Italy

I am in Padua, in a nondescript patisserie and outside a torrential rain is soaking the city streets. It is ten o’clock in the morning and …

We are enjoying cherry season here and every fruit and veg shop I pass by proudly displays full crates of this delicate and delicious fruit. Even better. You just …

Cute things come in small packages. Never has a truer word been spoken about the type of cars, mopeds and even buses which you can see …

So, yes, ahem… this happened! I am pleased to report though that the pictured plate of fried frogs was ordered not by me, but my …

In a world so full of cookie-cutter travel plans and identikit holidays, it is quite something to come across someone who is exploring a country in her own …

So, last night we went to a peas festival just outside of Vicenza. I know, we are so rock’n’roll! But, hear me out. On one hand, festivals called …

I was instantly smitten with Padua’s Palazzo della Ragione. A building where history, art, law, politics and food have met for over eight centuries, it could …

Every day for the past 800 years a bright and lively market has been held in the heart of Padua. I am standing right in the …

OK, I hear you groan! Here she comes again, bemoaning her cushty Italian life, finding little niggles to complain about with all that beautiful architecture, millennia-old …

Here is a plateful of pure delight! These are the famous tortellini (or tortelli as they are locally known) of Valeggio sul Mincio. Mincio is a …