Gavel 2 Gavel: The Compass: Italy

Italy

PHOTOGRAPH BY THOMAS LINKEL, REDUX

The treasures of Italy are both iconic and enchanting: ancient ruins encircled by vibrant city streets, rolling vineyards crowned by medieval hilltop towns, and gondolas bobbing in turquoise canals. Italy also boasts a whopping 51 World Heritage Sites—more than any other country in the world. Join us this week as we discover an ancient sundial that celebrated a Roman election win, see how a centuries-old tradition is fighting for survival, and travel to a little-known region that may have Italy’s best wines.

Let's explore Italy.

HISTORY & CULTURE

A team of archaeologists, led by National Geographic Explorer Jamie Hodgkins, investigate a 10,000-year-old infant burial in a cave in northwest Italy.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY JAMIE HODGKINS, PHD, CU DENVER

Earliest modern female human infant burial found in Europe

The discovery of 'Neve,' who was interred in an Italian cave less than 8 months after she was born, raises important questions on when ancient communities granted full personhood on their youngest members.

The 2,000-year-old sundial was donated by a victorious politician named Marcus Novius Tubula.

COURTESY FACULTY OF CLASSICS,
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Ancient sundial find celebrated Roman election win

Archaeologists believe 2,000-year-old "clock" was donated by a victorious politician to his small Roman town.

The Italian village of Civita di Bagnoregio is disappearing. Every year, seven centimeters of land tumbles into the ravine below and only seven people still call the place home. However, one million tourists stopped by to see it in 2019.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CAMILLA FERRARI

Can tourism save Italy’s ‘Dying Town’?

Like many rural villages in Italy, this 300 by 500-foot town was at risk of disappearing—until the world’s curiosity caught up to it.

Florentines have played calcio storico, or “historic football,” since the 15th century. This year, due to the pandemic, the sport has been postponed as locals ponder the game’s future.

PHOTOGRAPH BY FILIPPO MONTEFORTE, AFP/GETTY IMAGES

In Florence a centuries-old tradition fights for survival

Will the coronavirus pandemic put an end to the bloody yet beloved sport of calcio storico?

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Reflecting the port city’s storied maritime history, the annual Barcolana regatta unfurls behind Victory Lighthouse, which memorializes those who died at sea in World War I.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHIARA GOIA

This historic Mediterranean crossroads is seeing a modern renaissance

Trieste, an overlooked cultural gem in northern Italy, is poised for a new era of prosperity as nations vie for access to its once vibrant port.

Santi di Tito’s portrait of Machiavelli was painted after the author’s death and hangs in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

SCALA, FLORENCE

Machiavelli exposed the brutal truth about politics in a 'tell-all' treatise

After surviving years in the snake pit of Renaissance politics, Machiavelli penned 'The Prince,' his candid exploration of the mechanisms of power and leadership.

TRAVEL

DREAM NOW, GO LATER

Locals socialize at Versus, a wine bar and cafe overlooking Piazza Giacomo Matteotti and Chiesa di San Giacomo (left) in Udine, Italy.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TONI ANZENBERGER, REDUX

This little-known region may have Italy’s best wines

In Friuli, white wine is the specialty. But there’s much more to this region bordering Austria, Slovenia, and the Adriatic Sea.

A woman onboard Italy’s “Trans-Siberian” railway takes in the beauty of the Abruzzo region. The historic Sulmona-Carpinone route rekindles a connection to the heyday of train travel in Italy.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHIARA NEGRELLO

Why does Italy have a ‘Trans-Siberian’ railway?

A photographer captures the magic of Abruzzo’s mountain towns along the Sulmona-Carpinone route, which carries a curious nickname.

Violin maker Daniele Tonarelli is one of more than 150 luthiers based in Cremona. Although the COVID-19 pandemic hit this Italian city hard, a new music conservatory may help revive the economy and bring tourists back.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RONAN O'CONNELL

Reeling from COVID-19, Italy’s violin capital is rebounding with music

Known for its violin makers, Cremona is launching an academy for strings.

Italy’s Po Delta region is known as a conservation hub, supported by a thriving fishing industry and ecotourism. But few know about the community of women who fish these waters in a traditionally male-dominated profession.

PHOTOGRAPH BY CHIARA NEGRELLO

This little-known Italian paradise is more than meets the eye

The Po River Delta region holds surprising finds, from architectural treasures to wildlife wonders, and a community of barrier-breaking women fishers.

WHERE WILL WE JOURNEY TO NEXT?

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Gavel 2 Gavel

4.02.2022

The Compass: Italy

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