Toni DeBella

2 weeks ago | italymagazine.com | Toni DeBella

Three days after Italy’s monarchy was voted to be abolished in June 1946, more than 6,700 diamonds and 2,000 pearl-encrusted gems were surreptitiously deposited in a safe deposit box in Rome’s Bank of Italy headquarters. The treasure trove, worth approximately €300 million in today's currency, belonging to the House of Savoy, was among the only valuables not confiscated when King Umberto II and his heirs were dethroned and banished into exile after World War II.

2 weeks ago | italymagazine.com | Toni DeBella

The tangerine-tinged Aperol Spritz may be all over social media and Italian streets these days, but the summertime standard has been fashionable since as far back as the 1970s. According to Food & Wine, the cocktail’s visibility in the United States started growing after the Campari group acquired Aperol in 2008. Your standard Spritz is made with three parts Prosecco, two parts Aperol (bitter-sweet liquor) and a splash of soda water.

1 month ago | italymagazine.com | Toni DeBella

From Rihanna’s Pope-inspired gown at the 2018 Met Gala to the internet rumor that Pope Benedict’s ruby-red satin loafers were made by Prada to the costume design in the Oscar-winning film Conclave, sacramental vestments have long been a source of sartorial fascination. With the conclave underway in Vatican City for the selection of a new pope, you’re probably seeing unprecedented levels of divine regalia on your news feed. Here’s a quick look at these theological threads.

1 month ago | italymagazine.com | Toni DeBella

The World’s 50 Best Beaches were just announced for 2025 in a new report pulled from the input of over 1,000 travel industry professionals, with two stunning places in Sardinia bookending the list at spots #1 and #50.  In the top slot is Cala Goloritzé on the Gulf of Orosei, along a stretch of the Baunei coastline where sea and mountains meet. It’s famous for its intensely turquoise blue waters and above all for Punta Caroddi, a dramatic limestone pinnacle that rises above the beach.

1 month ago | italymagazine.com | Toni DeBella

Easter weekend has long been the unofficial kickoff of the high travel season in Italy, and 2025 is no different: The Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT) reported that six in 10 hotel rooms across the country are booked for the holiday. Of the estimated seven million travelers from abroad who will touch down in Italian airports this spring, 28.5% will land in Rome — some specifically for the Vatican’s Jubilee Year, but plenty of others just for garden-variety vacation time.