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Suzanne Branciforte: Edvige, you’re a teacher of memoir writing. What are your roots, origins and story? Edvige Giunta: I am Italian, and American, Sicilian, Sicilian-American, European. I have multiple identities. Memoir became an opportunity to bring together threads of identity and cultural experience. It’s an antidote to cultural displacement....

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As far as guided tours of central Rome go, this one was a downer. “Look over there, at that ‘Virgin and Child,’ with that ugly lamp above it, casting such a harsh outline,” said Nathalie Naim, a municipal council member, pointing to a framed image on a wall. Near the Colosseum, another outrage. “This used to produce a light with a golden halo, that...

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Pursuant to the provisions of Law 288/55 and subsequent changes and additions and with a view to implementing bilateral cultural agreements and the related Executive Programs, as well as multilateral agreements, intergovernmental Agreements and specific Conventions for supporting Special Internationalization Projects with Universities, Research Ins...

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Perched atop three Tuscan hills, the ancient walled city of Siena is famous for many things. Its medieval streets and architecture have barely changed in 800 years. Its polychrome marble cathedral rivals the beauty of Florence’s own. And its historic Piazza del Campo, hosting the world famous Palio horserace every year, is acclaimed as the most bea...

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After three eventful days in Naples, we rented a car and drove over the mountain pass to the Amalfi Coast, the iconic site of southern affluence and prosperity. The Amalfi Coast is another of those iconic, idealized images of the South too often portrayed in American magazines. After three days, we drove to Paestum, renowned for its Greek temples....

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Italy has a unique artistic heritage. However, many of its ‘gems' not only get left in storage, far from sight, but they're often left in neglectful conditions. One of these is Sammezzano Castle, a masterpiece of 19th century “orientalist” art (so much so that critics compared it to the Sistine Chapel), with a park that nearly covers 200 hectares....

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The Benedictine La Cervara Abbey, located in Santa Margherita Ligure on the Gulf of Tigullio, is a rare concentrate of wonders. The structure was founded in the second half of the 1300s and greatly renovated in the 16th century. It includes the church of San Girolamo, which has a Latin cross layout and slate and marble columns; a beautiful quadrang...

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After completing our annual month of Italian language study in Rome, my wife Carole and I headed south for yet another tour of Southern Italy’s many cities, towns, and villages.  We had traveled to the South on at least three previous visits. Our itinerary included stops from the totally unknown to the familiar, including the now famous UNESCO Nati...

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It is famed as the place where gladiators battled lions to the amusement of the citizens of ancient Rome. But of the six million visitors who flock to the Colosseum each year, how many know that during mediaeval times, it was also the fortress base of a powerful Roman family for over two centuries? Or that in the 1600s, it was like a botanical gard...

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Just 25 miles north of Rome, the Sabine Hills are the perfect alternative to other well known regions such as Tuscany. Its quintessentially Italian landscape, made out of rolling hills covered with olive groves and dotted with medieval villages and castles, almost looks like a movie set (except it’s real).   One of the advantages of this region is...

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