Italy
Can 'super' Mario Draghi save Italy from itself?
In the aftermath of the financial crash, two ‘Super Marios’ came to Italy’s rescue. Mario Draghi, then president of the European…
How Argentina conquered Malbec
When Napoleon III proclaimed himself Emperor of France in 1852, he unwittingly kickstarted quality wine production in Chile and Argentina.…
Every page of this astonishingly beautiful ode to the citrus is a treat
Laura Freeman is transported by J.C. Volkamer’s astonishingly beautiful ode to the citrus
Every scene Sophia Loren isn’t in feels like a wasted one: The Life Ahead reviewed
The Life Ahead stars Sophia Loren, and if there is one reason to see The Life Ahead it is this:…
A cautionary tale about how democracy can subvert itself: Bunga Bunga reviewed
Italy has long captivated romantics from rainy, dreary, orderly northern Europe. Goethe, Stendhal, Keats and Shelley all flocked to Italy…
Britain’s bizarre Italian travel guidance
Here’s a tip. When the Foreign Office advises against going somewhere, hop on the next plane. The mandarins have advised…
Soave, an original sin-free wine
‘The Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day’: surely one of the most beautiful images…
Italy’s Achilles heel: corruption and cronyism
Tim Parks is a seasoned, incisive observer of football, the railways, work, domestication and plenty more in his adoptive country…
How to get into a club and on to a plane
Disaster struck the Young family last Friday. My 12-year-old son Charlie woke up with a temperature. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t matter,…
How Britain lost the war against coronavirus
The art of corona warfare
Covid statistics are just politics by other means
Statistics is the continuation of politics by other means, to misquote Clausewitz. One hundred and fifty years after the crushing…
Have we been fighting a very different disease to China?
One of the great mysteries of coronavirus is how the epidemic has become much more severe in Europe and North…
I’m recovering – but I glimpsed the coronavirus cliff edge
So I’ve had the virus. Or rather, I think I have. Ordinary mortals can no longer get tested by the…
Italy gave China PPE to help with coronavirus — then China made them buy it back
China has tried to restore its image after lying to the world about the seriousness of its coronavirus outbreak, but…
Spain and Italy have been abandoned by the EU
If ever there was a time for the EU to show the benefit of belonging to an economic bloc with…
The evidence on Covid-19 is not as clear as we think
There is still plenty we don’t understand about the virus
Life under lockdown: Italy is being consumed by panic
Italy is being consumed by panic
Italians believe the coronavirus outbreak shows their superiority
During times of contagion, you begin to understand why fascist salutes were once so popular. The foot-tap is replacing the…
Why I’ll never become an MP
Every now and then someone asks me if I have ever thought of becoming an MP. My response tends to…
Conservative politician forced to apologise for attending conservative conference
Every now and then someone asks me if I have ever thought of becoming a politician. My response tends to…
Words to live by from Saint John Henry Newman
On 13 October, John Henry Newman, a distinguished and distinctive Englishman, was officially declared a Saint. A well-known saying of…
Why Tuscany always beats Provence for me
A family of peacocks is sunning itself in our villa garden. They all look extraordinarily happy and composed, especially the…
Venice needs Venexit
Some of Venice’s problems are well known: the challenge of conserving her famous buildings, the dangers of poorly managed mass…
Should I return to the land of my Italian ancestors?
When I was growing up, my Italian grandfather was my favourite person. He taught me to play a mean game…
Will Italy’s warring politicians succeed in shutting Salvini out of power?
What now looks like a distinct possibility in Italy after today’s resignation of Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte is a…
