chiara dalessio

Naming her brings to mind a time of conspiracies, cloak-and-dagger events, and lascivious, decadent orgies of sex and wealth. But was Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI and his favorite, Vannozza Cattanei, truly such a dissolute being? According to historians …

Sardinia, along with other areas of Italy such as Cilento (Campania), is a place with reaching 100 is not that unusual, and it is especially so in Perdasdefogu, in the province of Nuoro, a village of just over 1,700 that recently …

As a former – and long-time – resident of the British Isles, I like reading Irish and English newspapers. During the first, 2020 Covid-19 lockdown I forked out for two subscriptions, one for Dublin’s Irish Times and one for London’s Daily Telegraph: both …

Margherita, a name truly fit for a queen. In English, it translates to “daisy,” the simplest but most popular flower. In the kitchen, it’s the name of the queen of pizzas, the pizza Margherita. Before the pizza and, back in her days, …

With February approaching, it is natural to think of Carnevale. Can’t you smell the sweet aroma of chiacchiere and frittelle in the air? But of course, this time of the year isn’t only about food, but also about the ageless tradition of dressing up in fancy …

In the rest of the country is al bar per l’aperitivo, but in Venezia, you go to the bàcaro for cicchetti. If you’re not familiar with them, you’re forgiven: neither was I until an old friend from Veneto, back in the days when I was …

Filigree is magic: gold or silver threads, twisted together to create ephemeral shapes and delicate patterns. There is something so incredibly alluring in filigree jewelry, perhaps because it is such an  ancient tradition and one so strongly tied to our peninsula, …

It’s difficult to say no to a piece of candy. Or two, if you have a sweet tooth. And while today’s globalized world means that a lot of the sweet treats we eat in Italy are the same you have …

As you know, Italy’s just got her new President of the Republic, after Sergio Mattarella ended his 7-years mandate. The country is happy to introduce to the world his substitute: Sergio Mattarella.  Indeed, Mattarella got re-elected, something that has only happened …

What a movie, Casablanca. The cinematography, the aesthetics, the music, the actors, of course. Who doesn’t have in mind Humphrey Bogart, dark and handsome, with his fedora hat and trench coat, in the famous airport scene where he says goodbye to Ilsa, interpreted …