Six stories to challenge your assumptions about one of the world’s most iconic cuisines.
Italy
Crimes of the Centuries
“Tomb raiders, crooked art dealers, and museum curators fed Michael Steinhardt’s addiction to antiquities.”
The Violin Doctor
“He’s trusted to repair some of the world’s most fabled — and expensive — instruments. How does John Becker manage to unlock the sound of a Stradivarius?”
There Is No Such Thing As Italian Food
“Italy’s cuisine has long been defined by foreign flavors. But with anti-immigration sentiment rising and the climate changing, will Italians continue to embrace new ingredients and ideas from abroad?”
The Unconcerned
On Venice, underwater: “It was like a game, a dream, a film. H imagined the city as a future dive site, and I agreed it would be stunning. But we were not the kind of people who would do this, become catastrophe tourists, I said. And yet there we were.”
The Farmer Trying to Save Italy’s Ancient Olive Trees
“A fast-spreading bacteria could cause an olive-oil apocalypse.”
Queens of Infamy: Lucrezia Borgia
History may have pigeonholed her as Renaissance Italy’s most notorious seductress, but it’s high time we give the Duchess of Ferrara a closer look.
‘Salvini’s Decree’ Evicts Italian Migrants from Temporary Shelter
Italy’s “Salvini Decree,” passed last November, has already altered life for many migrants to the country.
Queens of Infamy: The Rise of Catherine de’ Medici
Kings and popes thought she was their pawn. The Merchant’s Daughter begged to differ.
The Fish That Gave Too Much
The history of colatura — a fermented anchovy-based sauce produced in Italy — goes back millennia. Now, overfishing and rapidly warming waters threaten its future.