News
Here you will find the latest headlines about Italy, particularly news related to travel and tourism in the country. I would love to have the discipline to update this daily. Instead, I only get around to highlighting this story or that one. To supplement the Italy news you learn from these posts, check out my go-to sources Corriere della Sera (in Italian) and, in English, The Local Italy.
True Crime in Tuscany: The Monster of Florence
The Monster of Florence is a true crime tale about a serial killer who terrorized the Tuscan hills around Florence for almost 20 years.
Abruzzo’s Beffi Triptych
The Beffi Triptych spends time in the U.S. following the devastating earthquake in Abruzzo.
Rumblings in the Wine World: The Brunello di Montalcino Wine Scandal
It has been a little under two weeks since Italy announced the findings in the Brunello di Montalcino scandal. In case you haven’t been following this case, Italian authorities — prompted by the United States — started an investigation to find out whether some renowned manufacturers of Brunello di Montalcino were making their wines with…
Ecotourism in Cinque Terre
Protect Cinque Terre offers guests the opportunity to work with locals in landscape preservation.
The Real Pinocchio
Last November, the New York Review of Books released Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio under its NYRB Classics imprint. The tale, as reviewed by Tim Parks in the latest issue, is much darker than the Disneyfied version. After the jump is Parks’ full review. As always, I urge you to subscribe to NYRB; they…
L’Aquila Earthquake Info
The full extent of the damage to L’Aquila and the surrounding area after yesterday’s 6.3 earthquake is still not known. As of now, there are at least 179 confirmed dead and numerous buildings, including the Church of Maria di Collemaggio, lie in rubble. Even though this is still a developing story, a lot of interesting…
Happy Birthday, Venice!
I just learned that today is Venice’s 1,588th birthday, according to blogger and Venice Kayak businessman René Seindal. Here’s a nice, brief history lesson: Dear Venice, happy 1588th birthday – René Seindal.
Farewell to Italian Historian Christopher Hibbert
Farewell to Christopher Hibbert, whose biographies of Rome and the Medici family established him as one of the foremost authorities on Italy’s history.
