Jamie Mackay
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Jamie Mackay is a UK-born, Florence-based journalist. He is a contributor to VICE, Frieze, Internazionale, and Il sole 24 ore among others and author of The Invention of Sicily, a cultural history of the Mediterranean's most invaded island (Verso Books 2019).
Articles by Jamie Mackay
Mon, 10/18/2021 - 11:52
I’ll never forget my first time walking through Ballarò. The red-domed churches, low-hanging curtains and street art cast an immediate impression on m…
Wed, 09/01/2021 - 11:04
Back in 2014, when I first set out to write The Invention of Sicily, I began, naturally, by reading all the history books, novels, newspapers, and tra…
Mon, 01/11/2021 - 13:04
There’s something rather wonderful about the notion of a casa del popolo. Admittedly, this might not be immediately obvious at a first glance. Walking…
Tue, 12/08/2020 - 04:00
There’s no denying that it’s been a bit of a strange year for film lovers. It was supposed to be a big one here in Italy: plans were in place to celeb…
Tue, 11/24/2020 - 04:45
A few years ago now a Florentine friend gave me one of the simplest and most useful travel tips I’ve ever received. When moving around Italy, he recom…
Tue, 11/17/2020 - 06:58
If, like me, your social media feeds are dominated disproportionately by beautiful food content the chances are you’ve probably already heard of Mimi…
Tue, 06/30/2020 - 03:03
When I first heard that the writer, chef and illustrator Letitia Clark was releasing a book dedicated entirely to Sardinian cuisine I was intrigued to…
Thu, 01/30/2020 - 08:59
“Imagine, if you can, if somebody made a B-movie of the entire disco genre… It's not disco, in fact in most cases it's technically a lot worse, but th…
Tue, 01/21/2020 - 03:20
International audiences will have to wait another six months to get their hands on Elena Ferrante’s latest novel The Lying Life of Adults. In Italy, t…
Tue, 11/12/2019 - 00:59
If you think Tuscany is all about rolling hills and cypress trees then think again.
Starting in Carrara in the west, and stretching right across to Ga…
Tue, 09/24/2019 - 04:33
It’s a fixed place on any Italian deli counter, a staple in fridges and larders across the peninsula. White and rubbery, beige and flaky, solid and go…
Tue, 08/13/2019 - 00:56
You’ve probably spotted them around the stations and high streets of the peninsula’s major cities. Easily recognizable by their blown-up hemp leaves,…
Tue, 07/23/2019 - 05:33
Let’s face it, the summer heat can sometimes get rough in Italy. From June to September, midday to 5pm, all but the most intrepid Italophiles will be…
Thu, 06/06/2019 - 05:15
A word of advice: If you’re thinking of traveling around the mezzogiorno by public transport, don’t expect much help from the locals. "Ma sei matto?!"…
Tue, 05/28/2019 - 05:15
Sicily can reasonably claim to be the most enigmatic of all Italian regions. Anomalous and magical, with a multicultural identity that has fused toget…
Mon, 05/13/2019 - 02:13
From the bombed-out landscapes of post-war neorealism to the glitz and glam of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, the Italian film industry was once among the m…
Tue, 05/07/2019 - 05:33
It might be grey and it might be gritty, but no longer can Mestre be cast-off as just a budget friendly base from which to visit nearby Venice.
Since…
Tue, 04/16/2019 - 03:46
Located just a few kilometres south of Florence, the Certosa del Galluzzo is a forgotten temple of art and architecture. More than just a monastery th…
Thu, 11/15/2018 - 04:23
The wait is almost over. In just a few days fans of Elena Ferrante’s best-selling Neapolitan novels will finally have the pleasure of watching her cha…
Tue, 11/13/2018 - 03:25
Nestled in the Dolomite foothills, a few kilometres north of Verona, Trentino is often overlooked by travellers as they race up to the ski resorts of…