Italian little Italies: Norcia, The Sacred and the Profane
The historic core of Norcia is enclosed by 13th-century walls which form a unique heart shape. Along the perimeter the eight ancient village gates can be seen, which have preserved the names and characteristics of the past, together with the medieval towers. Entering from the Roman Gate and walking along the 19th-century Corso Sertorio, the visito...
Italian gardens and parks: Villa Durazzo Centurione
The museum complex of Villa Durazzo Centurione is a seat consisting of two historic houses of nobility, by a park/Italian garden and an art museum "Vittorio G. Rossi" in Santa Margherita Ligure, in the Tigullio, in the province of Genoa. The site, owned by the city, is also used for cultural and artistic events and exhibitions. The complex consists...
What's up with WTI: Editorial # 175
Dear friends, Next June 4 will be a very important date. Exactly 80 years earlier, on June 4, 1944, troops of the American Fifth Army entered Rome, liberating it from Nazi oppression and war. The people of Rome took to the streets, finally free and happy, to celebrate, hug and thank the American soldiers. These are scenes of happiness that all us R...
Italian culture and history: The Rhaetian Railway
The Rhaetian Railway is a mountain railroad network whose lines connect Italy to Switzerland, via a long labyrinth of wide valleys and mountain passes. Added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008, the part of the Rhaetian Railway running through Albula and Bernina is not like any other: its tracks, completed at the beginning of the 1900s, had a...
Italian sport: The best youth of the old continent
Athletics is the noblest and purest expression of sport, and its performers, namely the athletes, are as beautiful as can be admired during competitions. Running, jumping and throwing, every competition conveys strong emotions. Then there is also the fascination of a stadium where at the same time there are athletes who pole vault over 6 meters, wh...
Italian cuisine: Strawberry Almond Panna Cotta
One of the interesting things that you notice while working in both the United States and Italy is that the availability of certain seasonal fruits and vegetables is much more limited (especially on the East Coast and in the Midwest) than it is in Italy. Living in the Washington, DC area, I don’t always have the same fresh fruits in season as my It...
Italian handcrafts: Umbrian Ceramics
From the most distant past, the portion of Umbria between the upper and middle valley of the Tiber River and its tributaries, the Chiascio and Paglia, was settled by communities whose earthenware objects, moulded with sedimentary clay from the local soil, provide important evidence and documents of the development of civilisation. The Umbrians and...
Italian books: I'm not scared
I’m not scared (Io non ho paura) is a book first published in 2001 and written by Italian author Niccolò Ammaniti. He was born in Rome in 1966. The first books he wrote were characterized as pulp genre and I’m not scared is the one that put him in the spotlight. The same author will turn the book into a movie directed by Gabriele Salvatores in 2003...
Italian design: Angela Caputi, Design Between Art and Fashion
Angela Caputi represents a case of particular interest in the Italian Design scene, placing herself in an ideal terrain between Fashion and Art. The Florentine designer and entrepreneur in 1975 left teaching and devoted herself full-time to the creation of highly innovative craftsmanship, characterized by strong originality and extreme quality. Her...
IT and US: AIRE SOS, guardian angels for Italian expats
According to the most recent survey (the 18th “Rapporto Italiani nel mondo” by the Fondazione Migrantes), published at the beginning of 2023, the Italian expats are now almost 6 millions, +91% vs 2006; and these are only the expats enrolled in the AIRE (“Albo degli Italiani Residenti all’Estero”) as there are many more Italians expats that are not...
Italian flavors: Ricotta Romana
The first historical references to the Roman ricotta cheese date from the description of cheese-making techniques provided in “De re rustica” by the Roman agronomist Columella in the 1st century BC. In those times, sheep's milk had three uses: the first religious, the second alimentary, as a food or drink, and the third to make both fresh and aged...
Italian land and nature: Langhe and Roero
The Langhe and Roero district of Italy make for one of the most charming landscapes in the Region of Piedmont. Think rolling hills, quaint villages struck on cliffs, and prized vineyards and gastronomic traditions. For food and wine lovers this area is the height of excellence, ideal for relaxing and enjoying the good life amidst nature, art, the...