Skip to main content

Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine and get a FREE tote.

Italy

Europe’s Oldest Known Tree Discovered in Italy

The Heldreich’s pine is 1,230 years old

Agnesi was an Italian mathematician, philosopher, theologian, and humanitarian.

Women Who Shaped History

The 18th-Century Lady Mathematician Who Loved Calculus and God

After writing a groundbreaking math textbook, Maria Agnesi quit math for good

The ‘Mona Lisa’ May Leave the Louvre for the First Time in 44 Years

France’s culture minister said she is ‘seriously considering’ sending da Vinci’s masterpiece on a tour of the country

The mummified remains of a small child that bears evidence of an ancient Hepatitis B infection.

New Research

16th-Century Child Mummy Had Oldest Known Case of Hepatitis B

Long thought to suffer from smallpox, the genome of the 500-year-old mummy shows signs of HPB

Some jewels are on display at the 'Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajahs' exibithion, at Venice's Doge's Palace, in Venice, Italy, Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2018.

Indian Jewels Swiped From Venice Museum in “Movie-Worthy” Heist

The thieves reportedly deactivated the alarm system and walked off with the goods in broad daylight

A Pizza Margherita served up by I Decumani, located on the Via dei Tribunali in Naples.

Mamma Mia!: Naples’ Pizza-Making Process Gets Unesco Heritage Status

The art of pizzaiuolo, as the craft is known, is a cherished tradition that is not easy as pie

New Research

Rare Roman Sundial Uncovered in Italy

Commissioned by a local politician, it sheds light on the relationship between Rome and its outlying territories

Two millennia after it served as a floor on a Roman emperor's ship and decades after it disappeared mysteriously, this mosaic returns to Italy

Roman Mosaic, Long Used as a Coffee Table, Returned To Italy

The mosaic hails from a “pleasure ship” built by the notorious emperor Caligula

Visitors next month will be able to tour the top tiers of Rome's Colosseum

Rome’s Colosseum Is Reopening Its Upper Tiers to Visitors

For the first time in four decades, the public will be able to enter the top levels of Rome’s amphitheater

None

Wolf Pups Spotted Near Rome for the First Time in Decades

The animals were once hunted to the brink of extinction, but are now recovering

A typical day for three musicians in the Medici Court. This portrait, of three unnamed musicians, was painted circa 1687.

Three Things to Know About Francesca Caccini, the Renaissance Musical Genius You’ve Never Heard Of

The first female opera composer, Caccini worked for the super-rich-and-powerful Medici family

Consonno, a ghost town in northern Italy, is the location of the annual Nascondino World Championship.

The Hide and Seek World Championship Will Take Over an Italian Ghost Town

The annual event takes place in Consonno, an abandoned village once considered Italy’s Las Vegas

6,000-year-old wine storage jars found in a Sicilian cave.

New Research

Researchers Discover Italy’s Oldest Wine in Sicilian Cave

Residue from pots found in a Sicilian cave show grape wine was produced 3,000 years earlier than thought

The airship Italia

Flying to the North Pole in an Airship Was Easy. Returning Wouldn’t Be So Easy

It would take an international icon to toss aside a bitter rivalry to help a crew in need

A drinking fountain next to St. Peter's square after the Vatican began shutting down its fountains due to Italy's drought.

Vatican Shuts Off Its Historic Fountains in Midst of Scorching Drought

It is the first time that authorities can remember being forced to take such a step

Sacco and Vanzetti were anarchists at a time when that movement was very different than it is today.

The Biggest Trial of the 1920s Continues to Resonate

Sacco and Vanzetti were on trial for their Italianness and their political leanings as much as for their alleged crimes

Stay off these steps to avoid the ire of Florence's mayor.

Trending Today

Florence Cracks Down on Picnicking Sightseers

You can still eat in the city—but don’t do it on the white marble steps of the Basilica di Santa Croce

The recovered artwork.

Professor Helps Bust Italian Art Theft Ring

The professor noticed that a rare manuscript had been stamped with the seal of the Royal Library of Turin, leading him to believe that it had been stolen

The doge's barge, called the Bucentaur, returning to Venice after the "wedding" ceremony. This painting is by eighteenth-century Venetian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal, known as Canaletto.

Venice Has Been Married to the Sea for Over a Thousand Years

Happy anniversary, you crazy kids

Italy is hoping to draw tourists to less-frequented parts of the country, like sites along the Appian Way, pictured here.

Italy Is Giving Away 103 Historic Buildings, Free of Charge

But potential owners are required to transform the properties into tourist-friendly sites

Page 23 of 28