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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: Italian vocabulary for autumn and the best seasonal food fairs to visit

From understanding the language used to talk about autumn in Italy to sampling the best of the season's produce, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

La Bella Vita: Italian vocabulary for autumn and the best seasonal food fairs to visit
Grapes pictured in Tuscany's Chianti Classico region. Autumn is the perfect time to visit Italy's local wine and food fairs. (Photo by FABIO MUZZI / AFP)

La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox: go to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or follow the instructions in the newsletter box below.

It might not feel much like it at the moment, with unusually warm temperatures for this time of year across Italy and other parts of Europe, but it is technically autumn now – and that means we have plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks.

A packed calendar of food festivals and cultural events, perfect sightseeing weather, few crowds, and pretty autumnal landscapes are all on the cards, and these are just some of the reasons why we think the period between October and November might just be the very best time of year to visit, or travel within, Italy.

In case you need any more excuses to book a trip, here’s why we think you really should:

Six reasons autumn is the best time to visit Italy

An essential part of any autumn weekend in Italy is of course a visit to a local sagra: these traditional, food-centred festivals held in villages all over the country usually showcase one particular local delicacy, which can be anything from wine to porcini mushrooms, truffles, roasted chestnuts, and chocolate.

(Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)

You’ll find every small town or village in your region is likely to have its own sagra, and they’re often worth travelling further afield for, too.

By their nature, these events are for locals and aren’t usually geared towards tourists (though we are warned that some of the more commercial events aren’t entirely ‘authentic’), which is a bonus as it means you’ll be able to immerse yourself in the culture and practice speaking Italian as you sample all the local produce.

To help you make the most of the coming weekends, here’s a roundup of some of the very best sagre happening up and down the country throughout the next month. If you have a favourite local event we’d love to hear about it in the comments section below this article:

Sagra: The best Italian food festivals to visit in October

And in Italy as elsewhere, one of the best ways to strike up a casual conversation is by commenting on the weather.

From complaining about the cold (when it eventually arrives) to talking in more detail about seasonal changes, and understanding the particularly Italian habits and sometimes surprising beliefs associated with this time of year, here’s a look at some of the essential Italian words and phrases you’ll need to be able to use and understand.

The essential vocabulary you’ll need for autumn in Italy

Remember if you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you’d like to see us write more about? Please email me at [email protected].

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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: Must-try Roman foods and alternative places to visit in Veneto

From enjoying typical Roman culinary delicacies to exploring the region of Veneto beyond Venice, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

La Bella Vita: Must-try Roman foods and alternative places to visit in Veneto

La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences in ‘My Account’ or following the instructions in the newsletter box below.

Italian cuisine is incredibly diverse, with culinary traditions, recipes and delicacies varying greatly from region to region, or even from city to city in some cases.

Rome and the surrounding Lazio are no exception as the region boasts a 2,000-year-old food scene that truly has something for all tastes and preferences. 

From typical pasta dishes such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, and carbonara to deep-fried artichokes and finger-licking street food, we’ve put together a list of the Roman specialities you should try at least once.

15 typical Roman foods you need to try at least once

Gnocchi are a Roman favourite, particularly on one day of the week. Photo by Neilson Barnard / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP.

With prestigious attractions such as the Doge’s Palace and Saint Mark’s Basilica, and its timeless aura as the world’s most romantic city, Venice is one of the most popular Italian destinations among international visitors.

This, however, means that many of its sites and central areas often get hopelessly crowded during peak tourist season, with visitors frequently facing long queues and disheartening waiting times.

Whether you’ve already visited Venice multiple times or you just want to escape the chaos of the summer months, you may be happy to know that the Veneto region is home to many wonders beyond the ‘floating city’, with plenty of small hilltop towns and lesser-known natural parks and beaches just waiting to be explored.

25 alternative places to see in Veneto other than Venice

After a spell of changeable weather and unusually cool temperatures, particularly in the north of the country, mercury levels have risen all around Italy this week, with heat alerts in place for multiple major cities from Wednesday to Friday. 

But as the peninsula experiences the first heatwave of the summer, with highs of around 41°C expected in parts of Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia this weekend, there is further proof that estate is well and truly here. 

From bars and beach clubs everywhere blasting tormentoni tunes of questionable taste to the return of bulky cooler bags stuffed with anything from pasta fredda (pasta salad) to prosciutto e melone (ham and melon), here are nine unmistakable signs that summer has arrived in Italy. 

Nine unmistakable signs that summer has arrived in Italy

Remember if you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you’d like to see us write more about on The Local? Please email me at [email protected].

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