A Day in the Life of Mrs. Grim Reaper

She only comes around once in a lifetime. Travel to any small village in Sardinia, and you may still hear hushed tales of the accabadora; “angel of death”; the women chosen by their community to live out their days veiled in black, and charged with the task of ending the lives of others at the mercy of their cudgel.…

A Buried “Daytime Hotel” rediscovered in all its Art Nouveau Splendour

It was built to provide a moment of rest and rejuvenation for citizens going about their day in the big city; a temporary home away from home for travellers arriving in Milan to find their feet. Welcome to “L’Albergo Diurno Metropolitano”, which literally translates to the Daytime Metropolitan Hotel. Situated beneath Piazzale Venezia in Milan, indeed, it…

The World’s Oldest Pharmacy, Still Selling Potions for Graverobbers and Queens

Once upon a time, the pharmaceutical industry was entirely in the hands of monks and nuns, and monasteries were at the cutting edge of intellectual learning and medicinal practice. Medieval medicine in Western Europe was composed of a mixture of pseudoscientific ideas from antiquity and medieval monasteries gained access to Ancient Greek medical works by the 6th century.…

The Fiat King and his Forgotten Dolce Vita Island

For the world’s billionaires — from Richard Branson to Bill Gates — owning an island is one of the most extravagant ways to flaunt your wealth. But while many envision a private oasis all to themselves, the so-called “King of Italy” bought his island to build the most exclusive, state-of-the-art resort. He envisioned it as…

Inside the Secret Workshop of the Louvre

In a vast warehouse at the edge of Paris, artisans are working around the clock on a clandestine operation entrusted to them by the Louvre: recreating France’s most iconic sculptures and prints for mysterious clients the world over. And unbeknownst to most of Paris, its doors are open to anyone curious enough to come knocking.…

A Beginner’s Guide to Italian Ghost Towns Selling Houses for €1

It’s been a rough few years, but it’s also been a time for re-evaluating our lives and dreaming “out of the box”. Back in 2015, we caught wind of the first Italian towns to adopt the appealing concept of giving away or selling abandoned houses for the symbolic price of 1 euro, in a bid to…

Been there, Done that Vintage Photographs

Okay, it’s true we’ve seen this concept done before, even the photographer Guiseppe Savini admits it: This is a series of photos I took in Bologna. I thought it was a good idea … then they told me that similar work had already been done … and then I gave up everything. How sad! Because the thing is, yes we have seen similar “then & now”…

The Last Gentlemen’s Barbershop

The barbershop as we know it today was born on Italian soil. When the Greeks introduced the art of shaving to the Sicilians, public barber shops began popping up all over Ancient Rome and quickly became influential centres and favourite hangouts of high society for news and gossip. Fast-forward two millenniums and not much has…

Deep in Italy, One Man’s Surrealist Mini-City Sleeps

It’s a labyrinthine citadel more surreal than even the weirdest of Fellini sets. “La Scarzuola” is a modern wannabe-Utopian estate imagined by one man and built amongst the pointy trees of Italy’s Montegabbione in the 1950s. This esoteric wonderland and its elaborate surrealist structures are awaiting your visit… Echoing the dreamlike worlds of Dali and…

How Monarchs and Their Mistresses Avoided the Walk of Shame

There’s no denying that history’s juiciest stories often have roots in-between the sheets, and as general rule, whether you were ruler of the kingdom or head of the Catholic church, having multiple lovers still required a serious escape route to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment. Ever intrigued by a secret passageway or a hidden staircase, we’ve compiled…