In 1990, American professor and poet Frances Mayes felt an irresistible urge to buy a derelict 300-year-old property. She transformed it into one of the most famous villas in Tuscany, attracting a constant stream of tourists, thanks to her bestselling memoir about restoring the house, called "Under the Tuscan Sun." The book spent more than two-and-a-half years on the bestseller list, and later became a popular film. Mayes talks with correspondent Rita Braver about her unexpected success, her adopted village of Cortona, and her latest book, "See You in the Piazza: New Places to Discover in Italy." Read More »

The vibrant southern Italian city of Naples seems to run on espresso. Seth Doane explores the Neapolitan love of coffee with tour guide Marcello Uzzi at Caffè Gambrinus, and attends lessons at the Italian coffee powerhouse Illy’s own University of Coffee in Trieste, where the highly-calibrated method of preparing the perfect cup of espresso is taught. Source Read More »

In Florence even the street signs are pieces of artwork. Playful, funny, irreverent, hundreds of them dot the landscape, thanks to street artist Clet Abraham, a Frenchman who saw an opportunity to do something different in a place imbued in history. Jane Pauley reports. Source Read More »

Seven years before America’s Declaration of Independence, the Uffizi opened its doors to the public. Containing perhaps the greatest collection of artwork in the world, including masterpieces by Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Botticelli, the Florentine museum holds treasures at every turn. Jane Pauley reports. Source Read More »

In Florence the hottest new art pieces are Clet Abraham’s doctored street signs – playful, funny and irreverent Source Read More »

Il Palagio, a 400-year-old villa in Tuscany, is a summer house that the singer-musician Sting, and his wife, Trudie Styler, bought for a song or two. They've fixed it up, and brought the olive groves, vineyards and vegetable gardens back to life. Sting and Trudie talk with correspondent Alina Cho about music, raising a family, and revitalizing a cherished homestead. Read More »

The rich chocolate-hazelnut creation has been a staple for generations of cooks in Piedmont, Italy Source Read More »

In a country where thousands of little towns are being deserted, one village is thriving, mainly due to the work of one extraordinary man: designer Brunello Cucinelli. His company, which makes some of the finest and priciest clothing in the world, has raised the fortunes of Solomeo, restored the town's ancient buildings, and upheld the dignity of local workers by forging what has been called a "humanistic enterprise in the world of industry." Tracy Smith reports. Read More »

Michelangelo's masterpiece, the 17-foot-tall statue of David, stands front-and-center at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence. Jane Pauley reflects on the quintessence of Renaissance art. Read More »

The designer's company, which makes some of the most exclusive clothing in the world, has raised the fortunes of the Italian town of Solomeo by upholding "the moral and economic dignity of the human being" Read More »