Italian cuisine: Red Beet chips
Aperitivo time! Beets are something that you either love or hate. This recipe will make you love them: crispy and delicately sweet, perfect for a snack or an aperitivo (aperitif). Aperitivo (the Italian happy hour) is certainly one of the most fun food experiences that you can try in Italy. Aperitivo is served with some stuzzichini (savory snacks s...
Italian language: Lo sapevi or l’hai saputo... did you know
In the past, we have already talked about the differences between the two main simple pasts in Italian: imperfetto and passato prossimo. We have already seen how imperfetto simply changes endings while passato prossimo is made up of the auxiliary, essere or avere plus the past participle. We have also talked about when to use one auxiliary and the...
Italian land and nature: The Stars Over Italy
Italy is a magnificent place to visit, even if you’re looking to the heavens. This trip throughout the peninsula highlights some of its astronomical observatories that are open to the public and certainly where charming views can be enjoyed. Let’s start out with the Osservatorio astronomico della Valle d’Aosta (Astronomical Observatory of Valle Aos...
Great Italians of the Past: Rita Levi Montalcini
Rita Levi-Montalcini was an Italian neurophysiologist and an exceptional woman, who through her pioneering contribution and hard work has set an amazing example for others to follow her footsteps. She dedicated her life to science giving to all the new generation huge food for thoughts. Rita Levi-Montalcini was born on April 22, 1909 in Turin to a...
Italian gardens: Monte Cucco Park
The Monte Cucco Park includes the territory located on the north-eastern border of the Umbria Region, marked by the ridge of the Apennine mountains on which stands the Cucco (1,566 meters), the historical route of the Via Flaminia and the rivers Sentino and Chiascio. The population resident in the Park does not reach 7,000 inhabitants. In the mount...
Italian design: Megacites of the future, Stefano Boeri has a vision on how they should look like
UN estimated that every week, 1.5 million people move from urban areas to a city. To give you an idea of the impact this trend has, Milan (Italy) has 1.3 million inhabitants (Istat, 2017). The assumption that follows is that by 2030 there will be 43 megacities in the world. A megacity is a single metropolitan area, although it can refer to two or t...
Italian wine: Friulian Reds with Zorzettig
Nothing gets me more excited when it comes to Italian wine than having the opportunity to taste grapes that I don’t too often have the opportunity to taste. Going to the Gambero Rosso event in Boston earlier this summer provided me that opportunity. If you’re a regular reader of my column you know that I love the white wines of northern Italy, spe...
IT and US: La Cucina Italiana comes to the USA. The most famous Italian culinary magazine is landing to the U.S.
Ninety years after the foundation of its famous Italian culinary magazine, LaCucinaItaliana.com is going international. It wants to offer a taste of Italian flavor to all those who love Italian cuisine, culture and style, or who are dreaming of visiting the bel paese. With the launch of the American edition of its magazine, La Cucina Italiana is g...
What's up with WTI: Editorial # 119
Ciao from Rome to all the friends of We the Italians! On September 22nd I will have the pleasure of making on behalf of We the Italians a little welcoming remarks to the friends of NIABA who gather here in Rome. As you may recall, We the Italians and NIABA have signed a partnership, of which we are very happy. We will also have the opportunity to i...
Italian culture and history: Venice and Its Lagoon
Celebrated throughout the world for its singular beauty, Venice and its lagoon were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1987. Founded out of the necessity of fleeing the Barbarian Invasion in the 6th Century, Venice was already one of the most powerful cities in Europe around the year 1000. Beginning with the first settlements on t...
Italian handcrafts: Trento Copper
ln Trentino testimonies of metalworking appeared from the moment the man learned to use metals to build objects intended to meet the needs of everyday life. The mining and metalworking archaeology has provided many examples of a the processing of copper and other minerals in the mountains from the Valley of Mocheni to the plateau of Tesino. These m...
Italian little Italies: Furore, the town that doesn't exist
Following the hairpin curves of the hill road stretching along the coast between Amalfi and Agerola, you’ll reach Furore, a sort of Neverland. Don’t look for a ring of houses standing round a square here. You won’t find it. Furore, with its houses scattered on the slopes of the mountain, dropping sheer down to the sea, offers tiny samples of itsel...