What's up with WTI: Editorial # 166
Dear friends, as you know we do not stop even in August, and this is the editorial for the hottest month of the year. We are working on some new things that will see the light of day soon, and I hope to be able to announce some of these new things as early as next month. On July 29 I had the honor and pleasure of attending the John Fante Festival,...
Italian handcrafts: Padua and its Gold Work Tradition
Padua’s gold work tradition originated in the Middle Ages. The first statute of its goldsmiths’ guild dates back to 1454 and consists of a collection of rules governing the fraternity, the organisation of the workshops, hallmarking procedures and product quality standards. The fifteenth century saw a large influx of master goldsmiths to Padua from...
Italian land and nature: The Italian Riviera of Ponente
Jagged-edge coasts, enormous cliffs that go on for miles, enchanting, characteristic sea villages: each one is different from the other, yet each one is a reflection of the setting that is the Italian Riviera (also known as the Ligurian Riviera). The Riviera is subdivided into the Riviera di Ponente (Coast of the Setting Sun) and the Riviera di Lev...
Italian cuisine: Sizzling Scallops with White Balsamic Sauce for Summer
Summertime calls for easy recipes that evoke happy memories and delicious flavors while providing the nutrients we need to keep us living our best lives. Scallops, called capesante in Italian, are made up of 80% protein and are low in fat. Eating them in this recipe will transport your mind to the Italian seaside while helping you to feel fuller lo...
Italian sport: Rome, here comes the Ryder Cup
Almost one hundred years after the first edition was played Worcester CC, Worcester, Massachusetts, the Ryder Cup will arrive for the first time in Italy, where golf is not among the most popular sports but since the beginning of the new millennium has won thousands of new fans. Waiting for the two selections from the United States and Europe will...
Italian books: The Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis
Published in 1802, The Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis is one of the most famous works of Italian poet and writer Ugo Foscolo. Foscolo was born in Zante, Greece, in 1778 and died in London in 1827. His birth name was Niccolò, his mother was Greek, and his father came from Venice. At that time the Greek island was governed by the city of Venice and the...
Italian little Italies: Barga, the Cypresses of Arringo over the Valley of Poetry
The urban structure of Barga has remained more or less that of the time of the Commune (12th-14th cent.), with a tangled network of streets running between the irregular buildings. One enters the village through Porta Reale and Via del Pretorio, crossed by narrow lanes and cart-roads. Past the first square is the Conservatorio di Sant’Elisabetta, a...
Italian culture and history: Caserta, the Royal Palace and Park
The Royal Palace at Caserta and its park, inserted as one of the 49 Italian UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1997, are treasures of truly incomparable splendor. Commissioned by Charles III of Bourbon in the 1700s, Luigi Vanvitelli planned this palace, a triumph of the Italian Baroque and one of the most famous and important works by the Neapolitan ar...
Italian flavors: Spressa delle Giudicarie Cheese
Spressa delle Giudicarie DOP (Protected Designation of Origin) is one of the oldest cheeses of the Alps and one of the most recent to receive DOP status within Italy. Definitive approval was only obtained on 26 January 2004, when it was entered the Register of Protected Designations of Origin, which protects its quality within Italy and Europe. Spr...
Italian report: Io sono cultura 2023
The strength of our economy and made in Italy, in all fields, owes much to culture and beauty. More than in other countries. Culture and creativity, in addition to enriching our identity and feeding the demand for Italy in the world, can today, more than ever, help us decode the present and explore radical ideas to face together, without fear, the...
Italian wine: Settecani Lambrusco Grasparossa di Castelvetro
When you think about the wines from Emilia Romagna which wines do you think of? Personally, I think of Lambrusco. I’m not talking about the low-quality, overproduced, old-school Lambrusco from the 70’s and 80’s that set the negative image for Lambrusco that some may remember today. Lambrusco has come a long way since those days with various clones...
An Italian American in Rome: Like Father like Son, Carrying on the Mariottini Name
In this month’s edition of “An Italian American in Rome”, we’re going to do something a little bit different. For this article, I am going to be writing about myself. My name is Rob Mariottini and I have been the author of all of the previous publications of this series. Typically I will dive into the story of student-athletes who study at Rome Cit...