mariella radaelli

 If statues could talk, what stories would they tell? Massimiliano Finazzer Flory is a gifted playwright, director and actor who has been promoting Italian culture in the US for years. His new short film Ali Dorate – Golden Wings – …

I woke up to a dystopian reality on February 22 when at dawn I heard that the novel coronavirus exploded in our efficient, modern, German-like Lombardy region. I was unprepared and skeptical like the majority of us. We all ignored …

Compared to the Amalfi Coast, its bustling neighbor in the province of Salerno, Cilento might seem like land that time forgot. Long stretches of its beaches remain untouched by mass tourism and a time-honored way of life continues in its …

With its history connected to the mysterious Knights Templar, the walled village of Alberona could easily be used as the set for a neo-noir film. This atmospheric and depopulated Puglia borgo 30 minutes from Foggia would be perfect for an …

In most western households, forks are a basic part of a table setting — unless you’re all eating is soup.  The relationship Italians have with the fork is certainly crucial. How could we eat spaghetti without one?  When I was …

Once the richest city in the world, famous for its seafaring prowess, Genoa’s glories are still very visible today, but not only in its many fine palazzos, medieval gates, austere churches, and renowned cuisine, impressive as those are. La Superba’s …

In Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, Vladimir, one of the two main characters in the existential play, suggests that the voice of the dead makes a noise like wings, like sand, like feathers, like ashes. But each time Estragon, …

A quote attributed to the 18th-century British writer, literary critic and moralist Dr. Samuel Johnson goes: “A man who has not been in Italy is always conscious of an inferiority.” I am not sure that strong statement is still valid …

She was an amazing lady with the grace of a swan, yet strong-willed, independent, and resilient. A splendid role model like no other in Italy, Rita Levi-Montalcini (April 22, 1909 – December 30, 2012) was a Nobel Prize-winning neurologist and …

When transatlantic air travel resumes, the fishing village Sciacca might be the ideal base for trips into the interior and along the coastline of stunning Sicily. But even as the Covid-19 pandemic eases, the village is noteworthy for another reason: …