Last updated: Friday 19th March 2021 at 16:32
Number of new coronavirus cases in Italy today: 25,735 - decrease of 1,058 from equivalent day last week (12th March - 26,793) Number of new cases yesterday: 24,935 Daily difference: increase of 800 Number of people currently infected in Italy: 556,539 (increase of 9,029 compared to previous day) Weekly Comparison Total number of new cases in the last 7 days (13th - 19th March): 156,670 Total number of new cases in previous 7 day period (6th - 12th March): 152,655 Difference: increase of 4,015 (3%) Good morning everyone on Friday 19th March. As was hoped and expected, the European Medicines Agency once again gave the all-clear to the AstraZeneca Coronavirus vaccine, confirming there were no links between the jab and the tiny number of people who had suffered blood clots after their inoculation.
So thankfully, after this needless pause at just the moment the country should have been stepping up the vaccination program, the jabs can resume. Yesterday in Italy 24,935 new cases of Covid-19 were reported and although this was a small increase on the previous day, for the first time in a long time it was a decrease on the equivalent day last week. Last Friday there were 26,793 new cases reported so it'll be interesting to see if the figures reported later today are lower than that as that would then suggest the start of a downward trend. Away from the pandemic, my favourite news article today has come from the tiny town of Vivaro in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. The sleepy, unassuming town with a population of just over a thousand inhabitants was woken up with a bang as it was the scene of a rather bizarre incident with tragic consequences for the local chicken population. In an impressive show of strength, the Italian army fired on a chicken coop with a tank. Yes, a tank. Details of what the mission's aims were are yet to arrive but if a chicken blitz was their true purpose then they can feel very proud of themselves. As we mourn the tragic loss of these poor chickens we can turn our attention to the weather which unfortunately, is also rather foul (chortle). The country is currently experiencing some unseasonal winter conditions with temperatures ranging from just 4° Celsius in Turin to a maximum of 15° C in Reggio Calabria. It's officially spring next week so let's hope this is our final reminder of winter for another nine months. I'll soon be putting together an article on lakeside towns of Italy and I have already listed them out on this website in my own preferred order. Topping that list for me is the beautiful town of Varenna on Lake Como, closely followed by pretty Orta San Giulio on Lake Orta in the Piedmont region. I suspect some of you may disagree with my selections of Bellagio only in third place or Sirmione in fourth but it would be great to hear some of your own opinions on what the order should really look like. Lake Garda favourites Limone and Malcesine will I'm sure receive a few votes of confidence as will Stresa which faces the wonderful Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore. You can find my list at the link above but let me know if you think I've got it all wrong, if I've missed out one of your favourites or indeed if you think one of my entries simply doesn't belong on the list. I'll be writing the article in the next few weeks and your words may prove to be influential! Well that's me done for the week in terms of the daily blog. For those of you that are interested, keep an eye out for the Coronavirus bulletin later today. The figures are usually posted around 17:00 Italian time and the important number to keep in mind is 26,793 which was last Friday's figure. Anything below that and we're really heading in the right direction again. Have a great weekend and I'll leave you with some of my favourite lakeside towns to ponder. Last updated: Thursday 18th March 2021 at 16:41
Number of new coronavirus cases in Italy today: 24,935 - decrease of 704 from equivalent day last week (11th March - 25,639) Number of new cases yesterday: 23,059 Daily difference: increase of 1,876 Number of people currently infected in Italy: 547,510 (increase of 8,502 compared to previous day) Weekly Comparison Total number of new cases in the last 7 days (12th - 18th March): 157,762 Total number of new cases in previous 7 day period (5th - 11th March): 149,890 Difference: increase of 7,872 (5%) Good morning everyone on Thursday 18th March. Today is the day when the European Medicines Agency will let us know if the AstraZeneca vaccine that is currently in the bloodstream of tens of millions of people is safe to use. Anything but a resounding all-clear would be a catastrophe at this stage so let's hope common sense finally prevails there.
Yesterday in Italy there were 23,059 new cases of Covid-19 reported; that represents an increase of around three thousand compared to the previous day but I will increasingly focus on comparisons with the equivalent day the week before which show more relevance in terms of a trend. The previous Wednesday saw 22,385 new cases reported so yesterday's figure confirms the feeling that the case numbers are starting to plateau. The heightened restrictions of the red zones and the continued roll out of the vaccination program will hopefully start to see those numbers drop rather than level-off. Vaccine matters aside, it's a bit of a slow news day today and I will happily skip on to something more interesting. It has recently been announced that restoration work on one of Florence's most historic and unusual monuments will begin after Easter. The Vasari Corridor was built in 1565 by Cosimo I de Medici to allow the incumbent Duke of Florence and his retinue to pass freely between his residence and places of work without having to come into contact with the everyday people. One can speculate as to whether security was the main priority here or if it was more a general desire to avoid the great unwashed, but either way, the walkway served its purpose. The corridor is a complicated structure that starts its journey on the north bank of the River Arno, in the Palazzo Vecchio. The famous old Palazzo was the place from where Florence's signoria governed the city and the republic before it became a Duchy a few years later. One of the star architects of the Renaissance, Giorgio Vasari, was commissioned to create the corridor which now bears his name. From the Palazzo Vecchio a small bridge connects the corridor to the neighbouring Uffizi Gallery, with this section of the walkway lined with a number of famous self-portraits. The elevated corridor continues until it reaches the River Arno from which point it heads west along above a beautiful arched walkway before reaching the Ponte Vecchio. The famous landmark bridge is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Florence but most of its visitors are unaware of the elevated section of corridor above them. The area around the Ponte Vecchio used to be the site of a meat market which had to be cleared for construction of the Vasari Corridor so that the accompanying smells wouldn't assault the nostrils of the VIP pedestrians as they passed. The meat market gave way to the goldsmiths and their shops which are still an important part of the bridge to this day. The total length of the corridor is around a kilometre and from the Ponte Vecchio it makes its way to the south bank of the Arno where it connects with the Chiesa di Santa Felicità, allowing the dignitaries to worship in peace before reaching its final destination at the Palazzo Pitti. The Vasari Corridor has been closed since 2016 as some safety work was carried out and after a number of modifications are completed by next May, it will once again take its rightful place among the best sights in Florence. That's all from me for today. I'll be back with another blog tomorrow but in the meantime I'll leave you with some images of the beautiful Florence. Italy Covid-19 Coronavirus Bulletin: Wednesday 17th March 2021 at 16:33
Number of new coronavirus cases in Italy today: 23,059 - increase of 674 from equivalent day last week (10th March - 22,385) Number of new cases yesterday: 20,396 Daily difference: increase of 2,663 Number of people currently infected in Italy: 539,008 (increase of 2,893 compared to previous day) Weekly Comparison Total number of new cases in the last 7 days (11th - 17th March): 158,485 Total number of new cases in previous 7 day period (4th - 10th March): 147,090 Difference: increase of 11,395 (8%) Good morning everyone on Wednesday 17th March. As you might have expected, most of the news in Italy over the last 24 hours has focused on the Coronavirus pandemic and specifically on Italy's decision to suspend use of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Yesterday in Italy there were 20,396 new Covid-19 cases reported. The figure was unsurprisingly higher than the previous day but the more relevant comparison is to the equivalent day the previous week. By this measure, the news was less discouraging with an increase of fewer than a thousand cases. Those new case numbers do seem to be levelling-off now but of course they are still way too high. We've all become so used to the reporting on these cases that we know what will happen next to some degree. For example, we know that a certain percentage of those new cases will result in hospital admissions a week or so later and that a smaller percentage of those will result in tragic deaths several weeks later. This is why the numbers need to start falling dramatically before any of us can properly focus on our lives once again. The Italian government's suspension of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is an obvious political move as they seek to avoid any backlash from vaccinated people that subsequently report side-effects. What is quite astonishing however, is that they see such a threat in this tiny number of reported cases, when death is coming to the door in increasing numbers because of Covid. Another 502 poor souls sadly lost their lives yesterday to Covid-19 while the Italian government "awaits further assurances over the safety of the vaccine". They have had repeated assurances, extensive testing of the products before they were approved for public use and a raft of statistics showing the vaccine's dramatic benefits in other countries. Apart from anything else, the mental anguish they are causing to the millions of people that have already received the vaccine is damaging and all so unnecessary. Another organisation working themselves into a political mess is the Church with the Vatican this week stating that it could not condone gay marriage. In the last 12 months we've seen huge displays of public outrage and this looks like another storm brewing. Elton John made his considerable presence felt on the debate yesterday and this story looks like it could gather momentum in the days and weeks to come. On a lighter note, English soccer star Paul Gascoigne who once plied his trade in Italy with one of Rome's two major teams, Lazio, has jetted in to take part in one of the country's most popular reality shows. To say he jetted in isn't quite accurate as he arrived by helicopter to much fanfare to join in the shenanigans on the Isola dei Famosi TV show which works along similar lines to the UK's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. Affectionately known as Gazza in the UK (which strangely translates as magpie in Italian - coincidentally apt as he started his career at Newcastle United - The Magpies), Gascoigne has never been too far from controversy or the British tabloids with his antics so this could be a very short and explosive appearance. Perhaps inspired by some of the aforementioned institutions, the weather in Italy is firmly sticking to its dogma that as it's still officially winter for another three days, we must continue to see winter temperatures. The coldest part of the country today will be the Alpine city of Trento with a maximum of 6° Celsius while Genoa restores some faith with an acceptable 16° C. The saving grace is that most of the country will be bathed in sunshine. I haven't mentioned Trento very often in these blogs but it's the capital city of the region I was planning to talk about today and its cold weather has given me a nice little way to segue into that. The rather long-winded name of the region is Trentino Alto-Adige South Tyrol. The region is dominated by the Southern Alps, and the Dolomites which are a part of those Alps; distinctive with their jagged peaks and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some of the region's and for that matter, the country's most breathtaking scenery can be found here with mountain passes such as Val Gardena and dozens of beautiful lakes. The region is divided into two autonomous provinces which have changed names a few times in recent years causing some level of confusion. The city of Trento is the capital of the region and also capital of the Province of Trento which has also been known as Trentino Province. The other major city in the region is Bolzano which is the capital of the Province of Bolzano which has also been known as South Tyrol Province. I told you it was confusing! If you like confusion then there's really no end to it here as most towns in the region have both a German and an Italian name; more often than note the German name takes precedence which is owed in some part to the region's borders with Austria and Switzerland, but also to the fact that it was part of the Austrian/Austro-Hungarian Empire until 1919. The Germanic culture is strongly felt in the region which can be surprising at first. There are parts of the region where you feel a bit like a fool if you only speak Italian and not German and others where the cuisine on offer consists of Apple Strudel and Pretzels for example. At the southern point of the region is the northern tip of Lake Garda where you'll find the beautiful lakeside town of Riva del Garda. I once stayed in a hotel there where all the staff were dressed in lederhosen and the waitress brought out huge tankards of frothing ale. It was a bit of a surprise at first but rather agreeable I must admit! Trentino Alto Adige South Tyrol attracts visitors all year round; during the winter its famous ski resorts such as Madonna di Campiglio, Canazei and Ortisei ring to the sound of apres-ski, while those same resorts are summer hotspots with visitors coming to enjoy activity holidays where they can hike or cycle around the beautiful mountain slopes and breathe in that fresh alpine air. Some of the hottest summer temperatures can be found here in July and August when the region's lakes become hugely popular. Aside from the lakes and mountains, the region can also offer a number of beautiful towns, rich in history such as Bressanone, Brunico, Rovereto and Merano, in addition of course to Trento with its Buonconsiglio Castle and Bolzano with its Cathedral, its famous winter market and arguably best of all, the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology where you can meet Otzi the Ice Man. Ok, well you can't meet him in the traditional sense as he's been dead for the best part of 3,300 years but in his case, that's the main attraction. That's all from me for today; there's much more to discover on the Trentino Alto Adige South Tyrol region throughout the pages of this site but I'll leave you with a few images as a little taster. I'll post the daily Covid-19 figures on the home page this evening when they come out and apart from that I'll be back with another blog tomorrow. Ciao! Italy Coronavirus/Covid -19 Daily Bulletin: Tuesday 16th March 2021 at 16:41
Number of new coronavirus cases in Italy today: 20,396 - increase of 781 from equivalent day last week (9th March - 19,615) Number of new cases yesterday: 15,267 Daily difference: increase of 5,129 Number of people currently infected in Italy: 536,115 (increase of 5,758 compared to previous day) Weekly Comparison Total number of new cases in the last 7 days (10th - 16th March): 157,831 Total number of new cases in previous 7 day period (3rd - 9th March): 145,569 Difference: increase of 12,262 (8%) Good morning everyone on Tuesday 16th March. The effects of the new set of restrictions are being felt across the country as the efforts to combat the virus step up a gear.
Yesterday in Italy there were 15,267 new cases of Covid-19 which on the face of it sounds quite good compared to the 21,300 of the day before, but the reality is there's always a lower figure on Mondays and if we compare to the previous Monday, yesterday's figure was a little bit higher. Clutching at the proverbial straw however, the rate of increase does appear to have slowed and with the tighter restrictions we should see those numbers start to gradually fall. Perhaps that fall wouldn't be quite so gradual if Europe's politicians didn't talk themselves into such a political mess with the nonsensical suspension of the Astra Zeneca vaccine. There is no evidence that even the minuscule number of people that have died from blood clots since taking the vaccine was related to the vaccine itself. Of course, people were dying before Covid-19 ever existed and blood clots was one of the ways they died. There has been no increase in the number of people dying that way but of course, it will still happen because the vaccine isn't there to stop that. As we all know, the vaccine has been created to stop the Coronavirus pandemic and the horrific number of people that have been dying from it across the world. Yesterday, in Italy alone, 354 people tragically lost their lives to the virus. We have a vaccine that can dramatically reduce that number but we're not using it because of a much smaller number of unrelated deaths that now have to be investigated. Even yesterday morning, Italy was happy to use the vaccine but shortly after Germany suspended its use, Italy followed suit. It's clearly politically-motivated, a point echoed yesterday by Italy's director general of the medicines authority Nicola Magrini. It's quite ironic that the Italian government fell less than a month ago because of their perceived lack of efficiency in tackling the virus; the new Prime Minister Mario Draghi took up his post on 21st February in a wave of optimism that saw him as the antidote to the pandemic. There's a reason the Italian government has changed hands more than 60 times since the end of World War Two! So, while the already slow vaccine rollout slows down even further, let's see if the weather can do its bit to help us out. Most of the country should see some sunshine today, particularly in the north, while central and southern areas will experience some cloudy spells. The coolest temperatures today will be found in the city of Terni in Umbria with an expected high of 9° Celsius while Cagliari, the capital of Sardinia tops the charts at 16° C. The weather, the pandemic and the politics surrounding it are doing little to lift the spirits at the moment but I have the elixir of Ischia to share with you. One of the Phlegraean Islands just off the coast of Naples, Ischia holds a very special place in my affections; it was where my Italian adventure started and the subject of my Ischia Review website which has been going for almost ten years now. It was a regular feature of my first week in Ischia for my jaw to be somewhere in the vicinity of the floor as I gazed open-mouthed at the island's wonders. There are other places in Italy that create a huge impression such as Venice or Rome for example, but the difference with those places is that you've already got to know them in some way by watching films or seeing news reports about them before your visit. Even though I have Italian roots and had visited the country many times before going there, I had never heard of Ischia until my arrival. Not only was I taken aback by the aesthetic beauty of the place, I just couldn't fathom why it received such little attention compared to its more famous locations nearby: namely Capri and Sorrento. I love both of those places and will sing their praises from the rooftops, but neither can match Ischia for me. Not that size always matters, but Ischia is roughly three times larger than Capri and of course Sorrento is just one town whereas Ischia has half a dozen. Such is Capri's popularity that in recent years the authorities there have looked for ways to reduce the number of visitors and the overcrowding they cause. This is much less of a problem for Ischia with its extra space and its comparative lack of celebrity. Ischia only starts to get noticeably crowded in August but that happens in every seaside location in Italy. At the centre of Ischia is the imposing Mount Epomeo whose verdant slopes are one reason the island has the epithet of "Isola Verde", the Green Island. The volcanic slopes of Mount Epomeo roll down to a number of seaside towns bursting with southern Italian charm such as Forio, Lacco Ameno and the pretty fishing village of Sant'Angelo. A little way around the headland from Sant'Angelo is the spectacular Maronti Beach which is just one of around twenty beaches on the island. In addition to this, the island has some hugely important cultural sights to enjoy such as the beautiful La Mortella Gardens and the unforgettable Castello Aragonese which sits just a short way out to sea in the charming borgo of Ischia Ponte. Ischia's lure is given further lustre by a series of thermal water parks which take advantage of the island's volcanic activity; these outdoor water parks offer beautiful scenery and the chance to bathe in waters of varying temperatures. You can reach Ischia by ferry or hydrofoil from Naples with most people flying into Naples International Airport first. During the summer months, it's also possible to hop across to Ischia for a day trip from Sorrento, Capri or certain locations on the Amalfi Coast. You can find much, much more about Ischia on the Ischia Review website but feel free to ask me if you'd like to know anything specific. Ok that's it from me for today as we patiently await an end to the pandemic. Enjoy the photos of Ischia and as always, let's hope for some improvement in the situation when the new case figures come through later today. Buona giornata (that's Italian for "have a nice day" by the way!) Covid-19/Coronavirus in Italy Daily Bulletin: Monday 15th March 2021 at 18:22
Number of new coronavirus cases in Italy today: 15,267 - increase of 1,389 from equivalent day last week (8th March - 13,878) Number of new cases yesterday: 21,300 Daily difference: decrease of 6,033 Number of people currently infected in Italy: 530,357 (decrease of 909 compared to previous day) Weekly Comparison Total number of new cases in the last 7 days (9th - 15th March): 157,050 Total number of new cases in previous 7 day period (2nd - 8th March): 142,993 Difference: increase of 14,057 (10%) Colour-Coded Zones with rules for each Region in Italy The colour-coded zones have been in effect in their current configuration since Monday 1st February. The rules include a nationwide ban on travel between regions and a nationwide curfew between the hours of 22:00 and 05:00, which has now been extended until Tuesday 6th April, the day after Easter. As things stand today, Italy is split into four areas, colour-coded according to the prevalence of the virus in each region. Changes: Monday 15th March 2021 Basilicata moves from red to orange Emilia Romagna moves from orange to red Friuli Venezia Giulia moves from orange to red Lazio moves from yellow to red Lombardy moves from orange to red Marche moves from orange to red Trentino Province moves from orange to red Piedmont moves from orange to red Puglia moves from yellow to red Veneto moves from orange to red Calabria moves from yellow to orange Liguria moves from yellow to orange Sicily moves from yellow to orange Valle d'Aosta moves from yellow to orange Red Zone: Restaurants and bars closed except for takeaways and home deliveries. Non-essential shops closed. School children restricted to distance-learning. Stay at home order except for essential groceries, work or health reasons. Exercise allowed for people on their own within the vicinity of their home only. Campania Emilia Romagna Friuli Venezia Giulia Lazio Lombardy Marche Molise Piedmont Puglia Trentino Province Veneto Orange Zone: Shops can open but restaurants and bars must remain closed. Non-essential shops can open. Schools can open. Abruzzo Basilicata Calabria Liguria Sicily South Tyrol Province Tuscany Umbria Valle d'Aosta Yellow zone: Shops, bars and restaurants can open until 6pm. Take aways allowed until 10pm, no restriction on home deliveries. Museums allowed to open between Monday and Friday only. No regions currently in the yellow zone White zone: No restrictions (except for nationwide restrictions listed below) Sardinia Easter (3rd - 5th April: Every region will be under red zone restrictions, except for those currently in the white zone (Sardinia only at present). Italian Nationwide Restrictions A nationwide curfew is in place between the hours of 22:00 and 05:00 in all regions. No travel between regions is currently possible unless for reasons of work, emergency or health. Current Entry Restrictions (effective until Tuesday 6th April) Entry to Italy is currently only permitted to Italian residents, or for emergency purposes with a certificate of exemption. Airline passengers must provide a negative coronavirus test, taken within the 72 hours prior to their date of travel. On arrival in Italy, passengers must self-isolate for a period of 14 days and also complete a self-declaration form. It's also necessary to contact the Covid 19 helpline of the region you will be visiting, to inform them of your visit. Current UK Restrictions on Travel to Italy The UK Government is currently advising against all but essential travel to Italy Travellers returning to the UK from Italy must self-isolate for a period of 10 days. It is currently illegal for UK travellers to travel abroad for holidays or other leisure purposes. Good morning everyone on Monday 15th March. The first day of spring is almost upon us but our winter of discontent keeps rolling on. As of this morning, the Coronavirus restrictions for large swathes of the country have become more severe, in response to the recent spike in new cases.
Yesterday in Italy there were 21,315 new positive tests reported, a significant drop from the previous day but more significantly, a slight increase from the equivalent day the previous week. One shred of good news however, is that the rate of increase seems to have slowed and it will be interesting to see how many cases are reported this evening. Last Monday there were just under 14 thousand cases reported so if we can see something around that figure or ideally, slightly lower, then perhaps we can start to head in the right direction again. The raft of new measures from today will most certainly have an impact; we are in effect in a very similar situation to the first lockdown last year. More than half the country is now officially in the red zone which means non-essential shops, schools, restaurants and bars are all closed. It's possible to leave the home but only for essential trips such as grocery shopping, travelling to work or health reasons. Exercise is permitted for people on their own but only within the vicinity of their home. Whilst this is all of course a far cry from normality, it doesn't come as such a shock to the system as it did last year. Italians and the world in general have become used to and hardened to these measures. The recent spike in cases simply could not be ignored and drastic action had to be taken. At least this time round, we know there are vaccines available and they'll be administered much more rapidly in the coming weeks and months. There is a full breakdown of the new restrictions and the colour-coded regions on the home page, but I suspect most of you reading this will just need a general overview at this stage. One element of those restrictions really caught my eye and warmed my heart at the same time this morning. With all the doom and gloom around the closure of non-essential businesses, one shaft of light has shone on what qualifies as "essential" and what doesn't. So as you might expect, supermarkets, chemists, banks and post-offices come under that category, but in a quintessentially-Italian way, so are bookshops. Other countries might not deem this as necessary but it's a credit to the Italian authorities that they've recognised the importance of this. With so much time having to be spent at home, people need some kind of diversion away from the endless hours of television and with the bookshops open, this allows the population to make use of the time by filling their minds with more beneficial pursuits. How nice it is that in the midst of this crisis, a really positive aspect of the Italian psyche should come to the fore. Winter will officially turn to spring next weekend but we're not quite there yet and the wintery temperatures will linger a little while longer. If anything, we might see a colder week this week than last with temperatures today ranging from 8° Celsius in Venice to 16° C in Catania. Central areas of the country will be bathed in sunshine today while the south and some areas of the north will see a mixture of showers and cloudy spells. For today's focus we're going to have a look at one of those regions of Italy that somehow flies under the radar for most visitors to Italy despite having a great deal to offer. The central region of Umbria is somewhat overshadowed by its much larger neighbour Tuscany, with which it shares a western border and some notable characteristics. Umbria can boast some of Italy's most historic hill towns such as Assisi, Todi, Orvieto, Gubbio and Spoleto, while its capital Perugia offers a beguiling mixture of Renaissance and medieval architecture. Unlike Tuscany, Umbria is land-locked and shares its eastern border with the region of Marche. This border area is one of the most beautiful in the country as it's marked by the Monti Sibillini National Park with its dramatic landscapes of rolling hills and expansive plains. A short distance from the Monti Sibillini on the Umbrian side of the border is one of the country's most-treasured natural landscapes. At certain times of the year, the vast plains around the tiny village of Castelluccio turn into fields of colour with the bloom of lentils and poppies. Despite being land-locked, Umbria can offer water-related pursuits as it's the home to Italy's fourth largest lake: Lake Trasimeno. At the centre of the lake are three islands and during the summer it's possible to take a ferry out to them. The two main islands of Isola Maggiore and Isola Polvese each offer something different from the other and when you add in the numerous lakeside towns such as Passignano sul Trasimeno and Castiglione del Lago, there's a great deal to hold one's attention here. Further south from Lake Trasimeno and close to the city of Terni is another of Umbria's outstanding natural features. The Marmore Waterfalls can be viewed from several angles thanks to the carefully-landscaped area which is also popular with hikers or just for a simple day out with the family. History is very much to the fore in Umbria with a number of churches of note. The facade of Orvieto Cathedral is one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance while the interior of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi is lavishly decorated with frescoes created by the same period's most venerated artists including Giotto, Cimabue and Lorenzetti among others. However, one of Umbria's most remarkable churches was created relatively recently. The Basilica of Santa Rita da Cascia only opened in 1937 but its own interior frescoes are among the most vibrant and impactful in Italy, making a trip to the otherwise-sleepy hill town of Cascia very much worthwhile. Well that's all from me for today. I'll update the home page with the latest Coronavirus figures later today with a bulletin to follow on Twitter. I'm expecting a comparatively low figure which usually happens on a Monday due to the weekend lag. Last Monday there were just under fourteen thousand new cases so fingers crossed we something close to or lower than that as a sign that the tide is turning. In the meantime, enjoy the images of Umbria and the rest of your day. I'll be back with another blog tomorrow. |
AuthorMy name is Dion Protani, founder of Italy Review. The Italy Review blog is designed to provide ideas and inspiration to visit places in Italy you might not have heard about, as well those you have. Archives
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