monday, June 29, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Back in 81 AD, the Roman Emperor would have entered the Circus Maximus in grand style, standing in a chariot steered through the newly constructed Arch of Titus. But until recently, the only records of that structure existed in medieval-era documents; stone that wasn’t pilfered sank beneath the ground and was lost for eight centuries. However, this spring archaeo...

Published on Thursday, June 25, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Fellini. Rossellini. Zeffirelli. Those celebrated names of Italian cinema whose careers flourished at Cinecitta Studios during the post-war 1950s and 1960s may soon find themselves joined by a newer crop. Although the 22-stage facility’s luster dimmed in the 1980s, a 2014 Italian tax rebate of 25% on movie production has lured some big movies and big stars back to C...

Published on Friday, June 12, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Rome’s gladiator barracks, part of the city’s famous Colosseum, may soon be accessible to the public—thanks, in part, to the Kuwaiti government. An ancient tunnel linking those training chambers to the main arena could be restored with funds from a multi-million dollar grant from Kuwait, writes The Telegraph. The Ludus Magnus (Great Training Facility) was the...

Published on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Last week, the exhibit Pompeii and Europe: 1748-1943 opened at the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, in collaboration with the Pompeii archaeological site.  A noteworthy portion of the exhibit will be 86 plaster casts painstakingly restored from the ash-encased human remains recovered from Pompeii in 1863. The 79 A.D. eruption of Mount Vesuvius resulted in...

Published on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 by Kathy McCabe If you’ve ever wished you could travel in a time machine, Duke University researchers are about to grant that wish. At the end of May, the Museo Civica Reggio Emilia will debut an exhibit that allows visitors to see what Reggio Emilia, a town in the region of Emilia-Romagna,  would have looked and felt like 2,000 years ago. That’s right, looked and felt—beca...

Published on Friday, May 15, 2015 by Kathy McCabe The International Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) has once again given Italy the highest number of Blue Flag beaches, bringing Italy's total to 280. The Blue Flag designation means that a beach meets the organization’s high eco-standards for cleanliness and sustainability. FEE Italy President Claudio Mazza says that the constant increase, up from 248...

Published on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Italy and ancient architecture go together like pasta and marinara sauce—but as frequent travelers know, not all ancient architecture in Italy was built by its natives. The ruins at Paestum on the Tyrrhenian Sea were once a major Greek city; now the area’s three beautifully preserved Greek temples provide testament to the place known as “Poseidonia” in the fif...

Published on Tuesday, May 5, 2015 by Kathy McCabe Visitors to Rome's Colosseum will once again be able to walk in the footsteps of the gladiators. Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini announced that he will approve putting the floor back in the iconic amphitheater. "Rebuilding the arena of the Colosseum, taking it back to the way it was until the 19th century, is the best way to protect the monument," Franceschi...