Hiro Shikata arrived in Italy in 1995, after working in kitchens in Japan and an Italian restaurant in Singapore. After a stage in Sicily, he travelled up the boot and soon found himself out of money in Rome. He chose a well-regarded restaurant, enjoyed a long meal, and – once the waiter arrived with the […]

When in Maremma, I often stop in Grosseto for a quick lunch or a bit of shopping. On my last visit, I noticed many ‘for rent’ signs stuck on empty storefronts in the town centre. They are linked to the aftermath of the Covid lockdowns and a trend that has been slow to catch on […]

A golf club with its own beehive and vegetable garden? It exists. Right next to La Montecchia, one of our trusted estates in the Veneto.