Arts and Culture

Nutritionally speaking, Italy has always been considered exemplary but today’s younger generations are proof that it no longer deserves the accolade. This piece was for a New Year special: From Our Own Food Correspondent. (First broadcast on The Food Programme, BBC Radio 4, 6th January 2013) Link to original episode BBC Radio 4 6 January…

We usually associate American cowboys with states like Texas, California and New Mexico…not Hawaii. So it may come as a surprise that Hawaii has its own cowboy tradition dating back to the 1800s. It all began in 1798 with a gift of cows from Captain George Vancouver to the King of Hawaii. They thrived so…

At the end of 2011, Silvio Berlusconi finally had to admit political defeat and step down from the podium of a political empire whose foundations were built on his vast media empire. As the owner of Mediaset – the company which, until Sky, was the only competition for Italy’s state TV – together with his…

Harris Tweed is one of Britain’s most famous fabrics and has been through many ups and downs. Once synonymous with stuffy suits and upper-class country attire, Harris Tweed was catapulted into the realms of high fashion by Vivienne Westwood in the 1980s. But the spread of Gore-Tex and other modern textiles in the 1990s put…

Telejato is a family-run television station in the heart of Cosa Nostra territory in Sicily. Every day it broadcasts a two-hour news programme, the majority of which bravely reports stories of Mafia and corruption. But a new Italian law regulating digital terrestrial television threatens the station’s future. With no provisions for local and community TV,…

If somebody asked you where they make the best bread in the world, you might say France or Germany, but according to the 20th century Italian novelist, Riccardo Bacchelli, it came from Ferrara, made on the banks of the River Po. He’s understandably widely quoted in that area, although bread-making has changed enormously since his…

The Italian city of Genoa, set on the Ligurian Sea, is the perfect location for Slow Fish, a fair aimed at protecting fish and traditional fishing communities, and drawing people’s attention to the tasty fish they’ve likely never heard of. How can we, as consumers, be more responsible and make sure that the fish we’re…

“Spring Forward, Fall Back” is an adage many of us will have used last weekend to remember which way to change the clocks. It’s also the inspiration for the name of a brand new contemporary dance festival which took place in Slovenia’s capital city, Ljubljana, from Friday to Sunday. Aerowaves Spring Forward – Dance For…

Why I decided to join tens of thousands of Italian women in an anti Berlusconi demonstration.

French oyster producers say the much-loved mollusc is at risk of becoming a thing of the past. Will we soon be saying adieu to oysters? Cupped oysters all over Europe are suffering from a Herpes virus epidemic which began 3 years ago and is threatening to completely destroy the industry. The situation is especially bad…

Over the past 10 years, Afghanistan has become the largest producer of opium. The Taliban finance themselves with the money they make from illegal sales of the drug. Many farmers are either forced, intimidated or financially tempted into cultivating opium poppies. And today the country produces over 90% of the world’s opium. The government is…

The Italian Baroque artist, Caravaggio, never seems to be out of the news these days. This year, which marks the 400th anniversary of his death, has seen 2 major Caravaggio exhibitions in Rome and Florence, the possible discovery of an unknown work, the recovery of a stolen work and, last but not least, the discovery…

If you were in the north Italian city of Bologna last weekend, you’d have been in for an unusual cultural treat. The resonant chimes of the church bells were temporarily replaced by the sharp trills of bicycle bells as scores of poetry lovers cycled through the streets and piazzas of the historic town centre, bringing…

Shakespeare turned Romeo and Juliet into the most famous teenage couple in history. Their hometown, the Italian city of Verona, has long been a place of pilgrimage for lovesick tourists from all over the world. Now an American movie has pulled the city back into the romantic spotlight. “Letters to Juliet” was inspired by a…