Buongiorno Italy readers! 

This month's crop of happenings includes ones that you can go and visit in person, as opposed to looking online. With the appropriate health and safety precautions imposed, visitors can look forward to an enjoyable, informative – and safe – choice of things to see and do this September.

There are places in Italy that resemble or remind of world-famous locations around the world. Let’s look at four of them. 

In the next edition of our #duallanguage series looking at Italy's UNESCO sites we head over to Padua’s Botanical Garden, the world’s oldest, created in 1545 by the Venetian Republic. 

Several beautiful sculptures adorn the facade and sides of the world-famous Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, yet many of them go unnoticed, especially when observed with a quick, distracted glance. One sculpture, likely ignored by many, seems to be out of place: the head of a horned ox. 

For those who are trying to shop using less plastic or disposable bags, this shopper 'with rabbit' is made of natural cotton and depicts the protagonist of the story 'Alice in Wonderland' by Lewis Carrol. This unique 'Tribute To' line, is a tribute to literature and writers who have chosen animals as protagonists by artisans Spazio Collective. 

Even though arrosticini are composed of just two ingredients—tiny pieces of fatty lamb or mutton and salt—they are packed with savory flavor. The marbled meat is prepared in a peculiar but rather brilliant way; small wooden skewers are driven into big blocks of meat, which is then cut precisely into centimeter-sized cubes. Get our recipe here. 

How limiting to be visiting a place based on just one world-famous site in order to take a quick snapshot to post on social media and then leave. This is often the case for Pisa, known the world over for its Leaning Tower, and many do pass by this Tuscan town just to see-photograph that. 

Well folks it had to be said, bring on the carbs! A recent study is claiming that eating pasta results in a healthier diet. 

There are a number of ways you can make your Italian driving exploits a bit less daunting, but one of the most important is developing a basic vocabulary of driving terms before you hit the road so you can ask for and follow directions, read road signs, fill up your tank, or communicate when something goes wrong. Read on for a few important driving terms to keep close at hand the next time you put the pedal to the metal in Italy. 

Most tourists in Venice, if they venture out to the islands, take the vaporetto number 12 from San Zaccaria or Fondamenta Nuova to Murano, the ‘glass island’ where the furnaces for the famous Venetian glass are still in use. The onward journey to Burano takes a further 25 minutes, and in the heat of summer the sea breezes are a bonus. Even on the dullest day, seeing Burano in the distance is quite a shock. You see a lively patchwork of small houses, every one a different colour. 
 
For sale: This typical Umbrian farmhouse is a gorgeous property over three floors, restored twenty-five years ago by the current owners and used as a successful rental over the summer months to overseas holiday makers. 

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