Centuries before the rise of the Roman Republic, a different culture dominated the Italian Peninsula: The Etruscans, a sophisticated civilization whose heartland was in and around modern-day Tuscany, and who have posed an enduring puzzle.
Sebastian, Christianity's Sexiest Saint
The Edible Landscape of Montemigiano
Almost every plant at Montemigiano has been purposefully cultivated for hundreds of years. According to Angelo, the Italian patriarch of the town, the pool terrace was once a magnificent vegetable garden, and lavender and rosemary bushes still form aromatic hedges. An abundance of trees provide precious shade, producing cherries, pomegranates, figs, chestnuts, and olives. This seasonal cornucopia has sustained generations of families, and when the rains are favorable, it is as beautiful as it is bountiful.
Our Bathroom was a Crypt
How, you ask, does one acquire a former crypt converted into a bathroom? In the 1980s, the Italian government sold old abandoned houses and castles in the Umbrian countryside to foreign investors for pennies, and my dad and some friends bought a medieval castle called Borgo di Montemigiano. After several years of painstaking renovations, it was converted into seven different houses.
Archaeologist says tunnel found under Egyptian temple could lead to Cleopatra's tomb
A 4,281 foot long tunnel discovered about 43 feet under the Egyptian desert is being called an "engineering miracle," but is also believed to be inching archeologists even closer to finding the lost tomb of Cleopatra.
An archaeologist from the University of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic has devoted nearly 20 years of her career to finding the queen's lost tomb.
‘Exceptional’ trove of 24 ancient statues found immersed in Tuscan spa
An “exceptional” trove of bronze statues preserved for thousands of years by mud and boiling water have been discovered in a network of baths built by the Etruscans in Tuscany.
The 24 partly submerged statues, which date back 2,300 years and have been hailed as the most significant find of their kind in 50 years, include a sleeping ephebe lying next to Hygeia, the goddess of health, with a snake wrapped around her arm.
Truffle Hunters
THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS follows a handful of men, seventy to eighty years young, in Piedmont, Italy, on the search for the elusive Alba truffle. They’re guided by a secret culture passed down through generations, as well as by the noses of their cherished and expertly trained dogs. The documentary subtly explores the devastating effects of climate change and deforestation on an age-old tradition through a visually stunning narrative that celebrates life and exalts the human spirit.
Parmigiano takes a hit as Trump's Italian cheese tariffs kick in
Furious Italian cheesemakers have hit out as US tariffs of 25 percent were added to exports of cheeses including Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, Grana Padano and Gorgonzola.
The additional tariffs, which kicked in on Friday, were added to a long list of EU goods by American President Donald Trump as a bitter US-EU dispute over aircraft subsidies rolls on.
The measures are expected to cause a 20 percent drop in sales of agro-food products to the US, Italian agricultural association Coldiretti said.
These Italian towns in Molise will pay you $27,000 to move there
(CNN) — When Italian villages began selling houses for $1, it seemed too good to be true. But the latest offer from Italy is enough to make even that deal look like a ripoff.
The region of Molise, a wild, beautiful but overlooked area that lies east of Rome, has announced it will pay people more than $27,000 to settle in one of 106 underpopulated villages in an effort to prevent their communities from dying.
Obnoxious behavior could get you banned from Rome
By: FRANCES D'EMILIO , Associated Press
Tourists better be on their best behavior when visiting Italy's capital city now or they could get kicked out for 48 hours.
ROME, Italy — Too much Dolce Vita can get you banned from Rome, where the mayor on Friday ushered in a permanent get-tough approach on boorish behavior by tourists and those Romans who exploit them.
Exasperated by tourists who frolic in Rome's public fountains, vandalize its monuments and treat its landmarks as their own personal living rooms, the city famous for its artistic heritage and easy-going lifestyle has had enough.
Sting, Trudie Styler, and a villa in Italy
For Sting and Styler, it's a summer house for their growing family. But you, too, can stay here – it's available to rent for weddings and birthdays.
Even the honeybees at Il Palagio (where the chestnut groves foster the bees' chestnut honey) are living the high life.
It's all a long way from the couple's working-class roots.
Sting was born Gordon Sumner in a ship-building town in Northern England. One day, in 1961, royalty arrived to christen a ship, and Sting got a glimpse of the outside world.
Capitals Of Classical Antiquity: Understand The Difference Between The 5 Orders
Whether it's to start analyzing a detail or impressing someone in conversation, understanding a classical building begins with an awareness of the different classical orders of architecture. In the historical records of architecture, the first account of the orders was written by Vitruvius: "[...] The orders came to provide a range of architectural expressions, ranging from roughness and firmness to slenderness and delicacy. In true classical design, order choice is a vital issue—it is the choice of tone," [1] which for the author, synthesizes the "architecture grammar." [2]
Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci (Fiumicino) Voted Best Airport in Europe
Italy Magazine
Plagued, as of late, by corruption, mafia, debt, poor infrastructure, a pothole crisis and garbage spilling onto the streets, Rome apparently does have one functioning facility: its airport.
And not just functioning, but even at the top of its game: for the second year in a row, the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport has been nominated the best airport in Europe for the quality of services offered, by ACI (Airport Council International), an international association that measures, through passenger interviews, the quality perceived in 300 airports around the world with more than 40 million passengers annually.
American Exchange Students in Italy Start Fire by Cooking Pasta Without Water
There are cooking failures, and then there are cooking failures so bad that you piss off the entire country of Italy.
According to Italian newspaper La Nazione, three 20-year-olds bought some pasta and took it back to their apartment in Florence, with high hopes for an authentic Italian dinner. But instead of boiling several quarts of water before adding the pasta—you know, step one on every set of back-of-the-box instructions ever—they emptied the dry noodles directly into the pot. (Sigh...)
'Nude Mona Lisa': Art experts think they might have discovered a new Da Vinci
A nude drawing that bears a striking resemblance to the Mona Lisa was done in Leonardo Da Vinci's studio and may be the work of the master himself, a French museum said on Monday.
Experts at the Louvre in Paris, where the world's biggest collection of Leonardo's work is held, have been examining a charcoal drawing known as the Monna Vanna that has long been attributed to the Renaissance painter's studio.
Modern construction in Rome yields ancient discoveries
Work on Rome’s new state-of-the-art subway line near the Colosseum has been plagued by delays, but it’s also unearthed a surprise treasure trove of thousands of artifacts, including a Roman military barracks and an ancient home with more than a dozen rooms featuring frescoes, mosaic floors, and other decorations that are nearly intact. NewsHour Weekend Special correspondent Christopher Livesay reports.
Why Parmesan Cheese is So Expensive
How to spot good quality gelato in Italy - and how to suss out the fakes
Summer in Italy means gelato once a day at the very least, but not all gelato is created equal. To save our readers from a disappointing ice cream experience, The Local has spoken to experts to bring you the best tips for spotting top quality gelato - and how to know when to walk away.
For starters, 'gelato' is not just the Italian word for 'ice cream', whatever your phrase book would have you believe.
To create the authentic Italian gelato, artisans use much less fat in the mixture compared to ice cream, and churn it at a slower speed so that less air gets mixed in.
How Jesus Died: Rare Evidence of Roman Crucifixion Found
The body of a man buried in northern Italy 2,000 years ago shows signs that he died after being nailed to a wooden cross, the method used for the execution of Jesus described in the Christian Bible.
Although crucifixion was a common form of capital punishment for criminals and slaves in ancient Roman times, the new finding is only the second time that direct archaeological evidence of it has been found.
A new study of the skeletal remains of the man, found near Venice in 2007, reveals a lesion and unhealed fracture on one of the heel bones that suggests his feet had been nailed to a cross.
Michelangelo’s former villa is on the market for $9.3M
By Nicole Jewell, Inhabitat
If you’ve been dreaming about living a new life under the Tuscan sun, now you can in Michelangelo’s former villa — currently on the market for $9.3M. The famed artist bought the sprawling 12,916-square-foot home located in Chianti, Italy in 1549, and it remained in the family until 1867. Today, the ten-bedroom manor — which is surrounded by the region’s iconic rolling green hills — was recently renovated to retain the historical character of the property. It even includes a copy of the original deed.