The northern reaches of Italy have long had a checkered past. These are areas that have been nudged into the Italian realm, and where, especially under Mussolini, the right to utilise the native language wasn’t just frowned upon, it was banned. Yet, up in these pastures of Fruilia, Veneto and Trentino/Alto-Adige, Italian isn’t always the … Continue reading Fantastic Mr B and his Tyrolean Neighbours →

There was a time when Rimini was one of the hotbeds of British seaside holidays overseas. Certainly in the '80's that was the case, as I for one enjoyed a number of trips to satellite resorts on either side of Rimini; Riccione, and Cattolica to the south, and Igea Marina to the north. On occasion, … Continue reading La Dolce Vita →

Regular readers will know that I love a niche morsel of calcio. This particular story comes courtesy of two tales of woe, financial meltdown essentially, that took two of the great bastions of yesteryear top-tier Italian football to the depths as low as the sixth tier. Now I have written about the fifth tier, and … Continue reading Rich history revisited →

I have been to Roma many times, but aside from a day in Ostia, the rest of the Lazio region has largely been viewed through transient train windows. My goodness, as I headed south east out of Roma Termini, it was a completely new area of Italy for me. Gradually, the tracks were winding up, … Continue reading High Plains Drifters →

Finally, I was able to complete the Umbrian trio of professional clubs, perhaps saving the best, certainly the biggest until last. Welcome to Perugia, the hilly capital of Umbria. This region has long been sighted as the thinking man's Tuscany, but from that read, it's slightly cheaper! It does have or doesn't, depending on your … Continue reading Ancient Arts in Perugia →

It is always nice to visit somewhere new, even if I have viewed Pescara from passing train windows on many occasions. This sizeable coastal city (population 118,657 in 2023- Greater area, circa 350,000) is the capital of Abruzzo. This wouldn't just be my first visit to the city, but my first trip to the region, … Continue reading Pescara jumping →

Just over an hour south of Roma on a fast train sits a true jewel of Italy, the small city of Caserta, with its lavish Royal Palace. Regular readers will have come across the team from here previously as Casertana have been in a few of my tales before, having featured three times; in Messina … Continue reading The King of Caserta →

Our trip to Trapani was merely a day trip, but in hindsight, a longer period in this marvellous little city, as opposed to Palermo, would have been a winner. But as they say, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Getting there wasn't as easy as my usual scenario of just pitching up at the railway station … Continue reading Enchanting Trapani →

Palermo is the capital of Sicily, a sizeable old metropolis in the north western corner of the island. Sicily is indeed no small land mass or population. Doing justice to the entire island would require a significant period of dedication. Even getting a proper handle on Palermo is more than a weekend gig in truth, … Continue reading The Pink Pussycat of Palermo →