International content in Italy

It is neither a pub legend nor a temporary installation. In Abruzzo, there is a wine fountain that pours Montepulciano d’Abruzzo day and night, free of charge, for anyone who approaches with a glass. The Abruzzo wine fountain is a permanent feature within a working winery, created for walkers and travellers making their way through the coast and hills.

Over time, the reasons people buy a second home in Italy have changed. For decades, a property other than the main residence was chiefly used for family holidays: a seaside flat, a mountain house or a small home in the family’s town of origin, used at weekends and during the summer.

For years, buying a home by a lake largely meant buying a view. That is no longer the case. People choosing a second home on Lake Como or Lake Maggiore are looking for something more complex than a scenic panorama: a place to use throughout the year, where work and leisure can sit alongside each other, and where families can spend longer periods. That is the central argument put forward by Paola Cleps, senior sales consultant at Savills Residential, in an analysis of the high-end second-home market around northern Italy’s lakes. It is a market undergoing a cultural transformation before an economic one.

Food festivals in Italy are one of the best ways to eat well without spending a fortune, particularly outside the big cities. Many are sagre: community events centred on a local ingredient, a seasonal harvest or a traditional dish.

Prince Salina knew that “if we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change”. On Pantelleria, one of Italy’s most remote islands, time seems to have taken that line quite literally.

As the muggy heat eases but the days remain bright, a warm outdoor soak feels particularly welcome. Italy has free thermal springs, natural pools and waterfalls where access is free all year round. September makes the experience even better, with fewer people than during peak season and temperatures that make it easy to stay in the water for a while. Here are four well-known spots, along with a few useful details for planning the day.

Buying a second home in Italy can be a brilliant idea, but the costs and paperwork need careful attention.

Savills’ third Italy New Build Survey points to a clear priority among people choosing new-build homes in Italy: the neighbourhood comes before square metres, a property’s exact position and its finishes.Across all age groups, buyers connect a desirable neighbourhood with safety, green spaces, conne

Italy is home to small and large seaside towns all along its coastline, each with its own character and attractions.

There is an Italy that sits outside the usual mass-tourism circuit: Apennine villages, quiet countryside, lesser-known lakes and stretches of coast where getting onto the beach does not mean joining a queue. This is also the Italy that a growing number of foreign buyers are choosing when it comes to purchasing a home. Data compiled by Gate-away.com for the first half of 2026 points to international demand following a different path from major tourist flows. It is more spread out, more curious and more deeply drawn to everyday Italy.

Work eligible for tax relief falls into four main categories set out by law: extraordinary maintenance, restoration and conservative renovation, building renovation, and measures for safety, efficiency and accessibility. To establish which renovation works qualify for tax deductions in Italy in 2026, it is enough to check that the project falls within one of these legal categories.

People living in apartment buildings or historic centres rarely have a section of roof available for solar panels. To address this issue, sustainable construction has begun experimenting with solutions that can be incorporated directly into vertical façades. One technology that is still not widely used but is gaining ground is designed for those who want to reduce consumption without altering the building’s structure: solar window panels, also called photovoltaic windows.

For visitors to Naples, the metro can be part of the sightseeing rather than simply a way of getting around. The city’s network includes 20 stazioni dell’arte — art stations — across Lines 1, 6 and 11, bringing contemporary art into everyday public transport.Together, the stations in Naples con

Anyone who has seen the first images from The Dog Stars, Ridley Scott’s latest film and felt they recognised something was right. The director chose Italy as the main setting for his post-apocalyptic film, creating scenery that feels both familiar and strange. With a budget of $110 million, a crew of more than 400 Italian professionals and 100 international staff, The Dog Stars is one of the largest productions filmed in Italy in recent years.

A mountain bivouac is a small shelter, usually unmanned, intended to provide a safe roof for hikers and mountaineers at high altitude. Unlike a staffed mountain hut, there is no host to welcome visitors and no hot menu. A bivouac is basic and spartan and, for many people, one of the most authentic experiences the mountains can provide. Here is what a bivouac is and what to expect.

A tiny hilltop settlement in Lombardy has earned its identity through a free-roaming feline colony that has lived among its stone houses and lanes for generations.

Private islands for sale in Italy include a former Swarovski property in the Venice Lagoon, a 16th-century chapel near Marsala, traditional lagoon huts in Friuli Venezia Giulia and a Spanish viceregal fortress near Naples.Not every seller has disclosed a price, and several listings involve constrain

Italy is one of the few countries where sunset can look completely different each evening, depending on where you are. A sunset in the Dolomites bears little resemblance to one in Positano, or to the late light over Sicily’s Scala dei Turchi. That remarkable variety of scenery makes Italy a sought-after place for anyone hoping to make the most of the day’s final light.

In recent years, environmental protection has become a central consideration in the design, construction and management of buildings.

A supermarket in Venice is drawing attention for a detail that has nothing to do with pasta offers or the weekly shop. Despar Teatro Italia occupies a former Neo-Gothic and Art Nouveau theatre, where original decorative details and a ceiling fresco remain in place above the shelves.The unusual

Italy ranks 25th in Visual Capitalist’s 2026 ranking of the best countries for quality of life, behind Spain and Portugal but ahead of the United States.

Breakfast on a terrace overlooking the sea, with the first morning light coming through every window, does not necessarily have to be a luxury reserved for a select few. Sea-view apartments in Sicily can be more accessible than many people expect. In Palermo, Catania, Siracusa, Messina, Trapani and Cefalù, homes with panoramic views often have prices per square metre below those found along Italy’s more expensive coastal resorts.

September brings milder temperatures and a calendar filled with major events covering literature, food, contemporary art and centuries-old traditions. There are plenty of options for anyone looking for things to do in Italy in September 2026. Venetian canals set the scene for poetry, the Langhe hills carry the scents of the grape harvest, Sicilian beaches fill with the aromas of spices, and Ligurian towns become spaces for new ideas.

The traditional Italian holiday calendar has long revolved around July and, above all, August.

Taking on renovation work to create extra space at home can add value to the whole property, particularly when it makes better use of existing areas that have been left underused. Before choosing finishes, lighting or furniture, though, it is essential to consider planning rules, health and hygiene requirements, and the technical measures needed to tackle mould and condensation. Following the rules avoids penalties and helps ensure the new space is safe. Here is what needs to be considered when converting a garage into a taverna, an informal basement-style living or recreation room.