Italian flavors: Sorrento Lemon
The lemon probably arrived in Italy from India at a time before 539 B.C., the year in which the Jews re-entered Babylon in Palestine. Jewish culture testifies that citron was present in Israel as early the sixth century B.C., and it had a ritual and ornamental value. It is therefore certain that the citrus plant existed in Italy from the early impe...
Italian traditions: Italy's most beautiful Easter rituals
There is no doubt that religious festivals represent a large part of the traditional Italian heritage. An expression of faith, of course, but also events with a strong social significance and bond of belonging to the community, especially in the South: Leonardo Sciascia, in "Corda Pazza" (Mad rope), about religious festivals wrote that in Sicily th...
Italian art: Below Gemona Cathedral
Below the sacristy of the Cathedral in Gemona, a town in Friuli Venezia Giulia, near the splendid Cividale del Friuli, a few metres from a door of the ancient city walls, an underground complex was opened to the public in March, hidden for centuries between the foundations of the church: a discovery that surprised archaeologists and amazed the inha...
Italian language: Rainy expressions
In Italy we say: Marzo pazzerello, aprile con l’ombrello – March is a goofy fellow, in April you need the umbrella – so what a better topic for April than rain? This month I’m going to tell you all about Italian expressions that have to do with rain. Let’s begin! In Italy, every month has a specific quality to it, and April is the rainy month of t...
Italian land and nature: Matera, A City Rediscovered
Touring Matera is like experiencing a forgotten past - you feel as though you are setting foot in a nativity scene when you visit this charming city in Lucania. It’s no coincidence it’s referred to as the second Bethlehem, and was the setting for Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion, and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Il Vangelo secondo Matteo (The Gospel Accordi...
Italian Fashion and Lifestyle: Luxurious Hotels that Italian Fashion Built
In the last 25 years some of the biggest names in Italian fashion, including Armani, Bulgari, Versace, Fendi and Ferragamo, have extended their reach into the luxury hotel business. Development has largely followed economic cycles, occasionally defying the odds, but the fit between Italian fashion and hospitality has proved to be as resilient and e...
Italian cuisine: Oatmeal Brownies
These are moist, super healthy, sinfully delicious brownies that have no sugar, no eggs, no flour and no added fat. Is this possible? Yes it is! Try my tasty, easy and fast recipe, and you will find out. No fuss, no mess and in no time you have nutritious and tasty brownies that you can enjoy for a snack or dessert. This recipe combines several nu...
Italian report: 100 Italian E-mobility Stories 2019
Casino Royale is the name of the film that in 1953 brought to the screen the character created by the British writer Ian Flaming. It took seventy years and twenty-four films to make this saga a piece of the collective imagination: from the musical theme of the British composer Monty Norman, to the extraordinary locations, to the dream cars, many It...
Italian Gardens: Villa Caprile, Pesaro
Villa Caprile, situated on the hills of Pesaro (Marche), dates back to 1640: it was built by the Marquis Giovanni Mosca, for recreation and rest outside the city; in fact, he had water games designed to take visitors by surprise, with sudden splashes and jets. Subsequently, the Marquis Carlo Mosca Barzi and his son Francesco made other changes, inc...
IT and US: Italian Diaspora Studies Writing Seminar. Calabria, 2019
The “Italian Diaspora Studies Association”, in conjunction with the Department of Humanities at the University of Calabria, located in Rende, a few kilometers outside Cosenza (Calabria, Italy), has launched a new residential writing program dedicated to the topic of “Cultural Heritage and Memory”. With the Patronages of the Canadian Embassy of Rome...
Italian design “Milano al centro, Il Salone al centro”, two interwoven realities reinforcing each other
On April 9th opened the 58th edition of Il Salone del Mobile; as every year, for almost a week, the world was focused on Milan where it is always possible to catch up with the latest changes in style, values and needs, in other words to chat up with the latest trends in the field of design. So, what did we see? Innovation, future thinking and disru...
Italian wine: The Organic Wines of Abruzzo with La Valentina
The terms organic, sustainable and biodynamic seem to be all the hype whether we’re talking about food or wine. Every brand that is certified under these labels boast proudly their practices for all to know. So what is the difference between organic and biodynamic wines? The laws vary from country to country, but in Italy organic wines relate...