Italy | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/italy/RSS feed for ItalyenThu, 15 Oct 2026 18:03:46 +0000Venetian Artist Canaletto Merged Fantasy and Architectural Detail in This Previously Unseen Sketch, Heading to Auction This Monthhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venetian-artist-canaletto-merged-fantasy-and-architectural-detail-in-this-previously-unseen-sketch-heading-to-auction-this-month-180989692/The 18th-century painter was a key practitioner of "capriccio" artworks, which blended scenes of everyday life with bold, out-of-place structures. This work was not known to exist for centuries and could now fetch up to $80,000Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:03:46 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/venetian-artist-canaletto-merged-fantasy-and-architectural-detail-in-this-previously-unseen-sketch-heading-to-auction-this-month-180989692/This Tiny Sardinian Village Might Be a New 'Blue Zone'—and Could Hold the Secrets to Female Longevityhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-sardinian-village-might-be-a-new-blue-zone-and-could-hold-the-secrets-to-female-longevity-180989660/In Bolotana, a town on the Italian island with about 2,300 residents, women who reach the age of 70 are about three times as likely to live to 100 than women in the United States, according to a new studyTue, 13 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-tiny-sardinian-village-might-be-a-new-blue-zone-and-could-hold-the-secrets-to-female-longevity-180989660/J.M.W. Turner Painted This Breathtaking Roman Landscape Nearly 200 Years Ago. If You Look Closely, You Can Still See His Fingerprintshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jmw-turner-painted-this-breathtaking-roman-landscape-nearly-200-years-ago-if-you-look-closely-you-can-still-see-his-fingerprints-180989659/The Romantic painter completed "Rome, From Mount Aventine" in the 1830s. It became his most expensive artwork in 2014, and it's expected to sell for another record-breaking sum in DecemberThu, 08 Oct 2026 18:56:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/jmw-turner-painted-this-breathtaking-roman-landscape-nearly-200-years-ago-if-you-look-closely-you-can-still-see-his-fingerprints-180989659/A Ship Carrying Stacks of Ancient Dishware Sank Off the Coast of Turkey 2,100 Years Ago. Its Ceramic Cargo Is Still Remarkably Intacthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-ship-carrying-stacks-of-ancient-dishware-sank-off-the-coast-of-turkey-2100-years-ago-its-ceramic-cargo-is-still-remarkably-intact-180989626/Researchers believe that the vessel's plates and bowls were made in the ancient city of Rhosus, once praised by Roman statesman Cicero for its "fine pottery"Wed, 07 Oct 2026 11:45:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-ship-carrying-stacks-of-ancient-dishware-sank-off-the-coast-of-turkey-2100-years-ago-its-ceramic-cargo-is-still-remarkably-intact-180989626/What Are Medieval English Coins Doing in Rome? They Could Be Rare Evidence of a 'Little England' Enclave That Received Special Papal Privilegeshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-are-medieval-english-coins-doing-in-rome-they-could-be-rare-evidence-of-a-little-england-enclave-that-received-special-papal-privileges-180989625/Researchers argue that the tenth-century coins provide new evidence of a bustling English community located next to the Vatican that was permitted to use its own currencyTue, 06 Oct 2026 20:33:52 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-are-medieval-english-coins-doing-in-rome-they-could-be-rare-evidence-of-a-little-england-enclave-that-received-special-papal-privileges-180989625/A New Exhibition Spotlights 4,500 Years of Broken, Shot-Up and Degraded Artworks to Explore the ‘Power of the Fragment’https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-exhibition-spotlights-4500-years-of-broken-shot-up-and-degraded-artworks-to-explore-the-power-of-the-fragment-180989602/The show, on view in Florence and coming to D.C. next year, examines the history and impact of destroyed sculptures throughout time and across culturesFri, 02 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-exhibition-spotlights-4500-years-of-broken-shot-up-and-degraded-artworks-to-explore-the-power-of-the-fragment-180989602/In One of Rome’s Most Famed and Neglected Villas, Centuries-Old Risqué Frescoes, Painted Over by Nuns, Have Reappearedhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-one-of-romes-most-famed-and-neglected-villas-centuries-old-risque-frescoes-painted-over-by-nuns-have-reappeared-180989585/Nearly a year into a $40 million restoration of the Villa Silvestri Rivaldi, conservators are rediscovering and reviving 16th-century artTue, 29 Sep 2026 20:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-one-of-romes-most-famed-and-neglected-villas-centuries-old-risque-frescoes-painted-over-by-nuns-have-reappeared-180989585/A Tiny Town in the Italian Riviera Has Its Own Version of Focaccia, and Let This Be a Warning—It's Addictivehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/a-tiny-town-in-the-italian-riviera-has-its-own-version-of-focaccia-and-let-this-be-a-warning-its-addictive-180989514/Unlike the pillowy-soft focaccia that’s more widely known, focaccia di Recco is thin, crispy and filled with gooey cheeseThu, 17 Sep 2026 17:28:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/a-tiny-town-in-the-italian-riviera-has-its-own-version-of-focaccia-and-let-this-be-a-warning-its-addictive-180989514/Researchers Have Analyzed the Roman Empire’s 190,000-Mile Network of Roads. Turns Out, Not All of Them Led to Romehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-have-created-a-digital-map-of-the-roman-empires-190000-mile-network-of-roads-turns-out-not-all-of-them-led-to-rome-180989509/For a new study, archaeologists attempted to answer age-old questions about Rome’s roads, including how connected the capital was and whether current motorways trace Roman routesThu, 17 Sep 2026 14:10:20 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/researchers-have-created-a-digital-map-of-the-roman-empires-190000-mile-network-of-roads-turns-out-not-all-of-them-led-to-rome-180989509/Blue Crabs Have Taken Over the Adriatic Sea. To Fight Them Off, Italian Researchers Just Released Thousands of Baby Octopuseshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blue-crabs-have-taken-over-the-adriatic-sea-to-fight-them-off-italian-researchers-just-released-thousands-of-baby-octopuses-180989430/Although prized in the United States, the crustaceans have been decimating ecosystems and the fishing industry in Italy. Experts hope that an army of natural predators—common octopuses—can help contain the invasive species' spreadWed, 02 Sep 2026 18:48:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/blue-crabs-have-taken-over-the-adriatic-sea-to-fight-them-off-italian-researchers-just-released-thousands-of-baby-octopuses-180989430/In Some Trattorias in Italy, Diners Can Enjoy a Meal and Take the Plate It Was Served on Home as a Souvenirhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/in-some-trattorias-in-italy-diners-can-enjoy-a-meal-and-take-the-plate-it-was-served-on-home-as-a-souvenir-180989386/The Piatti del Buon Ricordo, or “Plates of Good Memories,” tradition dates back to 1964, when a clever marketer came up with it to encourage Italians to travel across the country and taste regional dishesTue, 25 Aug 2026 12:42:32 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/in-some-trattorias-in-italy-diners-can-enjoy-a-meal-and-take-the-plate-it-was-served-on-home-as-a-souvenir-180989386/