NEWS FROM : ITALY  

When we talk about archaeology, we don’t necessarily think about food. Anyone who is passionate about history, however, knows that there are plenty of sources that, across the centuries, detailed the evolution and recipes of the culinary world of our ancestors. Archaeologists themselves often come across impressive discoveries related to food, not...

Italy means also Opera Lirica, the “Bel Canto”, the art for which Italy is known in the world. Here below you can find a selection of places, events and characters who are ambassadors of Italian opera. Some well-known, such as the season at Teatro Alla Scala in Milan or at the Arena in Verona, others that are known mainly by refined connoisseurs, s...

A floating Nativity scene has been installed in the waters around the island of Burano, in the northern part of the Venice lagoon, for the second year in a row. The magical spectacle, comprising 62 wooden shapes representing Nativity figures and animals, is located in an open stretch of water, without hindering boat traffic. Inaugurated on 7 Decemb...

Italian writer-director Lina Wertmuller, the first woman ever to be nominated for best director at the U.S. Academy Awards, has died at the age of 93, the culture ministry said on Thursday. A filmmaker since the early 1960s, Wertmuller took world cinema by storm with her politically charged films of the 1970s, including "The Seduction of Mimi", "Lo...

Since 2003 the General Assembly of the United Nations has instituted the International Mountains Day, lest we forget that even these imposing, eternal wonders of nature, now more than ever, must be guarded and protected. Italy is home to some of the most important peaks in Europe, immense resources of biodiversity, beauty and culture. These complex...

Italy takes the idea of food to a whole new level, and it doesn't necessarily take someone who has been there to confirm that. Anyone who's part of an Italian family likely knows that when the holidays come around, the scene is set for drama, flavor, and extravagant food. After all, this is the same country that brought us the Feast of the Seven Fi...

Housed in the monumental wing of an ancient Dominican convent, the National Museum of San Marco, located in Piazza San Marco in Florence, is an architectural masterpiece by Michelozzo and features the world’s largest collection of works by Beato Angelico, one of the greatest painters of the early Renaissance, who lived in the monastery for a period...

"Wine writers are boring, redundant and pretentious," opined a recent dinner guest. "Au contraire madame," came my retort, "we still have our uses." Critics and journalists are pretty good at sniffing out regions, and wineries, that deserve to be better known. We also excel at proselytizing overhyped – and overpriced – blue chip labels, but that's...

Here is how houses and cities are decorated in Italy With the beginning of the month of December in many Italian cities people start to prepare their Christmas decorations. There are so many traditions that have been carried on for years. In fact the beginning of Christmas preparations coincides traditionally with the date of 8th December on occasi...

Italy’s Val Gardena is a spectacular choice for a vacation in the snow. When it comes to skiing, hiking and exploring nature, it is unparalleled. Nestled in the UNESCO-protected Dolomite mountains, it’s one of the most famous places in Italy and Europe as a winter resort. This lovely alpine valley is the perfect place to get moving in the snow or r...

VI Edition of The Bridge Book Award, the literary prize that as a "bridge/ponte" unites Italian and American cultures with the aim of strengthening mutual understanding through Literature. At the award ceremony will participate the four winning authors and Fabio Finotti, director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Elizabeth Rodini, director of the...

Many legends revolve around the origins of panettone. First of all regarding Toni, the scullery boy in Ludovico il Moro’s kitchen who sacrificed his yeast on Christmas Eve to remedy the damage done by the Sforza head chef, giving life to the first great leavened product (the name would derive from “pan de Toni”). The true story, however, starts fro...