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Emanuele Filiberto, the Duke of Savoy moved his capital to Turin in the year 1563. He then began a large project to create a series of buildings and palaces to prove his power of ruling. These outstanding buildings were designed and decorated by some of the best known artists of that era and radiated into the outskirts of Turin. The complex also in...

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I'm standing in a room with a glass in a holster around my neck and I'm surrounded by truffles. I'm talking the "dog snuffled" variety, not the chocolates. White truffles at that – the most prized of all. And I am in heaven. I'm in Alba in Piedmont, an hour from Turin in Italy for the annual International Alba White Truffle Fair or Fiera del Tartuf...

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Every year in September the "Palio (contest) di Asti" is run: the oldest in Italy, it is an ancient tradition from the eight century, a real festival, which has kept unchanged its distinctive traits, qualities that have helped to make it a unique performance. The charm of the medieval history lives through the town districts and its places, includi...

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The history of the Italian emigrants who left for America is often a history of difficulties, suffering and accidents. Often these accidents occurred in shameful and almost impossible work situations, which were the only ones left for the latest arrivals, the Italians willing to do anything to survive and allow their children to have a better educa...

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A lot of sister cities are based on business. But a true sister is someone who you’re family with. That’s what Kim Wisnosky, who is co-chair of Medford’s All-Sister City Program, said of Medford’s sister city: Alba, Italy. Sunday, 26 students and two chaperones arrived from Alba, Italy to spend a week with students from North and South Medford and...

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Congratulations to NIAF Member Nicoletta Shane Scarnera and Chef Mauro Molino on the publication of their cookbook Piedmont Style – A Delectable Journey Through Northern Italy. Filled with more than 144 Northern Italian recipes and beautiful photographs, the cookbook pays tribute to the rich history and deeply rooted culinary traditions of the Pied...

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One of the most important pilgrimage sites in Italy are the Sacri Monti, or Sacred Mountains, that are located in the northern part of the country. These mountains are actually nine groups of churches and chapels created in the 16th and 17th centuries. Along with their religious significance these structures are also noteworthy for their architectu...

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In the 1950s, the small town of Ivrea, which is about an hour’s train ride north of Turin, became the site of an unheralded experiment in living and working. Olivetti, a renowned designer and manufacturer of typewriters and accounting machines, decided to provide for its employees through retirement. They were given the opportunity to take classes...

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Our self-perceptions are not always accurate. For instance, I once described myself as a measured, rational person, to which my wife replied in a tender, yet honest way, “You are the least rational person I’ve ever met.” Likewise, I believe that I have a good sense of direction. In reality, it’s terrible. I get lost consistently. I’m not proud of t...

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They were originally called feriae Augusti, or "the rest of Augustus" (as the Roman emperor), and are a millenary history custom. They were to indicate those holidays established in the year 8 BC by the first Roman emperor in history to celebrate the end of the main works of the agricultural season and thus constitute a period of rest able to resto...

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