Ciao a tutti! 

Italy is in full spring fever as businesses and cultural sights open back up and Italians begin moving around the country to stretch their legs and kickstart the country’s tourism industry. Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi announced this week that Italy will also be opening international borders in just days, so it’s time to dust off those passports and book your ticket to il bel paese. If you plan on getting around the country by train, be sure to take a look at our new ultimate guide to train travel in Italy that covers everything from purchasing tickets to safety at the station. 

Panicking about a Mother’s Day gift? Italy Magazine has you covered! There are still a few more days to purchase a founding membership for your Italophile “mamma” that includes unlimited access to our online content, our digital magazine “Bellissimo” four times a year, our monthly members-only “Buongiorno!” newsletter, and our entire library of eBooks. Plus, order by May 9th and we’ll include a gourmet gift box stuffed with Tuscan delicacies and a charming candy “bouquet” made of traditional confetti (Jordan almonds) from Sulmona. 

We’ve got archaeology on our minds this week with two excellent articles for all those ancient history buffs among our readers. Historian and bestselling author Laura Morelli introduced us to a little-known yet important Etruscan site set in the Tuscan hills outside Grosseto—the Roselle Archaeological Park—and our own Silvia Donati took a deep dive into the Bronze Age “nuraghi” that pepper the island of Sardinia. You can read about these prehistoric dwellings in both English and Italian and listen to the audio clip to perfect your pronunciation.

With the rising temps comes gelato season, but soon purveyors of faux artisanal frozen treats may be facing heavy fines. Check out our story on how a new law will make air-pumped gelato illegal (and learn how to tell if the gelato you’re eating is really artisanal.)

Even Italy’s oldest monuments often offer something new. This week, plans for the new floor to be installed in Rome’s Colosseum were unveiled; come 2023, visitors can experience this majestic amphitheater from center stage like the ancient gladiators once did—without having to fight off wild animals, of course. 

Moving to Italy is a dream for many, but how do you run the numbers to calculate the cost of living before taking the plunge? The latest in our “How Much Does It Cost to Live In…” series takes on the most expensive city in Italy: Milan. 

Reciprocal and reflexive verbs are tricky, with their combination of a verb and a reflective pronoun. In addition, there are many verbs that are reflexive in Italian but not reflexive in English, which can cause confusion. Get your reciprocals and reflexives sorted out with this handy overview.

The season of gorgeous sunny mornings interspersed with blustery, grey afternoons is upon us. This week’s classic comfort food Risi e Bisi combines the wintery warmth of creamy rice with the spring zing of fresh peas in the perfect Venetian dish. Plus it’s easy to adapt for vegetarians!

If you enjoyed Laura Morelli’s article on the Etruscan ruins in Roselle, consider checking out one of her excellent historical novels. We especially love “The Night Portrait”, a dual-timeline tale about the creation of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings, Portrait of a Lady with an Ermine, and the woman who fought to save it from Nazi destruction during World War II.

For sale: A charming hospitality business in Citta della Pieve (Umbria) inside a historic converted brick kiln now divided into 8 apartments, some with three bedrooms and some with two. There is a ground-floor restaurant, separate annex apartment, a lovely garden with a swimming pool, a wood-burning oven, a carport, and ample guest parking.

Buon weekend from Rebecca, your acting editor, and the Italy Magazine team!