Italy

Youngsters play soccer near a fort at the port of Korčula, which once served as the arsenal of the Venetian Empire in the Adriatic.

The Old-World Charm of Venice's Windy Sister City

On the Adriatic island of Korčula, where Venice once ruled, ancient habits and attitudes persist—including a tendency toward blissful indolence

A Byzantine-style motif is woven on 18th-century looms by the weavers of Bevilacqua. A winged lion is the symbol of St. Mark, the city’s patron saint, and of the city. Mario e Paola Bevilacqua, 337/b, San Marco, Fondamenta della Canonica.

Nine Luxury Gifts You Can Only Find in Venice

Five hundred years ago, officials welcomed foreign Jews to Venice, but confined them to a seven-acre section of the Cannaregio district, a quarter soon known as the Ghetto after the Venetian word for copper foundry, the site’s previous tenant.

The Centuries-Old History of Venice's Jewish Ghetto

A look back on the 500-year history and intellectual life of one of the world's oldest Jewish quarters

A 17th-century engraving of the revolutionary printer

The Man Who Changed Reading Forever

The Venetian roots of revolutionary modern book printer Aldus Manutius shaped books as we know them today

The Beauty of Venice's Everyday

Instagram photographer Alvise Giovannini discovers Venice beyond its iconic symbols and places

Friuli-Venezia Giulia’s vineyards benefit from the breezy, sunny microclimate created by their equidistance from the Austrian Alps to the north and the Adriatic Sea to the south.

The Best Italian Wine Region You’ve Never Heard Of

The world does not yet come to the Friuli region, and so much the better

"We pass from one realm of water to another," Brodsky told the author during their late-night walk through the city, which lasted until the first rays of dawn glinted over the sea.

The City Nobel Laureate Joseph Brodsky Called Paradise

A journalist recalls his witching-hour walk through Venice with the famous poet

The Genius of Venice

The seafaring republic borrowed from cultures far and wide but ultimately created a city that was perfectly unique

Director Federico Fellini had Sutherland’s eyebrows removed, built out his nose and chin, and partially shaved his forehead for the role of Casanova.

Donald Sutherland on Fellini, Near-Death and the Haunting Allure of Venice

What to Read, Watch and Download Before Your Trip to Venice

Know before you go

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Venice

Discover Venice anew, from its rich history and many cultural quirks to its delightful, present-day customs and excursions

How Italian Police Finally Busted Thieves for Nabbing $875,000 in Cheese

Cheese is the most stolen food in the world

The World’s Rarest Silk Is Made of Clam Spit

Only one person in the world is thought to be able to dive for, spin and create rare "sea silk"

What Should You Look for When Buying Olive Oil?

Cold-pressed? From Greece or Spain? What really matters when getting your EVOO

Inside of the labyrinth, along one of the bamboo corridors.

Get Lost in the World's Largest Maze

Ponder existence while wandering through the bamboo stalks of Italy's Masone Labyrinth

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Discussion

Reader responses to our May issue

Six years after the quake first struck, the city of L’Aquila is still rebuilding. The recovery is estimated to cost at least $16 billion.

The Shaky Science Behind Predicting Earthquakes

A powerful earthquake in Italy killed hundreds of people—and set in motion a legal battle and scientific debate that has kept seismologists on edge

Why These Stone-Age Farmers Took the Flesh Off Their Dead

New research shows evidence of an early burial rite

Sorry, ‘Ben-Hur’ Remake...No Circus Maximus for You

Rome blocks the remake from filming at the historic stadium

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Ask Smithsonian: Will the Leaning Tower of Pisa Ever Topple?

Imperceptible changes are occurring, but no worries, a collapse is not in the forecast

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