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There’s a side street in Cortona where, if you slow down long enough, you'll notice a small workshop window filled with objects that seem almost impossible. Wooden apples so finely polished they glow like glass. Wooden goblets so impossibly thin that, held to the light, they become nearly transparent. Horses whose flowing lines, Giancarlo will tell you with a quiet smile, were inspired not by nature but by hammers and workshop tools. This is Rossi Woodworkers, and it is one o

This is one of the finest artisan shops in Cortona, Italy, where handmade products hold the history and traditions of this beautiful hilltop town. My friend and local wood artisan, Giancarlo Rossi, introduced me to Chiara who shared more about her shop which she opened in November 2025. Though Chiara’s corsets are exceptionally well-crafted and made entirely by hand, that’s not the only thing that makes her corsets so remarkable.

Imagine it's the evening of Good Friday in Rome, and while tourists crowd around the Colosseum taking selfies, something extraordinary is happening in the neighborhood of Trastevere. A solemn candlelit procession winds through narrow medieval streets, carried forward by local confraternities in centuries-old robes. The air smells of incense and spring flowers. Romans lean from their balconies, some holding candles, as this tradition-unchanged for hundreds of years-passes belo

The Italian foods that never make it onto tourist menus are often the most incredible, the most authentic, and the most deeply connected to Italian culture and tradition. Today, we're sharing five lesser-known Italian foods that deserve far more recognition than they receive.

When you're sitting in a café and hear the locals chatting, they're not using the formal Italian from your textbook. They're using abbreviations, expressions, and slang that might as well be a different language if you only know "proper" Italian. Understanding these words doesn't just help you speak better— it helps you listen better, comprehend better, and ultimately experience Italy more authentically.