Italy

On a trip to Bologna in 1594, Italian collector, physician and scientist Ulisse Aldrovandi inspected Antonietta Gonzales, a young girl with an unusual condition and brought to him by the Marchesa of Soragna. After studying

Over the past few weeks, Rome has once again become the centre of far-right politics in Italy. For many in Italy and beyond, recent events bear worrying resemblance to things that happened almost a hundred

I recently came across the ‘Punkabbestia’ movement, a group of people who reject contemporary society and live a life of voluntary poverty. This is the Italian version of the ‘Gutter Punks’ that can be found

On Saturday night, I’ll be hosting a masked party. The setting is Florence, 1537. We’ll have musicians to entertain us in period style, and some surprises through the evening. I hope it’ll be a good

Reading last week that an Italian MP, Gianluca Buonanno of the Northern League, had ‘blacked up’ to deliver an anti-immigration speech in parliament brought me back to a question I periodically contemplate. Why does Italy

I’ve spent a lot of time in Florence over the past few years, and I’m increasingly tired with the city’s old-school approach to its culture and history. Florence abounds with the images and stories of