Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy, which dates back to 1221 when Dominican monks began experimenting with alchemy, is thought to be the oldest apothecary in the world. Rose water? It was invented here, as were other medicinal and aromatic innovations, as reported by Jane Pauley. Source

The singer-musician and his wife bought the dilapidated, 400-year-old Il Palagio, in Tuscany, for a song or two, and have brought the olive groves, vineyards and vegetable gardens back to life Source

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

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

The tiny Tuscan town of Collodi is where the wooden puppet who would become a live boy was born – the protagonist of a coming-of-age story much darker than the familiar Disney film Source

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” Source

Rose water was just one creation of the Dominican monks who in the 13th century began experimenting with alchemy at Florence’s Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy Source

Michelangelo’s 17-foot-tall masterpiece stands front-and-center at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence Source

Generations after their ancestors emigrated from Italy, Americans are emigrating back to the Old World and, thanks to their Italian bloodlines, claiming citizenship Source

The proposal would provide educational or vocational scholarships in exchange for a service commitment Source