I don’t know about you, but sometimes I fall into a bit of a “Rome rut” when I’m exploring the Eternal City, going to the same “old faithfuls” on my favorites list and failing to try anything new. Our contributing editor Silvia Donati has been in that spot, too. This week, she shares a story of an unconventional, summer-weather-friendly and wellness-boosting way of seeing the city. 

Shifting gears from Lazio to Liguria, the birthplace of a certain beloved basil-based condimento… store-bought pesto is (often) for the birds. As writer Jessica Paholsky puts it, pesto is “experimental, experiential and extraordinary,” something to be viewed as more of a creative process than a fixed recipe. (Purists, fear not! Her piece of course still pays homage to pesto’s most familiar iteration, from Genoa). Here are Jessica’s key steps to a successful pesto-making experience.

Not far from the Scala dei Turchi beach and Valley of the Temples in Sicily, an ancient Roman villa has reopened after months of restoration. An aristocratic residence overlooking the sea, the Villa Romana di Realmonte and its spectacular mosaic floors are now open to visitors.

In case you missed it earlier this week, Liz Shemaria offered an inside look at some award-winning Italian innovations from the country’s (and arguably the world’s) capital of design, Milan — all of which can fit in a traveler’s suitcase!

A final friendly reminder: if you haven’t downloaded your pretty-as-a-picture, Puglia-themed issue of Bellissimo yet, make sure to do so to fuel those summer travel dreams!
 

Buon weekend to all!

Mary Gray

Managing Editor, Italy Magazine