Italian island promises to refund tourists the cost of their hotel if it RAINS during their stay Island of Elba, off the coast of Tuscany, has launched the ‘Elba No Rain’ campaign Tourists are refunded a night’s stay if it rains for two consecutive hours in a day The rain must fall between 10am and … Read more
Italian winemakers give the landscape a fairy-tale glow by placing hundreds of flaming torches among their vines to protect them against the coldest May temperatures in decades Winemakers in South Tyrol have been placing anti-frost torches among the vines to save their grapes The torches – called smudge pots – can raise the temperature by … Read more
The email landed a few days before our flight. ‘Dear Mum and Dad. Here are 32 places I want to go in Rome.’ There followed an exhaustive list compiled by our 13-year-old son Fred. We had only three days and the weather forecast was challenging. Still, it felt churlish to rain on a teenage boy’s … Read more
La Bohème Royal Opera House, London Until May 27 Rating: John Copley’s classic 1974 production of La Bohème was finally laid to rest in … Read more
It’s the holiday with a licence to thrill James Bond fans. A seven-night package to Tuscany has been launched to mark the release of the latest Bond film, No Time to Die, on April 3 – and it includes a helicopter ride, driving cars that have featured in Bond films and a stay in a villa used … Read more
Picturesque Italian town with a dwindling population tries to lure new residents by offering to pay their rent and waive school meal fees and taxes Teora, located in the Campania region of Italy, has a population of around 1,500 Newcomers will be given 150 euros a month towards their rent for two years Or they … Read more
Italian city governor apologises for saying Chinese people ‘eat live mice’ as he blamed China’s hygiene standards for coronavirus Luca Zaia has pinned the blame on China for the coronavirus flare-up in Italy His comments caused uproar, with politicians fearing diplomatic damage ‘It is a cultural fact that China has paid a big price for … Read more
Someone who is infected with the coronavirus can spread it with just a simple cough or a sneeze, scientists say. Nearly 3,000 people with the virus are now confirmed to have died and more than 80,000 have been infected. Here’s what we know so far: What is the coronavirus? A coronavirus is a type of … Read more
‘I just have a cold… it’s inexplicable’: Italian golfer Lorenzo Gagli livid as he and Edoardo Molinari are told to ISOLATE themselves in their Oman hotel amid coronavirus fears, forcing them out of two European Tour events Gagli told Italian newspaper a European Tour doctor told him to go to his room Molinari, his roommate … Read more
The typically-bustling streets of Milan have been left empty as Italy struggles with the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The country went from six cases to more than 400 with 12 dead since last Friday, becoming Europe’s worst-affected region. Now Milan’s once-packed roads have been left empty as the country battles with being the continent’s … Read more