francesca bezzone

Casale Monferrato is a quaint town of just over 30,000 in the Alessandria province of Piedmont. It is known as the main settlement in the Monferrato area of the region which is part, along with Langhe and Roero, of the UNESCO World Heritage. …

Il due pezzi, the bikini: a view as common on the world’s beaches as sunscreen and flip flops. More or less revealing, in a variety of styles and colors, it remains the most popular swimsuit style for women. Once upon a …

It isn’t common to notice how much our language changes through time because, often, change is subtle and takes place through many years. When you think of it, Italians introduced English terms in their everyday language almost without noticing and the same …

Every Italian school child knows that “the fathers of the Italian language are Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, and Giovanni Boccaccio.” Indeed, these are three giants of our literature, so much so that they are probably familiar even to people who …

 We Italians are known for having pretty strong feelings and opinions about things: for most of us, being diplomatic doesn’t come easily, even though Italy is considered one of the founding nations of the art of diplomacy. Perhaps it boils down to …

When it comes to glamor and national popularity, the Festival del Cinema di Venezia is the Italian equivalent of the Oscars. The connection with the famous US cinematic awards runs even deeper when you consider how, often, the movies triumphing …

Who doesn’t love shopping? Online, IRL, at the mall or at the market. Food, clothes, books, trinkets, anything goes, really. True, in this day and age, spending money on futilities or “extras,” as we like to call them, it’s become increasingly …

Ten days ago, I went to my neighbors for a barbecue. Delicious, summery food – we had grilled fish and plenty of eggplant and zucchini! – good wine and chats with friends: what can you ask more from an end …

Spiaggia libera o stabilimento? This is the eternal question of Italy’s sea vacanzieri.  Spiaggia libera, which means, literally, “free beach,” is open to everyone, but has no services, besides an outdoor shower and public toilets. Stabilimenti, on the other hand, offer full services …

In truth, it isn’t really their birthday we celebrate this August, but the 50th anniversary of their discovery. Since that day – it was the 16th of August 1972 – the Bronzi di Riace, perhaps the most famous classical statues in Italy, …