Illy Caffe’ has made this video about how to make the perfect moka, or Italian coffee. It’s even better than the photos and description I’ve posted about in the past: How to make Italian coffee …

This video was made by a Syracuse University Florence student, Remi Evans. It was her final project for a course called Masterpieces of Renaissance Art, a favourite of students for many years, taught by the …

This August 15th I was privilege to the display of one of the most sacred relics in Catholic tradition, the sacred belt (Sacra Cintola) of the Virgin Mary in Prato. This display or “ostensione” takes place …

With warm thanks to Betty and Salvatore at the Azienda Agricola La Torraccia (Regello, FI).
And to Toni Lydecker for organizing our fun outing in the context of research for her next book. (Her new book, …

This video and article are part of the Female Artist biographical film project described here.
Summary: Lavinia Fontana was born into an artistic and middle class family in Bologna in 1552. Her talent and promise as …

The hot new American pop star Arturo in Letto [sic!], aka A.J. (Douglas) Weiss, has chosen Cortona, Italy as the inspiration behind and set for his latest video “Ciao Marco”, which is exploding to the …

The Funerary Procession of Elisabetta Sirani
Summary: Elisabetta Sirani was a 16th century female painter from Bologna. She exceeded the expectations for her sex by painting scenes atypical for a female artist. Unfortunately, not much is …

Sofonisba Anguissola: More than a Woman
Summary: Sofonisba Anguissola (1532-1625) surpassed the expectations of women during the Italian Renaissance. She was well educated and trained under the tutelage of Bernardino Campi from 1545 to 1549 and …

On February 14th 2009, Cortona’s sbandieratori, or historical flagthrowers, put on a great show for a chilly crowd (it was around the freezing mark). At noon, their new medieval costumes were unveiled by the designer …

The city of Lucca has made international headlines by banning new ethnic and fast food restaurants within the city walls (in January 2009). The kebab restaurants are taking the brunt of this decision. My friends …

The Dominican Observant convent of San Marco was built starting 1436 and frescoed almost in its entirety by Fra Angelico from 1440-50 (approx.). It is a marvel of the effective use of painting in functional, …

This podcast (9 minutes long) takes you on a tour of Piazza Duomo in Florence, Italy. We talk about the mix of religious and civic buildings in this space, looking at the Baptistery, Duomo, Misericordia, …