Published on Friday, July 28, 2017 by Kathy McCabe Two new sites in Italy have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, bringing the country’s total number of sites to 53, the most in the world. The two sites are the Venetian works of defense, which stretch across the country’s northeast, and a group of 10 ancient beech tree forests. The Venetian works of defense include historically significant defensiv...

Published on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 by Kathy McCabe At the suggestion of the Italian government, the country’s UNESCO heritage commission plans to propose that the art of making Neapolitan pizza be included on the United Nations’ Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The proposal would officially distinguish Neapolitan pizza from other world-famous styles of pizza such as New York-style and Chicago-style...

Published on Monday, January 9, 2012 by Kathy McCabe If your travels take you to the Italian region of Piedmont, don't miss La Venaria Reale. The former country retreat of the House of Savoy is one of the largest royal palaces in the world. It was built in the 17-th century for Duke Charles Emmanuel II who wanted a hunting lodge outside of Turin. The name "La Venaria Reale" derives from the Latin Venatio Regia meaning "...

Published on Monday, January 2, 2012 by Kathy McCabe One of the most unusual places I have visited in Italy is the city of Matera in the southern region of Basilicata. Matera has a unique landscape made up of sassi, which are ancient cave shelters built into tufa rock. Stacked on top of each other, they almost look like a honeycomb from a distance. The old, weathered look of the sassi and Matera inspired Mel Gibson t...