Lifestyle in Italy

Sometimes a single film scene is enough to change the way a place is seen forever.

When They Call Me Trinity was released in Italian cinemas in 1970, audiences were glued to the screen, and not only for Bud Spencer and Terence Hill’s comic moments. There was something familiar about its scenery: open grasslands, wide skies and rugged rock faces.

The last weekend of August is the perfect time for many to get away: the beaches are a bit emptier and prices are more reasonable. It's the perfect window to indulge in a two- or three-day getaway without the chaos of Ferragosto, but with all the light and warmth that only this period can offer.

Are crowds really necessary to feel as though you are on holiday?

In recent years, the idea of the smart home has also become more widespread in Italy, shifting from a luxury for a few to a practical choice for many households.

Dreaming of escaping the stifling heat? While the sea and crowded coastlines are the choice for many, there are surprising alternatives for those truly seeking relief: destinations immersed in nature where you can breathe in fresh, pure air!

One of Salento’s most recognisable scenes has changed pace. Entry to Grotta della Poesia and the archaeological area of Roca Vecchia now requires a ticket.

Stone lanes, a lakeside castle and the steep slopes of Monte Baldo give Malcesine a distinctly cinematic setting on Lake Garda’s eastern shore.

How relevant can the art of getting lost still be? In Italy, more than you might think. Across lagoon islands, historic parks and Alpine settings, mazes are once again becoming places to experience, photograph and talk about. The following selection, covering Venice, Parma and Verona, brings together five mazes recognised for their appeal, history and originality, already popular with families and enthusiasts.

A car-free village reached only by cable car, a queen’s castle overlooking glaciers, a village reshaped around esoteric symbols, and crotti where cold air blows out from deep inside the rock. The Italian Alps hold small worlds with strong identities, where the setting is not merely a backdrop: it finds its way into homes, food and daily habits.

A village of stone houses, a bell tower rising from the sumac bushes, and the sound of water still flowing along the valley floor. It looks like a movie set from another era, but it's real: Cunziria, an ancient 19th-century tannery village near Vizzini, in the province of Catania.

Can people still live in a village with no roads, where the sea is the only way in and night is properly dark?On the south-western side of Stromboli, that is everyday life. One village is cut off by steep slopes and volcanic rock, so no cars, no scooters, no constant background noise.

In Taormina, a terrace overlooking Mount Etna and the Ionian Sea leads to a house where art has coexisted with daily life for over a century. Here, the brushes, notebooks, and gazes of giants like Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway have intersected, in a creative laboratory that has shaped the Sicilian imagination. Today, that house, Casa Cuseni, is a living museum that can be visited only by reservation and in small groups, allowing visitors to truly enter the rooms and avoid being left behind a red rope.

Welcome to the south, a deeply evocative part of Italy steeped in history and tradition, where art and architecture tell the story of a rich and layered past.

Nature lovers looking for a summer outing that is a bit different may find these hidden spots a pleasant surprise. Often little-known but full of character, they suit anyone keen to explore somewhere more authentic.

Almost three thousand years of history have not settled one of literature’s most absorbing questions: where are the places of Odysseus and the Odyssey really located? Over the centuries, Homer’s poem has served as a compass for geographers, philologists and sailors trying to overlay its map onto the Mediterranean, gathering evidence, clues and theories that can sometimes fit together surprisingly well. The result is an itinerary touching Sicily, Lazio, Campania, Tunisia, Greece and the waters around Malta.

Condé Nast Traveler has included a quiet spot on Italy’s Amalfi Coast in its 2026 list of the 20 most beautiful towns in the world.

Summer 2026 could be the perfect opportunity to choose Italian islands where mass tourism doesn't dictate the agenda. These are destinations that still thrive on authenticity, offering essential services but memorable experiences. Here, then, are five "off-the-beaten-path" destinations for those seeking a truly carefree vacation, with helpful tips for arriving prepared and enjoying every day without the crowds.

Italy may be high on the wish list for a new life abroad, but Italian bureaucracy for foreigners remains a major hurdle.

Southern Italy also tells its story through its sweets. Each region preserves recipes born in convents, peasant kitchens, or pastry shops, often passed down for centuries and linked to religious festivals, weddings, and calendar events. The typical sweets of Southern Italy perfectly reflect the regions that created them, from Sicily to Sardinia, passing through Campania, Puglia, Abruzzo, Calabria, Molise, and Basilicata.

August is holiday time for many people, but for others it is also a chance to view a few properties and gather information ahead of a future purchase. According to data from the REMAX Italia Research Centre, property sales in mountain locations reach their peak in the months between December an

The Ferragosto fireworks display is the modern legacy of a celebration that originated in ancient Rome and has reinvented itself over the centuries, combining religious devotion with seaside relaxation. From Lake Garda to Lake Como, from Marina di Ravenna to Marina di Ragusa, from Castellammare di Stabia to Ostia and Versilia, every corner of Italy offers its own version of the spectacle.

Abruzzo is one of those Italian regions that rewards a bit of patience.

On Lake Como, there is a place where the sound of motorboats fades away, and only the water remains. The steep slopes shape the scene: houses clinging to the rock, narrow lanes, old mule tracks and a gorge where two streams meet before plunging towards the lake. The result is a striking orrido – a steep, narrow ravine – with a waterfall dropping for more than 200 metres and a stone bridge reached via a long staircase. It is a break along the road between Como and Bellagio, with a lesser-known extra just above the village: Onzanigo and the Val de Tuf.

Sometimes a film is enough to draw in tourists, as the effect of The Devil Wears Prada 2 on Milan shows.