Buongiorno Italy readers!

Award-winning Italian chef Massimo Bottura and his American wife Lara Gilmore are opening a luxury inn set in the countryside of Emilia-Romagna, 20 minutes from the chef’s famed three Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena.

Italy is dotted with castles from north to south. Perched on top of hills or overlooking the waters of placid lakes, they’re often set in enchanting locations and make for especially romantic destinations. Here’s a round-up of some of our favorites, which you can either visit for the day or stay overnight.

The recently-opened Classis museum in Ravenna may very well be your first stop when you visit this Emilia-Romagna city most people know for its extraordinary mosaics, part of Unesco’s World Heritage sites.

It might be past Valentine’s day but why not share the impossible love of Apollo and Daphne immortalized in marble Rome’s Galleria Borghese, the most prestigious art gallery of Rome. 

Naples, as the former capitol of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, is home to countless carnivalesque rites and rituals that date back over 1,000 years. Here are five ways the city celebrates! 

MADE IN ITALY takes you on a complete tour of the dazzling artisanal legacy of Italy, uncovering off-the-beaten-path destinations and one-of-a-kind, hidden workshops where everything from leather bags to gilded frames are turned out completely by hand, piece by piece.

The Marche - being a region that combines mountains, hills and a stunning stretch of Adriatic coastline - has a great variety of these to offer the visiting gastronome. We love this recipe for chicken cooked in “potacchio” which means braising chicken at a moderate to high heat in a reduced sauce traditionally made of olive oil, white wine, garlic, onion, fresh herbs (often rosemary) and a minimal amount of tomato.

Today we are going to look at some common irregular present tense verbs and learn how to use the verb “andare.” 

Situated in a hilly location, just 10 minutes from the center of Stresa and boasting a magnificent panoramic view of the lake, is our property of the week; a stunning Liberty-style villa along the shores of Lake Maggiore, a luxury residence dating from the late 1800s. 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend from Georgette, your editor, and the Italy Magazine team.