How best to stop the feisty mozzies from bothering you this summer, that doesn't involve the use of big nets, growing tobacco plants, smoking pipes, cigars or accurate electric bat use ~ which all work super well of course. It seems that the males aren't the problem, it's the females who bite the skin to get the blood protein for their eggs. And it's better to deter them naturally, with either sprays or oils, candles and water mixes than use industrial manufactured chemicals. But there are a...

The Italian architect, engineer, and sculptor, Filippo Brunelleschi, chose Impruneta's fine terracotta bricks for Santa Maria del Fiori (the Duomo's) unsupported vault. Having lived in Stoke on Trent, England’s historic heart of the pottery industry, it is fascinating to now call Impruneta home, which is at the centre of Florence’s famous terracotta production. Situated on a plateau just south of Florence, Impruneta owes the exceptional quality of its terracotta to its clay rich foundations,...

Da Las Vegas a Firenze, Italia: perché una famiglia ha scelto un nuovo ritmo di vita. Meet Justin and Renata, a beautiful couple who Al and I had the honour of meeting through the school gates, in that familiar way life in Florence tends to introduce people, gradually, then all at once. Justin is on the Board of Directors and Renata heads-up the Parents' Association there. Over time, they have become part of the loose rhythm of fun get togethers with friends, shared al fresco conversations...