How to be the sort of tourist Italians love

A friend who lives in the centre of Florence came to dinner the other evening. We got to talking about tourists. “I can’t take it anymore,” she blurted out. “Just getting out of the front door has become an issue… then you queue for ages just to buy a loaf of bread, the prices are […]

How to watch the EU election like a Pro – POLITICO

Estonia holds its official election day, even though voting started on June 3. It elects seven MEPs. Polling stations open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Estonia prides itself on its electronic voting: people can cast a ballot from their computer at home. Finland votes from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. It elects 15 members. […]

How to entertain like an Italian this summer

These days I’ll pretty much serve plate after plate of vegetarian dishes at my parties depending on what my local fruttivendolo [greengrocer] tells me is in season. Right now that means fava beans, artichokes and fresh peas. Another thing the Italians taught me is that recipes don’t need to be convoluted to be special.  They […]

Mussolini’s Hometown, Predappio, Italy, Can’t Figure Out How to Quit Him

How do you solve a problem like Predappio? This small town in the hills of northern Italy where Mussolini was born in 1883 remains something of an enigma. The previous mayor called it the “Chernobyl of Italy”—a place too toxic to touch. It plays host to large neo-fascist rallies, souvenir shops selling Mussolini trinkets and […]

How to get a lovely hotel room in Europe for under £150 a night

But it’s not just good food and good times here. Cofoco is serious about its sustainability efforts too. All its restaurants and the hotel are powered from a huge solar park it built out of town, planting a tree for every stay and offering 10 per cent off for guests who arrive by bike. Book […]

Western allies split over how to make Putin pay  – POLITICO

It’s a plan that U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is backing heavily but so far Europe’s most powerful governments in Paris, Berlin and Rome are unconvinced. Washington policymakers are piling pressure on their allies to ditch their hang-ups over what would be an unprecedented step fraught with legal, ethical and political difficulties. “It’s never been […]

Cabbing in Italy can be a gnarly affair. Here’s how to navigate it

I knew something was amiss when the taxi meter read 10.50 euros as we pulled away from the Roma Termini train station. While negotiating the evening rush hour traffic and typing into a translation app on his cell phone, the cab driver suggested the starting fare included a surcharge for all rides from Rome’s main […]