Published on Thursday, July 4, 2019 by Kathy McCabe A replica of the south door of the Baptistery at Florence’s Duomo was unveiled and blessed by Cardinal Giuseppe Betori on June 24, the feast day of John the Baptist, patron saint of Florence. For conservation purposes, the replica has replaced the 700-year-old original, which is currently undergoing restoration at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence. The...

Published on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 by Kathy McCabe A joint 2026 Winter Olympics bid by the cities of Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo won the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) vote to host Italy’s third edition of the event, beating the other finalist, Sweden, by a margin of 47 to 34 votes. Italy previously hosted the Winter Olympics in Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1956 and in Torino in 2006. The 2026 Winter Olympics...

Published on Sunday, June 16, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Modern technology gives us a closer look at 400 years of Bologna’s history held in the Sala Urbana of the Palazzo d’Accursio. Thanks to a new website, it is possible to discover the wonders of the intricately painted walls and ceilings from your own computer or from computers within the sala. The online portal gives particular insight to the time period in which B...

Published on Thursday, June 6, 2019 by Kathy McCabe In a 10th-century castle in northwest Italy’s Piedmont region, wine enthusiasts can get a taste of the area’s incredibly famous wine and its history. The Barolo Wine Museum (WiMu) is dedicated to the historical and cultural significance and evolution of wine consumption across Europe, and was designed by Francois Confino of Switzerland. Exhibits, spread over 2...

Published on Saturday, June 1, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Gucci will pay 1.6 million euros to fund the two-year restoration of Tarpeian Rock in Rome which badly eroded last year. The project, a partnership between Gucci and the Capitoline Superintendency, is called “Tarpeian Rock, Between Legend and Future.” The Tarpeian Rock is located on the Capitoline Hill and overlooks the Roman Forum. The 80-foot cliff was an exe...

Published on Saturday, May 18, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Visitors can approach the Amalfi Coast in different ways to gain different perspectives on the mountainous coastline: by sea, by land and, soon, by soaring through the air on a new 650-meter (2,132-foot, or 0.4-mile) zipline. The zipline is currently being installed in the gorge between the towns of Furore and Conca dei Marini, and will open on May 23. Nicknamed th...

Published on Monday, April 29, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Air Italy has launched service service with direct flights between San Francisco and Milan after taking its inaugural flight to San Francisco on April 10. The 12-hour nonstop flight runs on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sundays and leaves San Francisco Airport (SFO) at 7:10 p.m., arriving in Milan at 4 p.m. the following day. Return flights leave Milan at 1:35 p....

Published on Thursday, April 25, 2019 by Kathy McCabe For the first time, the public can see how Emperor Nero lived in his first private palace, the Domus Transitoria, which opened this month after a 10-year restoration. The palace has been off-limits for centuries, since it burned down in the Great Fire of Rome. After a fire destroyed the Domus Transitoria (Transit House) and much of Rome in July of 64 AD, Emperor Ne...

Published on Friday, April 19, 2019 by Kathy McCabe This summer, travelers seeking nonstop flights to off-the-beaten-path destinations in Italy have one more option. American Airlines will fly nonstop from Philadelphia Airport (PHL) to Bologna four times a week from June 6 to Sept. 29, 2019 on Boeing 767 planes. With the new route, Philadelphia is the only airport in North America to fly directly to Bologna, which m...

Published on Thursday, April 11, 2019 by Kathy McCabe If you’ve ever fantasized about owning your own private Italian island, and if you have extra pocket money to spend, this may be the opportunity for you. Isola delle Femmine, a small island off Sicily’s northern coast near Palermo, could be yours for as little as €1 million. An aristocratic family, which has owned the island since the 1600s, is selling it becaus...