Tag Archives: Italy

Walking Tour: Livoro In Western Tuscany, Italy

Livorno is an Italian port city on the west coast of Tuscany. It’s known for its seafood, Renaissance-era fortifications and modern harbor with a cruise ship port. Its central Terrazza Mascagni, a waterside promenade with checkerboard paving, is the city’s main gathering place. The bastions of the 16th-century Fortezza Vecchia face the harbor and open onto Livorno’s canal-laced Venezia Nuova quarter.

Italy Tours: The Castles Of Rimini In Emilia-Romagna

The province of Rimini (Italian: provincia di Rimini) is a province in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. The provincial capital is the city Rimini. The province borders the independent state of the Republic of San Marino. As of 2015, the province has a population of 335,199 inhabitants over an area of 864.88 square kilometres (333.93 sq mi), giving it a population density of 387.57 inhabitants per square kilometre. The city Rimini has a population of 147,578 inhabitants, and the provincial president is Andrea Gnassi. There are 26 comuni (singular: comune) in the province, see comuni of the Province of Rimini.

Travel Preview: Italia! Magazine – August 2022

Italia! Magazine – August 2022

Captivating Castelli

Italy is so liberally sprinkled with castles, it’s difficult to choose just a few favourites. From solid medieval stone affairs to elegant 19th-century palaces, the nation has a dizzyingly diverse collection of castelli, many of which offer a palpable sense of their region’s unique history and culture. In this feature, however, we’ve risen to the challenge and combed the country to bring you a smattering of the very best castles to visit today (and a few that you can stay in!). Today these fortifications offer wide-ranging reasons to stop by, so whether you fancy soaking up the atmosphere and views, basking in the cultural heritage or enjoying produce from the local vines, one of these places is certain to enhance your next trip to Italy. And if you really love Italian castles, turn the page for options that are available to buy, so you can live the dream like true royalty.

Village Walk: Dolceacqua In Northwestern Italy (4K)

Dolceacqua is a comune in the Province of Imperia in the Italian region Liguria, located about 120 kilometres southwest of Genoa and about 35 kilometres west of Imperia, on the border with France.

The first official document that quotes Dolceacqua dates back to 1151, when the accounts of Ventimiglia had the first heart of the castle built at the top of the rocky speron overlooking the creek where the valley tightens and forks: the Roja valley on one side, the Val Nervia on the other.

In 1270 Dolceacqua was purchased by the Doria of Genoa and over the centuries the “Earth” was developed in the town that stands at the foot of the castle.

Travel Tour: The Top Ten Places To Visit In Sicily

Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, is just off the “toe” of Italy’s “boot.” Its rich history is reflected in sites like the Valley of the Temples, the well-preserved ruins of 7 monumental, Doric-style Greek temples, and in the Byzantine mosaics at the Cappella Palatina, a former royal chapel in capital city Palermo. On Sicily’s eastern edge is Mount Etna, one of Europe’s highest active volcanoes. 

Village Walks: Amalfi In Southwestern Italy (4K)

Amalfi is a town in a dramatic natural setting below steep cliffs on Italy’s southwest coast. Between the 9th and 11th centuries, it was the seat of a powerful maritime republic. The Arab-Norman Sant’Andrea cathedral at the heart of town, with its striped Byzantine facade, survives from this era. The Museo Arsenale Amalfi is a medieval shipyard-turned-exhibition space. 

Video Timeline Links: 00:00 Intro Amalfi, Italy Waling Tour 08:51 Flavio Gioia Square 11:27 Cathedral Square 12:17 Amalfi Cathedral 17:49 Cloister of Paradise 26:30 Municipio Square 31:37 Amalfi Main Beach 43:03 Nativity Scenes Fountain 1:00:52 Belvedere Cimitero Monumentale 1:10:54 Atrani 1:23:30 Atrani Umberto I Square 1:30:24 Atrani Collegiate St. Maria Maddalena

Walking Tour: Ravello On The Amalfi Coast, Italy (4K)

Ravello, a resort town set 365 meters above the Tyrrhenian Sea by Italy’s Amalfi Coast, is home to iconic cliffside gardens. The 13th-century, Moorish-style Villa Rufolo offers far-reaching views from its terraced gardens, and hosts indoor and outdoor concerts during the popular summertime Ravello Festival. Villa Cimbrone, a medieval-style estate perched on a steep outcrop, is surrounded by another celebrated garden.

Previews: The Florentine Magazine – July/Aug 2022

The Florentine July/August 2022 

Love, Spritz + Gelato

My forearms are sticking to the desk as I type this month’s letter. It’s an irksome feeling that’s offset by last night’s joy of dancing wildly at a wedding and an afternoon dip in a kind friend’s swimming pool. Summer in Florence is an intoxicating mix of sweat, fun and gelato. While many of us escape to our countries of origin for as long as we can, there’s something undeniably alluring about these sun-streaked months in Tuscany. Just think back to movies such as Stealing Beauty and Under the Tuscan Sun before fast forwarding to recent Netflix films Toscana and Love & Gelato. Stereotypes aside—and there are far too many to mention in these productions (Netflix, we’re here if you fancy delving deeper into our city and region!)—summer in Florence never stops working its inexplicable magic. Yes, the wall of heat and buzz of mosquitoes may be draining during the day, but the night brings boundless pleasures, from movie nights by the Uffizi to exhibitions at just-reopened Forte di Belvedere, refreshing beers beside the Arno and brilliantly oddball cultural moments such as a wheat threshing festival in the hills (find out more about that gem on page 16).  

Summer Walks: Venice In Northeastern Italy (2022)

Venice, the capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs.

RECORDED On 23/JUNE/2022

Italian Culture: ‘Mitico – Follow The Art Path’ (2022)

For the 2022 season, Belmond has launched a partnership with internationally acclaimed art gallery – Galleria Continua – entitled MITICO, which celebrates the talents of four prominent artists, as they take the spotlight in some of Belmond’s captivating landmark gardens across Italy.

Evoking a feeling of inclusivity and community, MITICO embodies a new art philosophy: it is the reinterpretation of universal customs shared amongst different societies, such as cooking, painting, observing, and appreciating, and how these are consumed in their environments.

MITICO is a moment in time and history where cultures interact – ultimately it is a celebration of art de vivre. Deepening its long-standing connection to the arts, through MITICO, Galleria Continua and Belmond invite guests to see cultures through a different lens, tapping into each individual destination’s essence and beauty.