Published on Sunday, October 6, 2019 by Kathy McCabe On December 1, Venetians will vote on a referendum to split the historic city center from its residential suburbs. If approved by a majority of voters, the floating island center of Venice – where the tourist attractions are – will become a separate city from most of Mestre, the area encompassing Venice’s suburbs on the mainland. Proponents argue that dividin...

Published on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 by Kathy McCabe In the Tuscan town of Borgo a Mozzano, officials have installed a photoluminescent bicycle path to make riding and walking safer for residents. During the day, the path looks like a regular, brown gravel pavement, but at night, photoluminescent pieces of glass glow blue and green. The wide 200-meter-long (656 feet) path is expected to reduce bicycle accidents at ni...

Published on Monday, September 30, 2019 by Kathy McCabe After his friend’s murder at the hands of Neo-Nazis 11 years ago, street artist Cibo decided to take his art in a new direction: using art and creativity to erase hate. In his native region of Verona, Cibo – a pen name that means “food” in Italian – covers up offensive and hateful graffiti with cheery cartoon paintings of food. Cibo has been a street arti...

Published on Tuesday, September 24, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Molise, one of Italy’s lesser-known and rural regions, has been experiencing a population decline as residents increasingly move to urban areas. So Antonio Tedeschi, a regional councilor, had an idea: Entice people to move to Molise by paying them $27,000 to settle there and open a small business. "I want my region to undergo a renaissance and avoid its authe...

Published on Friday, September 20, 2019 by Kathy McCabe In 2020, Palazzo Pitti will highlight the link between Florentine nobility and the Russian Orthodox Church by displaying 78 Russian religious icons. The collection of icons, the largest outside of Russia, will be housed in four ground-floor rooms at Palazzo Pitti. This will be the first permanent home for the collection, which has been in Florence since 1761 and ha...

Published on Sunday, September 15, 2019 by Kathy McCabe When the Gelato World Cup comes to Rimini from January 19 to 21, 2020, gelato chefs from around the world will face off to see who can whip up the best desserts. France and Italy, which have both won previous competitions at different times but have never competed against each other, are considered the two frontrunners and have assembled their teams for the ev...

Published on Tuesday, September 10, 2019 by Kathy McCabe As a young, female Italian chef, Martina Caruso has racked up accolades – including a Michelin star – that have given her a platform to talk about being a woman in the restaurant industry. Caruso has the passion and experience to back up these accolades, and the tattoos to match: an octopus, garlic, oil, and hot pepper, her favorite ingredients to cook with. Ca...

Published on Thursday, September 5, 2019 by Kathy McCabe Fashion house founders Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s luxury Italian villa is for sale. While the price is undisclosed, it is reported to cost €6 million. If you can’t spare the change, you can live vicariously through the real estate listing’s gorgeous photos. The oceanfront villa is located on the tiny volcanic island of Stromboli, one of the sev...

Published on Friday, August 30, 2019 by Kathy McCabe The historical site of Pompeii is a treasure trove of ruins, artefacts, -- and now, archaeologists have unearthed literal treasure. A trunk found in August contained semiprecious stones, jewelry, and other objects believed to bring good luck. "There are dozens of good luck charms next to other objects that were attributed with the power of crushing bad luck," Pompe...

Published on Sunday, August 25, 2019 by Kathy McCabe When you think of images of Rome, you probably think of the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain and, of course, the cobblestone-lined streets that have been an iconic part of the city’s landscape for centuries. Unfortunately, as beautiful as the cobblestone streets are, they are also becoming more of a nuisance. According to an article in The Local, the blocks are too e...