Lara Dunston 
Bookbinder Paolo Olbi and his typesetter Beppi may be Venice’s last great artisans, making every component of their beautiful products by hand in Paolo’s atmospheric workshop in Castello, Venice. We met these generous Venetians when we settled into a Grand Canal-side palazzo apartment for two weeks to get an insight into how locals live in … Read more
“The most important thing to Venetians has always been money,” social historian Monica Vidoni tells us as we begin her Venetian Renaissance walking tour. It’s something we’re hearing often – even by Venetians – but it especially resonates as we stand on Campo Santi Giovani e Paolo where Venice’s riches are on display here, as … Read more
Venice, the city built on water, is a series of 117 islands crisscrossed by canals, connected by bridges, and surrounded by seawater. The key to understanding Venice is to get beneath the surface of the ‘City of Water’, and do it by boat. With two weeks in Venice as part of our year-long grand tour … Read more
Our latest Local Knowledge interview is with Luca Zaggia, a coastal oceanographer working for Venice’s Institute of Marine Science, specialising in the study of the sea and wetlands, and spends most of his time in Venice on the water. Here are his local tips on things to do in Venice, what to eat and drink, … Read more
‘Dalla terra alla tavola’, from earth to table – or from ‘paddock to plate’ or ‘farm to fork’ as we say in Australia – may not be a new concept in Italy, or Australia or the UK for that matter, but it’s one that has always excited us. When Francesco, owner of Antiche Carampane, our … Read more