Italy | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/italy/RSS feed for ItalyenTue, 25 Aug 2026 12:42:32 +0000In 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/Stolen Masterpieces Worth $10 Million Discovered in a Cardboard Box, Months After Thieves Snuck Into a Museum and Whisked Them Away Into the Nighthttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stolen-masterpieces-worth-10-million-discovered-in-a-cardboard-box-months-after-thieves-snuck-into-a-museum-and-whisked-them-away-into-the-night-180989358/The artworks by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse disappeared in a three-minute heist earlier this year. Now, police have arrested five suspects in connection with the burglary in northern ItalyTue, 18 Aug 2026 15:24:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/stolen-masterpieces-worth-10-million-discovered-in-a-cardboard-box-months-after-thieves-snuck-into-a-museum-and-whisked-them-away-into-the-night-180989358/As Sicilians Flocked to a Religious Festival, Thieves Broke Into a Nearby Museum and Stole Four Renaissance Paintingshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/as-sicilians-flocked-to-religious-festival-thieves-broke-into-nearby-museum-stole-four-renaissance-paintings-180989352/The missing works include three panels from a 15th-century altarpiece by Antonello da Messina, as well as a two-sided devotional painting by the artistMon, 17 Aug 2026 19:36:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/as-sicilians-flocked-to-religious-festival-thieves-broke-into-nearby-museum-stole-four-renaissance-paintings-180989352/One of Italy's Most Popular Attractions, the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Reveals Plans for a Major Renovation Over the Next Two Yearshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-italys-most-popular-attractions-the-uffizi-galleries-in-florence-reveals-plans-for-a-major-renovation-over-the-next-two-years-180989295/The collection of treasures, many of them connected to the Medici family, includes Italian Renaissance masterpieces, a palace and a courtly gardenFri, 07 Aug 2026 18:22:09 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/one-of-italys-most-popular-attractions-the-uffizi-galleries-in-florence-reveals-plans-for-a-major-renovation-over-the-next-two-years-180989295/First a Volcanic Eruption, Now a Crustacean Invasion? See the Giant Lobsters Taking Over the Ancient City of Pompeiihttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-a-volcanic-eruption-now-a-crustacean-invasion-see-the-giant-lobsters-taking-over-the-ancient-city-of-pompeii-180989275/A pop art installation featuring more than 30 sculptures from artist Philip Colbert is the first contemporary sculpture exhibition to land in Pompeii in three decadesFri, 07 Aug 2026 14:17:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/first-a-volcanic-eruption-now-a-crustacean-invasion-see-the-giant-lobsters-taking-over-the-ancient-city-of-pompeii-180989275/This Marine-Life Mosaic Discovered Near the Colosseum Offers a Surprising Clue—Its Building May Have Housed Firefighters in Ancient Romehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-marine-life-mosaic-discovered-near-the-colosseum-offers-a-surprising-clue-its-building-may-have-housed-firefighters-in-ancient-rome-180989273/At the time of the structure's construction in the second century C.E., firefighting in ancient Rome was a formalized professionThu, 06 Aug 2026 19:51:22 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-marine-life-mosaic-discovered-near-the-colosseum-offers-a-surprising-clue-its-building-may-have-housed-firefighters-in-ancient-rome-180989273/See a Rare Ceiling Fresco From Pompeii That Archaeologists Are Carefully Reassembling, Piece by Piece, Like an Ancient Puzzlehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-rare-ceiling-fresco-from-pompeii-that-archaeologists-are-carefully-reassembling-piece-by-piece-like-an-ancient-puzzle-180989209/Located in the banquet hall of a home with an adjoining bakery, the fresco shows the mythological romance of Dionysus, the god of revelry and wine, and Ariadne, the Cretan princessTue, 28 Jul 2026 14:19:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/see-a-rare-ceiling-fresco-from-pompeii-that-archaeologists-are-carefully-reassembling-piece-by-piece-like-an-ancient-puzzle-180989209/Did This Duke Poison His Brother? A New DNA Analysis May Solve the Centuries-Old Medici Mysteryhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-this-duke-poison-his-brother-a-new-dna-analysis-may-solve-the-centuries-old-medici-mystery-180989086/Researchers found evidence of malaria in Francesco I de' Medici's bones, leading them to argue "with scientific certainty" that it was disease, not arsenic, that led to his death in 1587Wed, 08 Jul 2026 17:05:02 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/did-this-duke-poison-his-brother-a-new-dna-analysis-may-solve-the-centuries-old-medici-mystery-180989086/