Host is perfectly suited to Ranelagh but in fact would work in any neighbourhood on the planet.

Jeff Gordinier has lunch with Massimo Bottura, the man voted the number one chef in the world.

Roses are red, violets are blue and Valentine’s beauty is mostly pink. Rachel Marie Walsh picks some pretty buys for Tuesday. 

Where to eat, sleep and drive Ferraris in Italy’s of-the-moment culinary capital, Modena. Nikki Elstein has the insie tips you need to know before you travel.

Italy gave us the Roman empire and the Renaissance two of the most influential forces in European history. Has this legacy coloured Italians’ perception of themselves and their place in the world, wonders Marjorie Brennan.

It’s all about the food, apparently. And intellectual pursuits. And let’s not forget bricks.

FOR OUR May Slow Food East Cork event we returned to Sage Restaurant in Midleton to celebrate the local food.

European insurers are expected to report mostly lower quarterly profit over the next two weeks, weighed by falling stock markets, Italian earthquakes and British floods.

Pope Benedict XVI has celebrated an open-air Mass for a million followers, capping three days of activities in Milan, Italy, aimed at showing support for the family.

The Republic of Ireland team have said their thoughts are with the people of northern Italy after at least 10 people died in an earthquake near their Euro 2012 training base.

AND then there were 12 – finally.

Ryanair have announced six new routes from Forli in Italy.