Festivals

Each spring, for just a brief two-week stretch, a rare variety of violet artichoke is hand-harvested on the northern islands of Venice — and locals go to great lengths to preserve its authenticity. As sunlight dances across the shimmering waters, Venetian farmer Guia da Camerino guides her small boat around the briccole — wooden posts that subtly demarcate the lagoon’s watery paths. Just beyond the bustling maze of Venice’s city centre, the tranquil islands of Sant’Erasmo and Le Vignole offer

It was a British Royal Navy officer, Robert Wauchope, who devised the time ball—an innovative 19th-century invention that ultimately inspired New York City's famed New Year’s Eve ball drop tradition. As the final hours of the year approach, over a million revelers will gather in New York’s Times Square, with approximately a billion others tuning in worldwide to witness the iconic annual celebration. During the last minute of the year, all eyes are fixed on a dazzlingly bright, Waterford