The successful passing down of knowledge from master to apprentice can take years of hard work and practice before its benefits start to be seen. It’s this level of craft and attention to detail that helps create some of…
This year's Salone del Mobile coincided with the 150th anniversary of Italy's unification and much room was given to showcasing the country's unrivalled manufacturing heritage. Though a time for celebration, Monocle asked…
In a media world dominated by reality TV and celebrity chat shows posing as news, Milena Gabanelli’s ‘Report’ stands out. Since 1997, her investigations have tackled corruption in Italy head on, criticising politicians…
Renowned ceramic artist Edmund de Waal chooses an Italian restaurant in London’s Soho neighbourhood for his ‘last meal’. He’s fascinated by the visual experience of eating and at his alloted restaurant the food comes tapas…
Monday 4 October
The right-wing Swiss People’s Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei, SVP) seems to spark controversy every time it puts up a political poster.
Saturday 27 February
Last year there were many restaurant closures in Manhattan. Across Gotham more than 500 establishments from ambitious upstarts to legends such as Tavern on the Green shut their doors due to the economic downturn.
Influential art collectors Don and Mera Rubell have always dared to sample untested artists – and they have the same fearless attitude to food. But there’s only one dish they could possibly put on the menu for their final…
A terrible accident led Bruno Contigiani to found the Art of Slow Living movement. And he practises what he preaches with a leisurely ‘last’ lunch at the Elio Locanda Italiana in Tokyo, a hangout for sumo stars and polit…
Tuesday 31 July
Buone vacanze emails have started coming thick and fast from Italian friends and contacts, the lucky ones with jobs.
A small slice of Calabrian sunshine may not be the most obvious culinary find in Kojimachi, near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. But for Elio Orsara (below), the opening of Elio Locanda Italiana was the culmination of a long…
Print media might be faced with some serious challenges but it’s time to stop calling its relevance into question – that goes for newspapers too. In many markets the humble daily has never looked so good, in others there’s…
Across the world there are people who are literally being John Malkovich. Or Homer Simpson or Paris Hilton. And in their home nations the voices of dubbing artists are more famous than those of their Hollywood counterparts…
Sunday 9 October
Genoa’s 51st Salone Nautico Internazionale yacht show closed yesterday under less than perfect sailing conditions with news of the recent downgrade of both Italy’s credit rating and the country’s major banks as the nation…
Tuesday 15 November
If there’s one positive to come out of Europe’s debt crisis, it’s that Italians now have a new vocabulary word to toss around in their daily discussions at the café: “lo spread”.
While the Milan menswear shows make the press, the real business is done at the Pitti Immagine Uomo menswear show in Florence. *Monocle* was there to see the designs that won deals and fill its fantasy wardrobe.
TV chef Kentaro Kobayashi is known for no-nonsense dishes and his show teaching men how to cook. Over a meal at his favourite Italian restaurant, he talks about his accidental route into becoming a chef.
Our verdict on this year's Salone del Mobile and a round-up of the best in show.
Danish creations, Taiwanese homes and Italian words of wisdom.
Thursday 23 December
Every December the elite of Italian society, dressed in fur coats and finery, gather in Milan for the season opener at La Scala.
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