Rome is a city packed full of sights, tourist traps and hidden gems. Whilst Paris is often thought of as one of the most romantic cities in the world, Rome runs it very close with such a wide array of things to do as a couple. (Photo - Pexels)

According to a study published by Bloomberg, Spain and Italy are the healthiest countries on earth. Every year Bloomberg crunches numbers from the World Bank, the UN and the World Health Organization, to score in its Global Health Index the healthiest and unhealthiest countries in the world.

With the step into the 21st century the Australian food landscape has become widely diverse, with this vast nation’s food industry also heavily influenced by foreign values and trends – particularly in the urban areas.

Barbecued, stir-fried or roasted, there’s no doubt that Aussies love their meat. Consuming on average nearly 100 kilograms of meat per person per year, Australians are among the top meat consumers worldwide.But with statistics showing that most Australians suffer from a poor diet, and red meat production is adding to greenhouse-gas emissions, finding a balance between taste preferences, environmental protection, and health benefits is becoming critical.

Etruscan Import is the first food operator that imports from one single area in Italy. (In the photo Natalie and Simone, Founders of Etruscan Imports)

When the world thinks of Italians at lunchtime, most of us picture a long table, a carafe of wine in the centre, multiple courses and a limoncello at the end just to really send us into a deep afternoon sleep. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? But, according to Mauro Sanna from Pausa Pranzo in Preston, the stereotype is outdated. (In the photo Mauro e Diana partners in business and in life)

Roberta Ingrosso, when she’s not at her desk or caring for her two young kids, can be found pouring over recipe books or experimenting in the kitchen. You could find her pondering how to reproduce authentic pettole while substituting wheat flour for spelt, or working out how to use the last vegetables in her weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. (Roberta Ingrosso and Salvatore Rossano, Founders of Radical Puglia)

Since the 1500s, the Italians have developed an enviable coffee culture. A culture many other countries also enjoy today. From the ritual morning coffee to the hit of espresso after a big meal, many of us cannot live without our caffeine fixes. But just how much would you be willing to pay for the perfect cup of coffee?

Almost every day in Italy, there are stories on the radio of young Italians who left their country and travelled to Australia in search of a better life. Many rarely return, if at all. But we don’t hear as much about the Australians who have chosen to reverse the process and end of up living in Italy permanently.

Sassy.x is a highly successful fusion-type restaurant. Modern and funky but still steeped in traditional Italian culinary traditions.

It seems the wave of Italian migration to Australia, particularly Melbourne, just keeps getting bigger. Postwar migration saw Australia’s first Italians forming small communities around the city of Melbourne, creating “Little Italy” on Lygon street, Carlton. So, it makes sense that Carlton is the location to hold the annual Italian Festa, which unfortunately, draws fewer crowds every year. (Photo- Source freemelbourne.com.au)

Barbecued, stir-fried or roasted, there’s no doubt that Aussies love their meat. Consuming on average nearly 100 kilograms of meat per person per year, Australians are among the top meat consumers worldwide.

Tucked away in the heart of Melbourne’s Carlton is a very special and unique place. It’s where many gather to reflect, others flock for support and guidance, and droves go to challenge themselves and enrich their lives with new cultural and linguistic endeavours. I am of course speaking of the Education Department of CO.AS.IT., comprising the Resource Centre and the Museo Italiano.

At Brunswick South Primary school, the children are not ‘taught’ Italian, they simply use the language to learn 50% of their curriculum. The school has been running a bilingual program since 2017. One unseasonably cold, windy spring morning, we took the opportunity to get to know some of these students, Melbourne’s future Italian speakers, and find out some of their favourite things about Italy, Melbourne, and life.

The benefits of bilingual experiences in young children have been researched and documented for years. A plethora of resources exists to support parents and caregivers who are trying to establish a bilingual home for their little ones

From 18 to 24 November, the Embassy of Italy will be hosting the fourth edition of the “Week of the Extraordinary Italian Taste”, an initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation that involves all the Italian institutions abroad.

Have you ever dreamed of buying a home in an Italian village? What about owning an investment holiday villa in the beachside towns on the southern coast? Where would one even start to begin to investigate how to go about purchasing and owning a slice of Italian property? It can seem complicated or frighteningly fraught with financial uncertainty - or is it?

For the past three months I feel I have walked a very special journey with Gradi Group. Johnny Di Francesco and his team were on a mission to find three talented nonni, with whom they could build the exclusive ‘Piatti dei Nonni’ menu. (Photo Johnny Di Francesco with nonna Elena and family)

‘Italians love to celebrate, it’s in our blood, life is a celebration. We have forgotten this in many ways; it is part of our rich inheritance to celebrate. When we sit with our families across the table, time stands still. It teaches us that this is where the heart of the table is’. International Sicilian chef, Carmela D’Amore speaks with Jenna Lo Bianco.

I recently chatted with Gianni Vitellone, Director of Pronto Travel/Vita Italian Tours in Collingwood, about his life and love of all things Italian. (Photo Wide Shut Photography)

David Attenborough, Pope Frances, and Al Gore. These household names might not have much in common, but they are all speaking the views of a growing proportion of ordinary people, who are becoming ever more concerned about the state of our planet. (Photo - Extinction Rebellion movement in Italy. A group of activists in Bologna)

One sunny Saturday Melbourne afternoon in January 2017, tickets to the final ‘Eat The Beat’ party sold out. Italian entrepreneur Matteo Belcore had, in a relatively short time, risen from obscurity to ubiquity in Australia’s night life scene. (Photo - The Eat The Beat Team. From the left: Etwas, Andrea Guadalupi, Matteo Belcore, Chris Mattó and Matteo Freyrie)

Stress is an inevitable component of everyday life. It comes in all forms and can affect anyone, no matter their age or financial situation. Everyone has experienced a feeling of being overwhelmed with too much to handle at some point in their life.

Go to the beach. Don’t have desires. Don’t desire to not have desires… Read a book in one go and get to the end panting like a sprinter, sweating like a marathon runner with the happy tears of someone who has just realised that they don’t have a care in the world.

She looks like any other 80-year-old Italian woman. Her body is weathered but lithe. Her hair is cut into a smart bob. She sits at a café with her arms folded, gazing into the distance. In another image, she is at the stove, her great grandson playing at her feet.

The Roman forum was a public space: the key political, ritual and civic center. If I were to compare it to a modern day equivalent in Melbourne, then Cafè Brunetti in Carlton meets the criteria. It is my third year working at Brunetti and it has been more than a part time job while attending university.

In 2006, I remember making one of the hardest choices in my life, having to choose between supporting Italy, or supporting Australia in the 2006 World Cup prior to the Italy vs Australia round sixteen match. I distinctly remember siding with Italy rather than Australia,this prompted my brother, James, to buy me an Italian National Football Team beanie for me to wear to show my support.

March of 2014 signalled the beginning of a new and exciting life for the talented Erika Lancini, her husband Manuel, and their three daughters, Martina, Alexandra and Maya. After long discussions and reflections about what a future remaining in Italy would look like, they packed up their life in Brescia and moved to Melbourne; a move neither regrets.

As a child, when I met with boredom I would often look out from my bedroom window, or, that of my parents. Sometimes, I would head onto the balcony to observe the world that lay on the other side of the bars and grates of the windowsill.

Reflections upon the concept of communication and barriers that people from different cultures and languages come up against when they find themselves in conversation.

“Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita” (halfway through the journey of my life) I have become an immigrant… The major consequence in one’s life of becoming what today is called an ‘immigrant’ is, above all, the loss of control.

Many other trees are renowned for their supremacy. We all know what are the tallest trees in the world: the famous Sequoias of North America, which reach up to 120 meters high, while an oak (Quercus Cerris) will reach about 40 meters.

Last month marked exactly two years since I last walked on my native soil. It was a day blessed by the warm colours of the spring when I greeted my family, friends and homeland. Two days later I started my journey in the “Terra Australis Incognita”, as the Europeans in the Seventeenth century nominated it when it was still a legendary land.