Published on Sunday, June 18, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Restoration teams have given new life to Rome’s largest catacombs using laser technology, and plan to reopen sections of them to the public later this year. The restored part of the Domitilla Catacombs contains 26,250 tombs across four stories and 7.4 miles; the catacombs in their entirety span 11 miles and contain 150,000 bodies, and date from the second to fifth c...

Published on Monday, June 5, 2017 by Kathy McCabe In its latest effort to curtail the crush of tourists that descends upon Venice, the city is considering charging an entry fee to visit St. Mark’s Square. The city will begin by rolling out a system to count the number of visitors in the historic city center at a given point in time and display the numbers on social media in real time, hoping to deter guests from ad...

Published on Thursday, June 1, 2017 by Kathy McCabe A hotel on the banks of Lake Garda has been named the most environmentally friendly hotel in Europe – and with such stunning scenery, it’s no surprise that the hotel would strive to protect its natural surroundings. Travel website TripAdvisor recognized the Lefay Resort and Spa Lago di Garda in Gargnano for its bioarchitecture and commitment to eco-friendly energy...

Published on Monday, April 17, 2017 by Kathy McCabe On June 1, contemporary and modern art museums across Italy will introduce a membership card that allows access to all participating museums. The project, called Contemporaneamente Italia, was announced ahead of the G7 Culture Summit, held in Florence at the end of March. Cards will cost 30€ each, will be sold at the participating museums starting June 1, and will g...

Published on Thursday, April 13, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Italian fashion house Gucci announced that it will donate  2 million euros to beautify and restore the famous Boboli Gardens in Florence. One of the most beautiful parks in Italy, the Boboli Gardens inspired other elegant European green spaces such as those at the Palace of Versailles in Paris. Laid out in a formal Renaissance style, the Boboli Gardens contain a l...

Published on Sunday, March 12, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Taormina, Sicily will host the G7 Summit in May, an annual meeting of seven of the world’s largest industrialized democracies, called the Group of Seven (G7). The group discusses issues such as global economics and trade, foreign policy, humanitarian issues, health, development and climate change. This year, the leaders of all seven countries including U.S. Pres...

Published on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 by Kathy McCabe With a grant from an Italian telecommunications company, restoration work on the Mausoleum of Augustus is finally set to begin. The mausoleum, built for Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, is more than 2,000 years old and has been showing its age due to neglect that has allowed it to become overgrown by grass and trees in recent decades. Among Augustus and other prom...

Published on Saturday, February 4, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Drawing inspiration from accommodations in Tokyo, Italy’s first capsule hotel opened in January in the Naples Capodichino Airport. Bed and Boarding, or “BenBo” for short, is open 24 hours every day and allows travelers to get nine hours of rest at night (11 p.m. to 8 a.m.) for 25€, or take a one-hour nap before a flight for 8€ (the second hour is 7€ and ...

Published on Thursday, January 19, 2017 by Kathy McCabe The Italian region of Lombardy has been chosen as one of the 2017 European Regions of Gastronomy, which aims to “showcase the gastronomic creativity, identity and dynamism of Europe’s regions” and to promote the integration between food, culture, creativity and tourism. The four cities in eastern Lombardy represented in the designation are Bergamo, Brescia, Crem...

Published on Sunday, January 15, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Following several powerful earthquakes in 2016, Italian art experts and scientists are concerning themselves with how to protect Florence’s treasured artwork, particularly Michelangelo’s David. While scientists, engineers, and art historians have studied David’s vulnerability for years, the issue is coming back into focus due to growing fears that it and other i...