friuli venezia giulia

Why one Italian region feels like two different worlds

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is an autonomous Italian region. Yet the two names joined by a hyphen point to areas shaped by different histories, languages, landscapes and cultural influences.Friuli occupies the western and central part of the region, while Venezia Giulia sits to the east.
little-known seaside towns

10 lesser-known seaside towns and villages in Italy

Italy has more than 7,400 kilometres of coastline, yet every summer millions of people end up on the same beaches, at the same stabilimenti — beach clubs — and in the same resorts. A short distance from the best-trodden routes, there are lesser-known seaside towns where beaches can still be qui
unusual places on the island of Elba

6 unusual places to see on Elba Island

Elba may seem familiar at first, until you come across corners that change the picture entirely: a green lagoon where swimming is forbidden, a black beach reached only by taking the walk slowly, and a fortress that never fell under siege. These are six unusual, lesser-visited places on Elba, giving a different perspective on Tuscany’s best-known island in the archipelago.
1 euro houses with hidden costs

The reality of €1 homes: costs to consider

Buying a €1 home can sound very appealing, but it is important to understand the hidden costs involved. Properties sold for this price are often unsafe or in a state of serious disrepair, so spending on renovation work is compulsory. Homes sold for €1 are handed over by their owners to municipalities, which then sell them through a public procedure for the symbolic price of €1.
weekend destinations in August

A late-August weekend in Italy: 8 destinations to consider

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.
Labyrinths

5 labyrinths in Italy to lose yourself in history and nature

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.
Canazei

10 fairytale Alpine villages to visit in the Italian Alps

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.
The village of Pratola Peligna

€1 homes in Abruzzo: the 2026 initiative revitalises a historic village

Italy is seeing a growing number of municipalities put abandoned homes up for sale at the symbolic price of €1 in an effort to counter population decline in historic villages. It is not simply a form of place marketing. The €1 homes scheme in Abruzzo is one of the country’s more established and well-documented examples, centred on a town that has drawn interest from Italian and overseas buyers and become one of the most closely watched historic-village regeneration schemes.
The Cunziria

Sicily's ghost town that looks like a movie set

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.
broom

Ginostra, the roadless village accessible only by sea

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.
Taormina

The secret villa that seduced Picasso and Hemingway

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.
who needs to paint a rented house

Who pays for painting in a rented home in Italy?

Generally speaking, the cost of repainting a rented property depends on what caused the walls to deteriorate, or on any agreement made between the parties. The basic rule on who pays for painting in a rented home is based on normal deterioration over time. The landlord is responsible for ordinary wear and tear, such as yellowing walls or marks caused by structural damp. The tenant only has to pay for repairs when deterioration results from improper use of the property or their own negligence.